Fate reversed: Wisła Kraków - Spartak Trnava 3:1

After an incredibly exciting evening at R22, Wisła Kraków defeated Spartak Trnava in a penalty shootout and booked their place in the next round of the UEFA Conference League! After 120 minutes, the score was 3-1, with Angel Rodado, Piotr Starzyński, and Alan Uryga scoring for Wisła Kraków.

Wisła took to the pitch with an attacking spirit, evidenced by a yellow card for Slovak defender Erik Sabo in the first minute. Driven by the cheering of the crowd, the White Star players flanked Spartak's penalty area, even finding the back of the net at one point. Rodado played the ball to Kiss, who slotted it between the posts. However, the referee called for offside in the buildup phase and disallowed the Hungarian's goal.

After the first quarter, Wisła Kraków continued to dominate the game. Olivier Sukiennicki was undoubtedly the driving force behind our team's play, often shouldering the brunt of the game and effectively maintaining possession. The Trnava players struggled to cope with the high pressure imposed by Kazimierz Moskal's team and quickly lost possession. It's safe to say they were constantly under siege at Frelih's goal.

For a long time, however, it didn't yield any goals, until the 42nd minute. Philip Azango lost the ball in a dangerous zone and, trying to make up for his mistake, committed a foul inside the penalty area. The referee for today's match pointed to the penalty spot, and the ever-reliable Angel Rodado stepped up to take the shot. The Spaniard gave the Krakow team the lead with a confident shot from eleven meters, and now just one goal separated us from leveling the score! The first half soon ended, and after the break, another 45 minutes of fighting for a place in the UEFA Conference League awaited us.

Don't stop believing

After the break, Wisła Kraków didn't relent and confidently continued their pursuit of a negative result from the away game. The visitors' performance today was largely confined to kicking the ball out, with the brunt of the action practically never leaving the half of the pitch occupied by Michal Gasparik's men.

For the past hour, we've witnessed a thrilling battle at the R22. It was in the 60th minute that Marc Carbó delivered a long pass from midfield to Piotr Starzyński. Spartak's last defender misjudged the ball, which then fell to our youngster. Completely unmarked, Starzyński lofted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper, making it 2-0! By this point, the team from Wawel had already secured extra time, and there was no sign of the hosts letting up.

The chances in front of Spartak Trnava's goal were multiplying, and the players in white seemed to be thinking only about the whistle for another break. Wisła Kraków's entire attacking line entered today's match in excellent form, instilling increasing fear in the visitors with each possession. After regulation time expired, the Scottish fourth official added six minutes of added time, giving Wisła one more chance to finish the match before extra time. However, the deep-set Slovak defense prevented this, and we were treated to an additional half-hour of football at its finest.

European playoff

The clock on the big screen began counting down to the 120th minute, and Spartak desperately refused to be confined to their penalty area again. The visiting coach gestured for his players to advance, which Wisła's incredible players once again prevented. In the 98th minute, the Kraków team took a corner kick, and the cross from it perfectly found Alan Uryga. The captain beat Zig Frelih to the goal, making it 3-0! That was the scoreline for the first period of extra time, and with fifteen minutes remaining, the White Star had one foot in the next round of the UEFA competition.

No one who came to the stadium on Reymonta Street that evening certainly regretted their decision. Unfortunately, it was the visitors from Trnava who emerged as the attacking side after the final half-time break and quickly came back alive, scoring a goal to make it 3-1. Thanks to Michal Duriś's decisive play, the aggregate score was 4-4 from the 107th minute, and if nothing changes, we'll have a penalty shootout. Incredibly dramatic scenes unfolded before our eyes – Mikulec missed a one-on-one opportunity, and Baena, who was brought on before extra time, had his goal disallowed due to a handball during a reception. Penalties will follow!

Historic penalty shootouts

What happened in the penalty shootout defies description. After 14 penalty shootouts, Wisła Kraków finally tipped the scales in their favor and advanced to the fourth qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League! It's already certain that this evening will forever be etched in our club's history, and memories will be passed down for years to come. Faith and tenacity triumphed today, and next week, another European spectacle awaits us – this time against Belgian side Cercle Brugge!

Wisła Kraków - FC Spartak Trnava 3:1 (1:0, 2:0), penalties 12:11

• 1-0 Rodado 42' (penalty)
• 2:0 Starzyński 60'
• 3-0 Uryga 98'
• 3:1 Duriś 107'
  

Penalties: 1:0 Uryga, 1:0 Duris - saved, 1:0 Biedrzycki - saved, 1:1 Paur, 1:1 Jaroch - post, 1:2 Kratochvil, 2:2 Rodado, 2:3 Kosa, 3:3 Carbo, 3:3 Bainović - crossbar, 4:3 Mikulec, 4:4 Kubista, 5:4 Duarte, 5:5 Corryn, 6:5 Gogół, 6:6 Ahl, 7:6 Baena, 7:7 Holik, 8:7 Kutwa, 8:8 Azango, 9:8 Broda, 9:9 Frelih, 10:9 Uryga, 10:10 Paur, 11:10 Biedrzycki, 11:11 Kratochvil, 12:11 Jaroch, 12:11 Kosa - defended.

Wisła Kraków: Broda - Jaroch, Uryga, Biedrzycki, Kiakos (74' Mikulec) - Carbó, Sukiennicki (60' Gogół) - Starzyński (116' Kutwa), Rodado, Kiss (60' Duarte) - Zwoliński (90+1' Baena)

FC Spartak Trnava: Frelih - Sabo (98' Paur), Ujlaky (46' Kratochvil), Kosa, Miković (90+1' Bainović) - Holik, Zelijković (116' Corryn), Prochazka (Kubista), Pich (46' Ahl) - Azango, Duriś

Yellow cards: Kiakos, Carbó, Jaroch - Sabo, Duriś, Kubista, Frelih

Judge: D. Robertson (Scotland)

Attendance: 15,099