Wisła II: A difficult clash with MSK Žilina

Coach Bartosz Bąk's side kicked off their first friendly match on Saturday afternoon, facing Slovak side MSK Žilina. The match ended in a resounding 6-1 victory for the visitors, with Marc Grau scoring the only goal for the Reymont team.

From the outset, both teams attempted to seize the initiative and put pressure on their opponents, but the Slovaks were far more effective. The Žilina team responded appropriately, capitalizing on Wisła's weaknesses, resulting in a goal for the visitors in the 12th minute, thanks to a mistake by the Kraków team during the breakout.

The hosts soon found a way to fight back against their well-disposed opponents, when in the 25th minute, Marc Grau, assisted by Piotr Ćwik, outwitted the opposing goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the net. The final quarter of the first half was marked by further attacks from the Žilina team and attempts by the Kraków team to create coherent moves. Wisła strived to gain control of the game, but their opponents refused to give up, and they beat Kacper Szewczyk twice more before the break, extending their lead.

More goals for Žilina

Wisła entered the second half with a more determined effort, attempting to counter their dominant opponents. The Kraków team continued to push through the Slovak penalty area and cap off another goal, but the visitors continued to dominate the match, continuing their impressive display of efficiency. In the 61st minute, the visitors again made things difficult for Kraków, scoring their fourth goal, and just a few minutes later, they celebrated their fifth goal of the match. The visitors' victory was capped off by a Žilina player who fired into the top corner of the goal guarded by Kacper Szewczyk, sealing the Slovak side's commanding victory in today's clash with Wisła.

"We've just finished our first friendly against a very demanding opponent, undoubtedly MSK Žilina. Our opponents showed great form, winning this match 6-1. However, it's worth remembering that we're currently at completely different stages of preparation – we started just a few days ago, while our opponents have been training since the beginning of January. Another issue is that we normally play in completely different leagues, and MSK Žilina is actually three divisions above us. I'm very happy we were able to play this friendly because we wanted good material for analysis, especially when it comes to our deficits in defense. Of course, despite the painful result, there were positive elements in our game, specifically our high defense, which resulted in us scoring the equalizer to make it 1-1. In this respect, I'm pleased with the performance of my players," said reserve team coach Bartosz Bąk after the match.

Five trial players, who have been training with the White Star team since Thursday, also featured in the friendly against MSK Žilina. Their performance in the match was assessed by the reserve team's coach.

"The players tested only worked with us for two days, so we can only speak of a general assessment of their potential. In this friendly, it was very difficult for them to showcase their offensive abilities, and most of them were attacking players. We now await an in-depth analysis of their on-field behavior, which will allow us to draw conclusions about each of them and develop an individual path. I'm satisfied with the overall performance, but to analyze the details, we need to rely on video footage," commented the coach.

Just before kick-off, there was a change in the Reymont team's starting lineup, with Daniel Ramirez replaced by Oliwier Micek. As the coach recalls, the young Wisła player is struggling with a number of ailments that are hindering his performance on the pitch.

"Daniel Ramirez reported his injury to us yesterday, so he was under the supervision of a motor skills coach and a physiotherapist. We knew he would be out for the warm-up, but we also had a substitution planned in advance if needed. The problem in this case is a biceps problem, but I don't think it's a serious injury that could keep him out of action for an extended period," said coach Bąk.

Wisła II Krakow – MSK Žilina 1:6 (1:3)
goal for Wisła: Marc Grau 25'

Wisła II Kraków (1st half): Kacper Szewczyk – Kuba Wiśniewski, Jakub Złoch, Oliwier Micek, Jakub Niewiadomski – Bartłomiej Sowa, Piotr Ćwik – Kamil Kaczówka, Marc Grau, Omuru Wesley – Dominik Sarga

Wisła II Kraków (2nd half): Kacper Szewczyk – Dawid Sarnecki, Jakub Niewiadomski, Oliwier Micek, Ruben Bonachera – Piotr Ćwik (67' Kacper Symula), Marc Grau (67' Bartłomiej Sowa) – Karol Sałamaj, Maciej Kuziemka, Dawid Paraszczak – Omuru Wesley (67' Kamil Kaczówka)