Arka Gdynia played against Ruch Chorzów on Saturday evening. The match took place in Gdynia in front of 9000 fans. The battle finished with a score 1:1 giving Arka a precious point.
Under pressure
Both teams entered the field with high level of motivation. Due to their difficult position in the table, both teams were desperate for points. Arka Gdynia received though an additional motivation – a loud support of some 9000 throats gathered at the stadium. Both teams wanted to win the game and increase their chances to stay in Lotto Ekstraklasa for at least one more season.
Early mistake – early goal
The game didn’t start fortunately for Arka. After a very bad sliding tackle in the midfield, Ruch Chorzów got their chance attacking with three players. As a result the hosts were loosing 1:0 in the 4th minute of a game. The players from Gdynia put themselves in a very difficult position, but they didn’t allow the situation to break their morale. Yellow & Blues kept on attacking and creating situations.
A helping hand
Arka Gdynia leveled in very controversial circumstances. During a confusion in front of the goal, the ball fell on Siemaszko’s hand and crossed the goal line. Arka’s forward was flying toward the goal trying to finish the situation in short distance. The referee consulted with the linesman and they decided to award the goal. That decision became a headline of all after-match comments.
Second half
The second half didn’t bring any goals, but it wasn’t boring at all. Both teams came back highly motivated after the break. As a result both sides made more than 10 attempts on goal, but none of them ended with putting the ball in the net. The crowds were trying to help their team to win, as Arka were wasting one 100% opportunity after another.
Bad luck of Luka Zarandia
One of the great attempts on goal was made by Luka Zarandia. Georgian midfielder entered the field at the 60th minute of the game. Shortly after he performed one of his high speed runs toward the goal. Ruch’s defenders stopped his effort, but the consequences were much worse than loosing an opportunity. Zarandia played only 3 minutes and had to be replaced due to a muscle strain.
Situation in the table
The game ended with a draw which gave both teams only one point. This result is a disaster for Ruch. The team from Chorzów is going to finish the league at the last place. As a result White & Blues are going to start the next season in the League 1 (the second highest league in Poland).
Arka Gdynia repaired their situation, though they were very lucky. Thanks to the result between Gornik Leczna and Zaglebie Lubin, Arka narrowly escaped the relegation zone. They have the same amount of points as the 15th Gornik, but Arka lost less goals this season and they are now at the 14th place.
The final game
In the last round of Lotto Ekstraklasa in this season, Arka Gdynia is playing an away match against KGHM Zaglebie Lubin. The opponent isn’t easy, but to stay in the league, the players from Gdynia have to win the game.
