Arka Gdynia lost against FC Midtjylland 1: 2 in Herning and did not manage to advance to the 4th qualifying round of Europa League.
Nervous beginning
The beginning of the match was quite nervous for Arka, but the players shook off very quickly and they became an equal rival for the Danes. However, in the first half none of the teams managed to create many dangerous situations close to rivals penalty area. The best one for FC Midtjylland had Rilwan Hassan, whose shot in 11th minute hit the post. Yellow&Blues also had their chances but Michal Marcjanik and Dawid Soldecki’s shots did not find their ways to Danish goal. Half time result 0:0 was promoting Arka to the next round.
Second half
The second half was much more interesting. Player from Gdynia were playing very wisely, patiently waiting for their chance. Which came in the 59th minute. After a corner kick by Marcus Vinicius, Dawid Soldecki defeated FC Midtjylland goalkeeper with a nice header. Over a thousand fans from Gdynia, gathered at the stadium, went mad with joy. The Danes now needed 2 goals to qualify to the 4th round. Arka was in a very comfortable position. The Danish team could not find a way to go through Arka’s defense, which was the reason of growing frustration for FC Midtjylland.
Dramatic finish
When Yellow&Blues had the 4th qualifying round of Europa League at their fingertips, in 78th minute FC Midtjylland had a corner kick and Tadeusz Socha with an unfortunate intervention headed the ball into his own goal. The result 1:1 was still promoting Arka but also caused the Danes to attack more and more boldly. Players from Tricity were not planning to give up and kept on fighting. Yellow&Blue’s ambition and determination cannot be denied. But they also had bad luck when in 93rd minute of the match Alexander Soerloth received the ball in the penalty area and defeated Steinbors. This goal gave the Danes promotion to the next round and broke hearts of Yellow&Blues fans.
Arka Gdynia made history
The sad end of the beautiful adventure for Arka has become a reality. But Yellow&Blues should be proud, as they lost after a great fight and they left a great impression on everyone. A great match in Gdynia and a very good one in Denmark. Another historic moment for Arka was very close, even though before the draw many condemned Yellow&Blues to failure. If only the luck was on their side…
Upcoming games
Leszek Ojrzynski’s team will now focus on LOTTO Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup. On Monday the 7th of August Arka are facing Korona Kielce in Gdynia and on Thursday the 10th of August, Yellow&Blues will play in the 1/16 of the Polish Cup against Slask Wroclaw. Tickets for both matches are still available.
