Historic Success for Jagiellonia in Florence and Champions League Round of 16 Draw

Polish club football experienced an evening of extreme emotions. Jagiellonia Białystok, written off for defeat against the decorated Fiorentina, shocked Europe by winning 4-2 in Florence. The hero of the match was Bartosz Mazurek, who by scoring three goals in the sensationally won 4-2 match, became one of the youngest Polish hat-trick scorers in the history of official continental competitions. Coach Adrian Siemieniec assessed that this match will be remembered for years, and Italian media did not spare criticism of the hosts, calling their performance disgraceful. Despite such a spectacular result, Jagiellonia bid farewell to the competition, leaving Lech Poznań as the only representative of the Ekstraklasa on the international stage. Jagiellonia Białystok, founded in 1920, remained in the shadow of top Polish clubs for decades, only to become a significant player in the country in recent years, winning its first historic Polish championship in 2024. Also in the spotlight of European football was the draw for the round of 16 pairs of the Champions League. The biggest challenge for Italian football will be the two-legged tie between Atalanta Bergamo and Bayern Munich. The Lombardy team, after eliminating Borussia Dortmund, faces a chance for another success against the German giant. Among the remaining pairs, the clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid, considered a premature final of the competition, generates the most excitement. The draw also paired PSG with Arsenal and FC Barcelona with Benfica Lisbon. The Champions League round of 16 format, based on two-legged knockout ties, has remained for years the most profitable and most-watched part of the global sports calendar. In the national team context, news is coming from Rome and Turin. Paulo Dybala has returned to group training and declares readiness to play in the upcoming clash against Juventus. Meanwhile, in the Old Lady's team, despite elimination from European competitions, preparations are underway for a broad squad reconstruction under Luciano Spalletti. American media emphasize the importance of Weston McKennie as a key link in the new tactical system of the Turin team, which plans to acquire up to seven new players in the summer transfer window. „To było coś niesamowitego, napisaliśmy kolejną piękną historię, która zostanie zapamiętana przez kibiców na dekady.” (It was something incredible, we wrote another beautiful story that will be remembered by fans for decades.) — Adrian Siemieniec