The match began under very difficult conditions. The falling snow turned the pitch white, with chance playing a key role in many situations early on in the match. As soon as it stopped snowing the home team scored. Marcelo cleared the ball in such a way that it was intercepted by Mila, who charged into the penalty area and shot the ball into the near corner of the goal. Completely surprised by this turn of events, Pawełek could do nothing but allow Mila’s shot to enter the goal.

Having scored a goal Śląsk began to play more cautiously, searching for further goal-scoring opportunities primarily on counterattacks. The White Star, on the other hand, was unable to recover from the loss of a goal for a lengthy period of time. It was only after the match’s first half hour had passed that the guests had their first opportunities. Marcelo, who was most likely trying to redeem himself for the loss of the first goal, had a few chances to score. He was unable, however, to defeat Kaczmarek with his foot, and likewise, with a header from just a few meters in front of the goal, in a situation where he was left completely unguarded. Rafał Boguski was also close to scoring, but while he did indeed have some good opportunities to take a shot on goal, instead of doing so, he only searched for teammates to pass the ball to. Wisła’s striker took only one shot on goal, in the 35th minute, with the ball sailing just past the goal post.

Śląsk’s wingers provided their team with the perfect chance to score. Ostrowki made a fool out of Singlar on the right wing, charged into the penalty area, and passed the ball to the unguarded Gancarczyk, who closed the play. It appeared as though all the Śląsk midfielder had to do was simply put his foot up to the ball. Alas, he missed.

Gancarczyk had an opportunity to redeem himself right after half time when he received the ball on the left wing, switched the ball over to his right foot, and powered it off in the direction of the far corner of the goal. However, Wisła’s defenders deflected the ball out of bounds for a corner kick. 60 seconds hadn’t gone by when Śląsk’s second winger, Krzysztof Ostrowski, powered off a threatening shot. The home team’s plays were far from random – Śląsk played smart on defense, and even better when it came to carrying out offensive plays. It is no coincidence that one’s fingers alone would suffice to count all the plays during which Paweł Brożek received good forward passes.

Śląsk’s tactics brought an effect in the 69th minute of the match. Ostrowski received a beautiful pass on the left wing, switched the ball to his right foot, and powered the ball straight into the upper corner of the goal. The home team was now up 2:0, and considering how well they were playing, it seemed as though the match was all but over. Wisła’s hopes were nonetheless raised 7 minutes later. Łobodziński crossed the ball from the right side of the pitch, while Łukasiewicz, who was being pressured by Małecki, unwittingly directed the ball into his own net. Nevertheless, instead of going with the momentum, Wisła’s players decided to unload their frustration with the way the match was turning out. Sobolewski received a second yellow card in the 77th minute – for arguing with the referee. Marcin Baszczyński decided to support his teammate, and ended up receiving a red card for the same reason as Sobolewski.

With two men down, Wisła had no chance of evening the score, while Śląsk was unsuccessful in their final offensive plays. The outcome of the match thus remained unchanged. The White Star’s performance left a large feeling of distaste in the stadium’s stands. At least Wisła’s fans left behind a good impression of themselves by cheering on their team throughout the entire course of the match, along with the majority of fans backing the home team.

Śląsk Wrocław – Wisła Kraków 2:1 (1:0)
1:0 Mila 10’
2:0 Ostrowski 69’
2:1 Łukasiewicz (OG) 76’

Śląsk: Kaczmarek – Wołczek, Celeban, Łukasiewicz, Pawelec – Ostrowski (90’ Górski), Dudek, Mila, Ulatowski, Gancarczyk (62’ Sotirović)– Szewczuk

Wisła: Pawełek – Baszczyński, Marcelo, Cleber, Singlar (46’ Zieńczuk) – Małecki, Jirsak (66’ Cantoro), Sobolewski, Piotr Brożek – Boguski (66’ Łobodziński), Paweł Brożek

Yellow cards: Jirsak, Sobolewski, Piotr Brożek (Wisła)
Red cards: Sobolewski (second yellow), Baszczyński
Referee: Marcin Szulc
Spectators: 8500

Photo. Maks Michalczak
Wisła Kraków SA Press Office