#WISWID: Incredible rollercoaster at R22 with White Star's advancement!

The Polish Cup quarterfinal match between Wisła and Widzew has concluded, but the excitement is still palpable. Wisła's dramatic overtime victory in the Polish Cup quarterfinals has seen the White Star advance to the next round, defeating their top-flight rivals 2-1 thanks to goals from Angel Rodado and Szymon Sobczak.

The first quarter of an hour was decidedly lacking in substance on the pitch. Both teams tentatively sought opportunities, but neither could maintain possession for any length of time. The situation in the stands, however, was entirely different – ​​the fans of both teams enthusiastically cheered on their teams, becoming the undisputed heroes of the opening minutes.

Wisła's first real chance came in the 18th minute. Carbo made good work of interception in midfield, and after intercepting the ball, he set Baena up with an accurate pass. In a two-on-two situation, the Spaniard decided to take a shot that found the goalkeeper's gloves.

In the 23rd minute, Wisła won a throw-in near Widzew's penalty area. After a long pass to the five-yard box, Sobczak found the ball and cleverly tried to lob Gikiewicz. It proved to be a brilliant decision, as he nearly opened the scoring. The ball hit the top of the crossbar and went out of bounds.

The White Star continued to attack. Szot, who had joined the attack, received the ball and intelligently moved it back to the penalty spot. The pass was received by Bregu, whose well-placed shot narrowly missed the visitors' goal.

In the 33rd minute, Baena pulled the ball to the end line from the right wing. His cross caught the head of one of our attackers and landed on the crossbar. The score remained level. Widzew tried unsuccessfully to regain their rhythm. Just before halftime, the incredibly active Sobczak made a good save with the ball in front of the visitors' goal. He laid it off to Kacper Duda, who joined the attack, who fired a dangerous shot, but once again the goalkeeper parried it for a corner. This was the final touch before the halftime whistle.

Continued after the break

Coach Rude's men were eager to continue their excellent play from the opening seconds of the second half. They pressed high, often forcing the Łódź players into mistakes. Krzyżanowski made a good recovery after one of these tackles, but was fouled on the edge of the penalty area. Bregu stepped up to take a free kick from a favorable position, but unfortunately, his shot went wide.

In the 52nd minute, Widzew created a fantastic attacking opportunity. After a long attack, one of the Łódź midfielders successfully crossed the ball behind our defenders. The opponent's striker found himself face-to-face with Alvaro Raton, who narrowed the angle and made a brilliant save, parrying the ball wide.

After about an hour of play, the pace of the game slowed somewhat, and the visitors were enjoying more possession. Coach Rude's response was to introduce two fresh players. Goku and Uryga were on the pitch.

Shortly after the substitutions, the referee was forced to halt the match for a lengthy period. Play didn't resume until around the 70th minute, and it was the proverbial "calm before the storm," when, in the 73rd minute, after considerable confusion in the Wisła penalty area, Rondić slotted the ball between the posts. The referee disallowed the goal, but was soon informed that the situation needed to be thoroughly reviewed. He was called to the screen and, after a lengthy review, indicated a penalty. Pawłowski stepped up to the ball and opened the scoring with a powerful shot under the crossbar. The chaos continued until the 80th minute, signaling a significant period of added time.

Szymon Sobczak remained very active across the entire attack. In the 85th minute, he tried his luck with a low shot, but the ball flew over Gikiewicz's goal. The White Star players took numerous short corner kicks, trapping the Łódź team in the penalty area. Widzew's players were clearly already thinking about the final whistle. They defended very well in their own half, dealing solidly with any high balls.

The referee added 17 extra minutes. Widzew's dogged defense created numerous free kicks, which our players capitalized on. The game became noticeably more intense, as evidenced by the numerous yellow cards.

In the 105th minute, Rodado came close to equalizing, but the ball sailed just over the crossbar. Moments later, after extra time had expired, the ball found Angel Rodado after some confusion in the visitors' penalty area. This time, the striker made a mistake and powerfully slotted the ball into the net, giving us the much-needed equalizer! Amidst such confusion, the play was overturned again, but the referee soon upheld his decision and called everyone for a short break. We were in extra time!

The exhausted players resumed play from midfield, kicking off an exciting half-hour at the R22. The first showpiece came from the tireless Rodado, whose attempt to score a brace was successfully blocked. In the seventh minute of extra time, Sobczak once again emerged, being valiantly stopped by the last Widzew defender before giving Wisła the lead.

The visitors from Łódź also didn't give up. They won a free kick in a prime position. Pawłowski stepped up to the ball but shot over the crossbar. However, the final touch of the first period of extra time belonged to Wisła. Goku started his foray with the ball, trying to surprise the opposition defense with an unsignaled shot. His attempt failed, and the whistle immediately blew for a change of ends.

Madness and promotion

Widzew started the second half of extra time better, threatening the hosts with their first attack. Their decisive play soon put the ball in our net after another mix-up, but the referee spotted the violation and awarded Wisła a free kick.

This was the final warning, after which the White Star players refused to relinquish the initiative to the visitors. Apart from a play in which Raton skillfully intercepted the ball at the post, Wisła Kraków were constantly on the verge of taking the lead. In the final 120th minute, Goku's shot was met by the undisputed hero of the entire tournament, Szymon Sobczak, who slid the ball into the net, sending the crowd into a frenzy! The referee added two more minutes, but the score remained unchanged, and Wisła Kraków now advances to the Polish Cup semifinals!

Wisla Krakow - Widzew Lodz 2:1 (0:0, 1:1)
0:1 Pawlowski 80' (k.)
1:1 Rodado 90'+18'
2:1 Sobczak 119'

Wisła Kraków: Raton – Szot, Łasicki, Colley (64' Uryga), Krzyżanowski (84; Jaroch) – Duda, Carbo – Baena (84' Rodado), Alfaro (90' +7' Michał Żyro), Bregu (63' Goku) – Sobaczak

Widzew Łódź: Gikiewicz – Zieliński (46' Kastrati), Mateusz Żyro, Ibiza (31' Szota), Luis Silva – Alvarez, Kun (90''+8' Diliberto), Pawłowski – Nune, Sanchez (64' Rondić), Klimek (90'+8' Cybulski)

Judge: Damian Kos (Wejherowo)
Yellow cards: Łasicki, Colley, Sobczak, Carbo, Uryga, Szot – Nunes, Rondić, Kastrati, Cybulski, Szota

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