The Legion withheld a heavy assault by Gaziantepspor in the first half who finished fourth in Turkey’s Super Lig last season ahead of Beşiktaş. Biding their time and defending well, Legia waited for their opportunity to arise and shortly after half-time Miroslav Radovic received a perfectly timed through ball and made no mistake at all slotting it past the keeper.

After this Legia looked more confident and their under-pressure manager Maciej Skorża will be feeling a little more positive about his position.

Meanwhile Śląsk Wrocław only managed a 0-0 home draw against Bulgaria’s fourth best side Lokomotiv Sofia and will need a strong performance in the Bulgarian capital on Thursday if they are to make it through to the next round.

Wisła Kraków 3 – 1 Bełchatów
Górnik Zabrze 0 – 0 Lechia Gdańsk
Polonia Bytom 0 – 2 Polonia Warszawa
Lech Poznan 1 – 0 Legia Warszawa
Widzew Łódź 0 – 0 Ruch Chorzów
Zagłębie Lubin 0 – 2 Jagiellonia Bi…
Arka Gdynia 3 – 0 Cracovia Kraków
Śląsk Wrocław 0 – 1 Korona Kielce

Meanwhile a look at the table reveals that this years Ekstraklasa is almost already a two horse race between Jagiellonia Białystok and current frontrunners Wisla Kraków:

Rnk↓ Team MP W D L GF GA +/- Pts
1 Wisla Kraków 22 13 5 4 36 21 15 44
2 Jagiellonia Bialy… 23 12 5 6 29 20 9 41
3 Lech Poznan 22 9 5 8 27 18 9 32
4 Lechia Gdansk 22 9 5 8 27 24 3 32
5 Legia Warszawa 22 10 2 10 28 32 -4 32
6 Górnik Zabrze 23 9 5 9 24 34 -10 32
7 Korona Kielce 22 8 7 7 29 32 -3 31
8 Polonia Warszawa 22 8 6 8 29 22 7 30
9 Slask Wroclaw 22 7 9 6 30 28 2 30
10 GKS Belchatów 22 8 6 8 25 25 0 30
11 Ruch Chorzów 22 7 7 8 21 22 -1 28
12 Zaglebie Lubin 22 7 7 8 21 27 -6 28
13 Widzew Lódz 22 6 9 7 29 24 5 27
14 Polonia Bytom 22 5 8 9 21 28 -7 23
15 Arka Gdynia 22 5 8 9 15 22 -7 23
16 Cracovia Kraków 22 5 4 13 26 38 -12 19

In more general league news, the latest managerial casualty is Dutchman Theo Bos who has recently been sacked from Polonia Warszawa because of the clubs mediocre performance in the league. A loss to Zaglebie Lubin was, in the end, the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Polonia Bytom 0-0 Śląsk Wrocław

Lots of goals in round 10 but not so many in this rather dull opener on Friday. Both of the teams find themselves towards the bottom half of the table and the single point suits neither of them particularly. Conversely neither team deserved a win or even a goal in my opinion as the game was a cagey affair with both sides doing very little in front of the net.

Korona Kielce 1-4 Legia Warszawa

This is more like it! Five goals and a red card in Kielce as Legia seemed to show that their crisis was behind them away from home. Korona seemed to have very little confidence and looked especially weak after they were reduced to ten men after Malkowski was sent off. The visitors capitalised and score three more times in the remaining hour to secure victory.

Polonia Waszawa 3-0 Cracovia

A first win for Pawel Janas and in confident style but things go from bad to worse for his opposite number Rafał Ulatowski and his days on the Cracovia bench are surely numbered. The home side scored twice early on and from this point Cracovia never looked like getting back into the game. The rest of the match was more of a formality than anything else and Golebiewski’s goal in the second half to make it three was neither here nor there.

Arka Gdynia 1-0 GKS Bełchatów

Arka got their first win in three games on Saturday with a win against GKS whilst the away side slumped to 5th in the league with two defeats in as many games. Arka set their stall out to attack and this tactic seemed to work as GKS were put on the backfoot and despite the only goal of the game coming from a mistake by the visitors’ keeper, Sapela, Arka arguable deserved this result on the basis of their positive performance.

Wisła Kraków 5-2 Lechia Gdańsk

More goals! The hosts in fact went 1-0 down in this game early on but were not put out by this and recovered to score four in a row to secure victory. In the end the 5-2 scoreline reflected the excitement of the game and the dominance of the backshirts.

Widzew Łódź 4-1 Jagiellonia Białystok

Widzew beat the league leaders on Saturday and in convincing style too as they put four past the team who have won their previous three games. It was two early goals for the home side that seemed to put the game beyond doubt and a third just before half time left the result in no doubt whatsoever.

Górnik Zabrze 2-0 Lech Poznań

Lech’s poor form continued this week as they dropped to 14th place, just outside the relegation zone of the Ekstraklasa. Meanwhile another fantastic result for minnows Gornik who have beaten another favourite for the league after dispatching Wisla last week. They now find themselves third in the table. Who would have predicted that at the start of the season?!

Zagłębie Lubin 0-0 Ruch Chorzów

And this goal-packed week finished with….a goalless draw of course. Not that the game looked like ending this way for much of the time as both teams had a plethora of chances to break the deadlock but a mixture of bad luck and great keeping meant the points were shared.

Fri 01/10/10 Polonia Bytom 2 – 2 Widzew Lódz
Wisla Kraków 0 – 0 Slask Wroclaw
Sat 02/10/10 Arka Gdynia 0 – 0 Polonia Warszawa
Zaglebie Lubin 0 – 0 Cracovia Kraków
Górnik Zabrze 0 – 1 Jagiellonia Bi…
Legia Warszawa 0 – 3 Lechia Gdańsk
Sun 03/10/10 Belchatów 1 – 0 Lech Poznan
Ruch Chorzów 0 – 1 Korona Kielce

And here’s a link to the table as it stands at the moment:

This weekend we take an international break but I would recommend going to the Poland World Cup Blog for all the latest on that front.

Both side shared the spoils in the opening stages of the game as Rudnevs and Cziommer both put efforts over the bar for their respective teams. It was after about half an hour that the home side really started to dominate as the Salzburg keeper, Tremmel, was called into action on a number of occasions before half-time.

After the break, Lech continued to pus for that opening goal and were rewarded only a couple of minutes after the restart. Tremmel did well to parry a long effort from Krivets but it was Arboleda who headed Lech in front from the resulting corner.

It was at this point that Salzburg really started to come alive again and looked to push forward in search of an equaliser. They went close a few times and Lech keeper Buric was called upon to preserve the single goal lead a few times. In the 80th minute though the home side countered one such salvo down the left and Stilic put in an inch perfect cross from the left for Peszko to knock in from only a few yards out.

The Polish side had doubled their advantage and nearly made it 3-0 with only a few minutes of the match remaining when Krivets hit the post from range. Either way, 2-0 was sufficient to put Lech top of Group A and whilst they are still outsiders to progress ahead of the English and Italian giants they have done their chances no harm whatsoever thus far, plus the draw in the other game was helpful as well.

Korona Kielce 2-1 Śląsk Wrocław
With the Śląsk manager suspended for this game (and now replaced by Orest Lenczyk) this was not a surprising result but perhaps the scoreline should have been even greater as Korona are now nearly top of the table. In fact in the first half it was the away side who dominated play and had a nuber of chances to take the lead. This all changed in the second half though as Śląsk seemed to tire and Korona were not as wasteful as their opponents.

Legia Warsaw 2-1 Lech Poznan
Despite Lech having the better start and stunning the home supporters with an early goal they failed to get more than one goal and the home side eventually got back into the game with Kucharczyk getting the equaliser. After this the game opened up and both teams had chances to get a winner. In the end it was Legia who did so and in dramatic fashion as Mezenga headed the home side to victory in the 89th minute.

Lechia Gdańsk 5-1 Górnik Zabrze
A simply awesome win for Lechia as they dominated their opponents in every area of the pitch, notably up front!

Polonia Warszawa 2-2 Polonia Bytom
A disappointing start for Pawel Janas in the Polonia hot-seat but a decent result for the visitors though they were perhaps unlucky to only pick up a single point in the end.

Cracovia 2-0 Arka Gdynia
Hardly the most entertaining game to celebrate Cracovia’s new stadium but an important win nevertheless as Arka looked distinctly pedestrian away from home.

Ruch Chorzów 1-1 Widzew Łódź
A pretty balanced games and a share of the points is a fair result.

GKS Bełchatów 1-1 Wisła Kraków
Not a classic by anyone’s reckoning but both teams can take positives from this game. Wisla often looked dangerous up front whilst GKS looked confident in defence with Sapela playing a blinder between the sticks.

Jagiellonia Białystok 2-0 Zagłębie Lubin
A great performance by this years surprise package. Zagłębie weren’t necessarily awful but were bound to capitulate in the end to a Jagiellonia side who seem to grow in confidence every week.

Lechia Gdańsk 1-0 Cracovia
An unconvincing performance by the home side against the worst team in the league. Lechia fans are still angry and protesting but Buval scoring on his début will be a sight for sore eyes. Meanwhile Cracovia are still yet to record a single point and a defeat at home next week would surely mean a goodbye to Rafal Ulatowski.

Górnik Zabrze 1-0 GKS Bełchatów
A disappointing defeat for GKS who have made a good start to the season. The game turned into a rather cagey affair with neither team really creating much and Gornik did well to force their opponents to play a long ball game which didn’t suit them. Eventually it was the newly promoted side who took advantage and a good corner was converted by Zahorski in the 72nd minute.

Widzew Łódź 5-2 Śląsk Wrocław
An ebullient performance by Robak and Šernas who shared the five goals of the home side while Śląsk continue to struggle down in 15th with only four points from their six games thus far.

Zagłębie Lubin 2-1 Legia Warszawa
Two contrasting ways on how to run a football club were on show in this match. The home side looked confident after a meeting was held with the team and the board which seems to have cleared the air. Meanwhile for Legia only five players remained in the starting lineup from last week after much of the team was either dropped or fined and to a great extent this came out in the performance.

Polonia Bytom 1-0 Ruch Chorzów
Bit of a scrappy game but Polonia eventually got the goal they perhaps deserved and held on for the three points.

Arka Gdynia 1-0 Jagiellonia Białystok
A surprising result but one which was well deserved by Arka. Jagiellonia looked a bit lost away from home and on the artificial pitch but it still took an effective performance by the home side to fully exploit it.

Lech Poznan —- Polonia Warszawa
The most exciting fixture of the round will be played on Wednesday and with any luck there will be a full match report up here that very evening.

Most would not have given the Polish champions a chance against Juventus and so no one was surprised when the Italian giants controlled the early part of the game with Milos Krasic causing all sorts of problems down the wing. However, time and time again the Serbian’s deliveries failed to meet their intended target. Lech, on the other hand, always looked threatening on the break and this is how the first goal came about. Krivets found Peszko on the right and as the midfielder looked to come inside he was brought down by Melo and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Rudnevs stepped up, sent Manninger the wrong way and picked up his first of three goals.

Things went from bad to worse for Juve on the half hour mark when desperate defending was not enough to stop Lech doubling their lead. Rudnevs this time scoring from open play albeit into an open goal from six yards out. The old lady was rattled and Lech began to assert some control over the game but the Italian side got a goal back just before half-time through Chiellini though he can thank some dubious defensive play.

As is often the case, a goal just before half-time was crucial and sparked a Juventus comeback in the second period. Chiellini got his second from a header but the pick of the goals was a 30 yard wonder strike from Alessandro Del Piero. The Italian side now had the lead and were clearly happy to sit on it. This tactic looked like it was about to pay off until that man Rudnevs popped up again with a strike which, in my opinion, surpassed Del Piero’s efforts though you can judge for yourself below.

Lech get a deserved draw after a surprisingly gritty performance at the Stadio Olimpico. Few would have expected this result and fewer still this scoreline. The Ekstraklasa champions still look unlikely to qualify in a group which also contains English outfit Manchester City but if they can perform like this in their other games then who knows….

Polonia Bytom 2-0 Zagłębie Lubin
Polonia picked up their first win of the season after both managers made significant changes to their starting lineup. Zagłębie had the best of the chances in the first half but were made to pay for not taking them in the second period when Sawala and Ujek both scored for the home side.

Jagiellonia Białystok 2-1 Wisła Kraków
This match was probably the most intriguing of all the fixtures this weekend and lived up to this reputation as Jagiellonia maintained their unbeaten record to stay top of the table. It was though Wisła who scored first after only four minutes thanks to Pawel Brozek but the home side were quick to respond as Grosicki equalised only a minute later. Just before half-time, Jag had the lead after Frankowski went on a fantastic run but was brought down in the area by the Brazilian Cléber. Frankowski picked himself up and calmly dispatched the penalty; sending Pawelek the wrong way. Pawelek was then sent off on 75 minutes after a horrendous challenge 30 yards from his own goal line and this allowed Jagiellonia to comfortably maintain their single goal lead in the last quarter of an hour.

Cracovia 2-3 Górnik Zabrze
Cracovia are yet to pick up a single point this season and their fifth defeat in a row came at home to Górnik Zabrze; another potential rival at the foot of the table. Radoslaw Matusiak equalised twice after the away side went one then two-nil up but couldn’t do so for a third time and so poor defending has once again prevented the side from Kraków earning any points at all.

GKS Belchatów 1-0 Lechia Gdańsk
GKS go marching on and are now second in the league standings after a decent performance was capped off by what could already be goal of the season. Take a look at Janusz Gol’s fantastic strike here.

Śląsk Wrocław 1-2 Lech Poznań
Lech got back to winning ways this week after a disappointing performance against Jagiellonia in week four but there is still a way to go if they are to recover the form which saw them win the league last season. The pick of the goals was a beautifully struck free kick by Peszko which hit the back of the net from thirty yards.

Arka Gdynia 1-1 Widzew Lódz
A hard fought draw between these two sides that was only ruined by some fan trouble and a referee who was maybe a little too liberal with his cards.

Ruch Chorzów 1-0 Legia Warszawa
Although Ruch were the weaker football team they were clearly the side who wanted to win this game. A lacklustre performance by the team from the capital hands them their second defeat in a row without getting on the score sheet at all. A much more detailed analysis is available on the Polish Scout blog and is viewable here.

Polonia Warszawa 1-3 Korona Kielce
Meanwhile the other club from Warsaw also lost; this time at home and to significantly weaker opposition. Anyone who read my last report on Polonia would know that it is a club in crisis and will not be surprised to hear that their manager Bakero was sacked immediately after the game. The new manager is the sporting director at the club, Paweł Janas, but the core of the problem remains in the form of owner Józef Wojciechowski.

After success at the turn of the century, the team from the capital are now experiencing what has come to be known as the ‘J.W. Construction Era’. The ‘J.W.’ stands for Józef Wojciechowski who took over the club as chairman in March 2006. Ever since, Polonia fans have endured what can mildly be called a roller-coaster ride.

The initial takeover inspired hope and expectation in the fans as Polonia came to be recognised as one of the strongest clubs in the country with huge financial backing. One can only begin to imagine the disappointment then, at the end of the season when the team were relegated after finishing in last place. In 2006/07, they failed to get promoted and fared even worse in the following season; finishing 7th.

Then, in the 2008 off season, J.W. stepped in again as he merged the club with successful Ekstaklasa outfit, Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski, who had finished third in Poland’s top flight that season. After effectively buying promotion and keeping most of Dyskobolia’s star players, Polonia were now an established Ekstraklasa side and finished the following season in 4th.

However, the club suffered from persistent managerial changes at the start of the 2009/10 season and at the half-way stage were in the relegation zone. This was when current manager, José Mari Bakero stepped in and turned hero after miraculously saving the club from relegation and beating local rivals, Legia, in the process (for the first time in ten years).

And so, here we are. Barcelona and now Polonia favourite, Bakero, is under threat from the demanding Józef Wojciechowski. In the interest of balance, Wojciechowski has spent a lot of money on transfers in the off-season as we now see the likes of Smolarek, Bruno and Sobiech in the black shirt of Polonia with news in the last few days that Maciej Sadlok has now signed a pre-contract with the black shirts. It is understandable then that the businessman turned football chairman wants results but the sort of perfection demanded of Bakero is just mad!

It seems though that there is a more personal side to the disagreement as the two men are always appearing to trade insults in the press. The worst of it coming when the chairman accused the Spaniard of being “disturbed in the head” recently; a far-cry from the adjectives “ambitious” and “committed” that were first used when Bakero arrived. It’s actually quite hard to discern what provoked this. Wojciechowski speaks of his disappointment with the defensive style of the team and has even named and shamed Bakero’s fellow Spaniard Andreu as a weak link in the side. Most see this though as a pretext for the owner’s ‘itchy feet’; 10 months is a long time with one manager for a man who is used to changing his head coach more than he change his underwear.

How Bakero puts up with this is beyond me. To be abused in private or within the club is one thing but to be humiliated in the media is another thing entirely. Now it has emerged that after every Polonia game all the players will be rated by a 12-man panel with the lowest rated player missing the next game. And guess who will miss Polonia’s Ekstraklasa clash next weekend according to the judges? You got it, Andreu. Since this news emerged, Bakero has been accused of being nothing more than a ‘puppet coach’ but surely the Spaniards patience is wearing thin?

It is my opinion that Wojciechowski is another example of a rich owner who, after investing heavily in a club, expects instant results. This though is almost impossible to achieve as it takes time to build a team. There is a simple solution to the current predicament. The chairman needs to apologise publicly, back down from interfering in the club and let Bakero, who is clearly a very talented manager, get on with his job. Of course this is not going to happen and it is only a matter of time before the Polonia job appears in the vacancies list. Who will answer the ad? Only someone who is “disturbed in the head.”