by Ryan Hubbard in Katowice (Twitter – Web)
League positioning dictated the outcome on a warm autumn afternoon at Ulica Zgody, as 7th-placed Zagłębie Sosnowiec emerged 1-0 victors over bottom side Rozwój Katowice.
The first chance fell to the home side, after Raul Gonzalez’s mishit shot was kept in play on the right hand side, but Filip Kozłowski coundn’t hit the target with a header from the resulting cross. Just a few minutes later it was the visitors’ turn to attack; Dawid Rydnak’s run through the middle wasn’t halted, but after he played in Martin Prybula, Rozwój keeper Bartosz Soliński was able to get low enough to keep out the placed shot.
As the first period progressed, Rozwój seemed happy to bide their time, and catch their opponents on the break; and after Tomasz Wróbel played in Kozłowski, he held of Zagłębie defender Sołowiej, but couldn’t beat visiting keeper Wojciech Fabisiak from a tight angle. Soona fter, some good work from Venezuelan full-back Gonzalez drew a free-kick, though Michał Gałecki’s effort was too tame to cause any trouble.
They were made to pay as the game entered it’s second quarter, and in some style too. Picking up the ball in the centre of the field, midfielder Ryndak opted to shoot from 30 yards rather than pass; and his audacity was rewarded as it sailed over Soliński’s head and into the top corner, sending the few visiting fans sat amongst the home support into raptures.
The opener spurred the home side into life, and a matter of inches prevented them from levelling just two minutes later, as Gonzalez’s cross proved just out of reach of both Kozłowski and Patryk Kun. It was just a matter on inches at the other end too, which prevented Zagłębie gaining another advantage, as Robert Menzel brought down Jakub Arak on the edge of the box – only the presence of Łukasz Kopczyk prevented the card from being red instead of yellow; however the resulting free-kick could only be hit into the Rozwój wall. As the first half played-out, only wastefulness from both sides in the final third prevented any increase in the score.
Despite no change in personnel, Rozwój began the second period brighter, with a could of chances falling by the wayside: firstly, Kamil Cholerzyński’s effort just missing the target, before Gonzalez’s cross once again just evaded the attackers.
It took until the hour mark for Rozwój boss Mirosław Smyła to make a change, introducing both Kayode Balogun and Wojciech Król at the same time. Within sixty seconds, the pair combined to almost level, with Balogun’s back-post header finding the head of Król, but his effort fell just wide. Former GKS Katowice man Grzegorz Fonfara – himself also an introduction after 60 minutes – hit the target next, but it was a routine collection for Soliński.
As the game entered its final stages, it was mostly Rozwój, as efforts fell to Wróbel, Cholerzyński and Balogun, while Kozłowski was booked for diving in the box after what had looked like a slip. As they pushed for a late equaliser, Zagłębie had chances to secure the game – two efforts from substitute Adrian Paluchowski effort saved well by Soliński.
Rozwój Katowice – Zagłębie Sosnowiec : (0:1)
I Liga
Ryndak 28′
Rozwój:
Bartosz Soliński, Raul Gonzalez Guzman, Łukasz Kopczyk, Robert Menzel, Łukasz Winiarczyk, Kamil Cholerzyński, Robert Tkocz (Adam Czerkas 81′), Tomasz Wróbel (c), Michał Gałecki (Wojciech Król 60′), Patryk Kun (Kayode Balogun 60′), Filip Kozłowski.
Coach: Mirosław Smyła
Zagłębie:
Wojciech Fabisiak, Łukasz Sołowiej, Marcin Sierczyński, Krzysztof Markowski, Dawid Ryndak, Sebastian Dudek (c) (Tomasz Szatan 88′), Jakub Arak (Adrian Paluchowski 75′), Martin Pribula, Zarko Udovićić, Przemysław Mizgała (Grzegorz Fonfara 60′), Łukasz Matusiak.
Coach: Artur Derbin
Yellow Cards:
Winiarczyk 25′, Menzel 34′, Gałecki 48′, Kozłowski 75′, Cholerzyński 90+1′ – Matusiak 15′
Referee: Marcin Szczerbowicz (Warm. Maz.)
EKSTRAKLASAreview.co.uk 