Teams in Poland have only two more rounds of Ekstraklasa play-offs to play. These two rounds will decide whether teams will stay or fall. Neither champions nor relegates can be sure of their position yet. Arka Gdynia is already safe in the middle of the Ekstraklasa table. Lechia Gdansk however still needs to fight to stay in the highest league.
Arka Gdynia is safe
Last weeks were an emotional roller-coaster for the fans from Gdynia. The team was continuing the loosing streak and they lost Polish Cup final. Thanks to their performance in the main season though, Arka gathered enough points to feel comfortable.
Last two games
Shortly after the defeat in Warsaw, Arka Gdynia traveled to Szczecin to face Pogon. Players from Gdynia were motivated to give their fans a win. As a result, they played with a fighting spirit, visible on the field.
Already in the 30th minute Pogon could come in front receiving a penalty. Steinbors was there to protect the goal though and he stopped the attempt. Three minutes later however, he had to take the ball from his goal after Drygas’ shot. Arka Gdynia managed to answer after a penalty shot by Szwoch. 1:1 was on The score board before the break.
The emotional second half resulted in 3 more goals. First, Fraczczak headed well in the 56th minute giving the hosts a lead. Just 7 minutes later Jurado re-established the draw with a fantastic shot. Nine minutes before the end, Pogon took the lead for the last time. Buksa managed to beat Steinbors and the match ended with a result 3:2 for the hosts. Arka played final minutes in 10, as Jurado got a red card.
Home win against Cracovia
Just three days later, Arka played a home game against Cracovia. The fans of both teams are friends, so the atmosphere at the stadium was very good. It was a good opportunity for the players to give their fans a gift.
Arka played very well and they took a lead in the 10th minute. The scorer was Gdynia’s favorite – Rafal Siemaszko. Arka continued a good performance and they managed to underline their win in the 80th minute of the match. Szwoch approached the ball at the 11th meter and scored his second penalty in two games.
With this results, Arka Gdynia is now on the third position in the relegation play-off. With 43 points, they are 10 points above the relegation zone. Therefore Arka already has its place in the next season of Ekstraklasa.
Lechia still struggles
On the other side of Tricity, Lechia Gdansk still fights to stay in the league. The team from Gdansk didn’t do well in their last match in Gdansk loosing with Termalica Nieciecza. The match was very important, as Termalica is in the relegation zone. Potential win could distance Lechia from danger. The team from Gdansk failed though.
Lechia Gdansk controlled the first 30 minutes of the match creating two good opportunities by Slavchev. It was Termalica however, that managed to take over the match. Kuciak was trying his best to protect Lechia’s goal. But he couldn’t resist forever.
The second half belonged to Termalica which was closer and closer to scoring a goal. It came true in the 74th minute when Gutkovski packed the ball into the net. The goal was clearly a result of poor defensive play of the team from Gdansk.
This result made Lechia’s struggle for maintenance much harder. The fans didn’t hold their emotions back too chanting what they think about team’s performance.
Important points in Gliwice
Similarly to Arka, Lechia showed a much better performance in the second match. The team from Gdansk won away against Piast Gliwice.
Lechia managed to dominate the match and lead the play. This resulted in a goal in the 45th minute. Nalepa was the one to open the score for the team from Tricity.
In the second half Lechia continued to lead the game. Thanks to this, Oliveira managed to score the second for his team in the 78th minute. The result remained until the end of the match. With this important win, Lechia distanced themselves from the relegation zone.
Upcoming games
In the 36th round of Ekstraklasa both teams from Tricity will play away. Arka visits Nieciecza to face Termalica and Lechia travels to Szczecin to play against Pogon.
(with Tiago Brandao)
