Reserves: Friendly win against CLJ U-19 team

Saturday afternoon saw two Wisła teams competing against each other. At the AWF facility in Kraków, the White Star's second team faced the CLJ U-19 team. The fourth-division team emerged victorious in this friendly, defeating their younger counterparts 4-2. Karol Tokarczyk and Wiktor Szywacz scored three goals for the second team, while Maksym Tsymbaliuk and Hugo Woyna-Orlewicz scored for the younger team.

The clash between the two Wisła teams started much better for the younger side. After just five minutes, coach Karol Nędza's players were able to celebrate the lead, courtesy of Maksym Tsymbaliuk. The central midfielder navigated the chaos in the penalty area well and opened the scoring with a powerful volley under the crossbar. The opposition then moved to close the gap and equalized just over ten minutes later. Marc Grau was fouled in the penalty area, and the referee pointed to the spot at 11 meters from goal. Wiktor Szywacz stepped up and delivered a precise shot past Wiktor Sierda. Moments later, the same player scored again, firing past the U-19 goalkeeper in the penalty area. Shortly before the final whistle of the first half, Karol Tokarczyk, standing in the corner of the penalty area, opted for a long-range shot and scored a beautiful goal to make it 3-1.

After a short break, both teams returned to action. The second half, like the first, started much better for the CLJ U-19 team, as Hugo Woyna-Orlewicz found the back of the net for Wisła Kraków's second team. Coach Bartosz Bąk's men went on the attack, looking to restore their two-goal lead. Jakub Niewiadomski found the back of the net for the younger Wisła Kraków team, but the assistant referee ruled the situation offside. Less than fifteen minutes before the end of the match, Szywacz completed the scoring with a shot from outside the penalty area into the bottom left corner, completing his hat-trick.

"Today's match was essentially played in two phases. We spent more time attacking in the opponent's half, but there were also moments when we had to defend against counterattacks and react appropriately after conceding the ball. This match was an important and good test before the upcoming start of the season, as it gave us a foretaste of what to expect in the league. I also have a lot of respect for the U-19s, who worked very hard defensively, closing down our spaces. The goal they scored early in the match provoked us to chase the result, and their performance in this match forced us to look for different solutions and remain vigilant in the attacking phase," said Wisła Kraków's second-team coach, Bartosz Bąk.

"I think it was a good match, especially in terms of quality – our opponent played at a high level. The quality of football and individual skills were on the side of the other team's players, but I'm happy with the match because I think we performed well as a team and made up for all our deficits with good organization. I don't think we have anything to be ashamed of. We do a great job in training, which translates into the match, and I'm pleased that at times we were able to achieve our goals. From my perspective, what we are constantly working on was definitely clearly visible today," said Karol Nędza, coach of the CLJ U-19 team.

This was the fourth friendly match for Wisła Kraków's second-team squad, and the fifth for the CLJ U-19 team, in the spring preseason. Next weekend, coach Bartosz Bąk's players will face third-division Wiślany Jaśkowice, while coach Karol Nędza's players will play away at Banik Ostrava.

Wisla II Kraków – Wisla Kraków U-19 4:2 (3:1)

Goals for Wisła II: 3x Szywacz, Tokarczyk

Goals for Wisła U-19: Tsymbaliuk, Woyna-Orlewicz

Wisła II Kraków (starting lineup): Kacper Szewczyk (RB) – Jakub Niewiadomski, Oliwier Micek, Jakub Złoch, Kuba Wiśniewski – Marc Grau, Piotr Ćwik – Filip Baniowski, Karol Tokarczyk, Wiktor Szywacz – Kamil Kaczówka

Also played: Arkadiusz Krzyżanowski (BR), Michał Zimon, Daniel Ramirez, Szymon Kawała, Mateusz Grabski (tested – Sparta Zabrze)

Wisła Kraków U-19 (starting lineup): Wiktor Sierda (BR) – Aleksy Rokosz, Marcin Górkiewicz, Radosław Skała, Maciej Pachel – Dawid Gap, Maksym Tsymbaliuk, Bartłomiej Sowa, Yehor Khromykh – Radosław Wójcicki, Hugo Woyna-Orlewicz

Also played: Karol Kurczyna, Marcin Rapacz, Kacper Babral, Kacper Symula, Jakub Bigosiński, Borys Płotka, Wiktor Sosin (tested – AS Progres)