Painful start: #WISZNI 0:1

Wisła Kraków's return to the Betclic 1st League ended in defeat. In the first match of the spring round, Znicz Pruszków won 1-0, taking home a full set of points from Kraków. Paweł Moskwik scored the only goal of the match.

Wisła began with the kind of play they're most comfortable with, attempting to quickly exchange possession on the attack. Baena attempted to finish one of Misztal's attempts at goal, but was effectively blocked by the returning defender. The first quarter of an hour was dominated by the home side, but they were unable to convert their advantage into goals.

As time went on, the visitors began to appear more boldly in Kraków's half, as if to emphasize that they weren't there to defend a draw. Initially, the White Star's defense performed well, quickly eliminating any threats. Despite this, coach Mariusz Jop's team conceded a goal in the 27th minute, with Paweł Moskwik taking the lead after a well-executed move. From then on, it was time to chase the score.

The visitors tried to respect the favorable result, relying on full-team defense and dangerous counterattacks. Wisła responded by trying to stretch Znicz's formation with numerous passes across the penalty area, often utilizing crosses from the wings. However, there were no changes in the most important statistic, goals scored, and after the break, the Kraków team will have to find a way to counter Grzegorz Szoka's men, who have been performing flawlessly so far.

Finding the rhythm

Snow began to fall, and referee Mateusz Piszczelok restarted the match at the R22. Neither coach opted for any substitutions, so both teams, having received their first point in the locker room, continued the match. Wisła Kraków immediately scrambled to close the gap, but the Pruszków team was able to hold their own against the red-shirted players, who were pressing hard offensively.

Duarte and Jaroch came on to support the team's efforts to equalize. The Yellow-Reds' goalkeepers, Uryga and Biedrzycki, provided significant threat from the top of the field, and their contributions caused considerable nervousness among the Znicz defenders. Around the 70th minute, the ball, through a maze of legs, struck the visitors' post. This chaos, which paradoxically almost allowed Wisła to equalize, could have resulted in a goal for the visitors. However, the yellow-shirted players mishandled their attack during a 3-on-2 advantage, ultimately serving as a warning to the home side that they must not forget about their own defense.

As the match approached its final minutes, time was running against the Kraków side, who still couldn't find a way to score. Znicz Pruszków was now limited to long clearances to their striker, whose goal was to maintain possession for as long as possible and try to "steal" seconds on the clock – no wonder, every second seemed precious now. We were entering injury time, and with five extra minutes, it was the White Star's last chance to snatch at least a point. Unfortunately, the visitors once again demonstrated their footballing maturity and composure, and they deservedly took home the victory from Kraków today.

Wisła Kraków – Znicz Pruszków 0:1 (0:1)

0:1 Moskvik 27'

Wisła Kraków: Letkiewicz - Szot (59' Jaroch), Uryga, Biedrzycki, Mikulec - Duda (75' Baniowski), Igbekeme - Baena (66' Kiss), Rodado (66' Sukiennicki), Alfaro (59' Duarte) - Zwoliński

Znicz Pruszków: Misztal - Okhronchuk, Moskwik (70' Góra), Kendzia, Koprowski, Sokół (90' Proczek) - Ciepiela (70' Borecki), Plewka, Nowak - Stanclik (79' Kazimierczak), Majewski (79' Tabara)

Judged by: Mateusz Piszczelok (Katowice)

Yellow cards: Sukiennicki, Uryga, Okhronchuk, Góra

Attendance: 15,115