GKS Katowice win second leg but exit Conference League as Hapoel Tel Aviv advance 3-2 on aggregate
GKS Katowice beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 2:1 in the second leg of their Conference League third qualifying round tie, but the Israeli side advance 3:2 on aggregate to face Atalanta Bergamo.
First leg in Hungary
The first leg was played on neutral ground in Miskolc, Hungary, due to the geopolitical situation in Israel. Hapoel Tel Aviv won 2:0 with goals from Stav Turiel and Roei Alkoukin, the result effectively decided within the first 18 minutes. GKS Katowice coach Rafał Górak remained defiant before the return leg, drawing a boxing analogy and citing famous European comebacks.
Comparing it to a boxing fight, after the blow we are still standing on our feet and there has been no final bell. We remain in the game, let's give it everything.
Górak also told the pre-match press conference that he knew European cups and situations from 0:4 to 5:0 in a return leg, insisting that 0:2 was not a defeat that would go down in history.
Second leg in Katowice
The return match on 12 August at GKS's home stadium drew 12,420 spectators, refereed by Alexandros Tsakalidis of Greece. GKS started with intent, Bartosz Nowak testing Hapoel goalkeeper Assaf Tzur with a free kick in the 21st minute and Borja Galan heading on target shortly after. But a defensive lapse proved costly: in the 23rd minute, Arkadiusz Jędrych and Bartosz Wolski failed to clear a long ball, Roei Alkoukin squared to Stav Toriel, who beat Gabriel Kobylak at the near post. The aggregate stood at 3:0 to Hapoel. Lukas Klemenz had been effective in defence early on but was caught too far from Toriel on the goal.
Late rally falls short
GKS pushed forward after the break. Early in the second half, Kobylak made a goal-line intervention, though the referee had already signalled offside. Szkurin also had a goal disallowed for offside before finally breaking through in the 83rd minute. Substitute Mateusz Wdowiak crossed from the wing and Szkurin struck first-time to make it 1:1 on the night. Minutes later, Wdowiak was fouled in the penalty area and captain Arkadiusz Jędrych converted from the spot in the 89th minute (listed as the 90th by some sources) for 2:1. GKS pressed for a third goal to force extra time, but Hapoel defended through stoppage time and held on.
- Bartosz Nowak's free kick saved by Hapoel goalkeeper Assaf Tzur
- Stav Toriel scores for Hapoel after defensive error by Jędrych and Wolski, aggregate 3:0
- Ilja Szkurin equalises on the night from Mateusz Wdowiak's cross
- Arkadiusz Jędrych converts penalty after Wdowiak fouled, 2:1 on the night, 2:3 on aggregate
Financial consequences
Elimination means GKS will not receive the 3.17 million euro (approximately 13.65 million PLN) that UEFA pays each Conference League league-phase participant. Instead, the club earned 175,000 euro per qualifying round played, totalling 350,000 euro (just over 1.5 million PLN) for two rounds. GKS can now concentrate on its Ekstraklasa campaign.
- Qualifying rounds (earned)
- 350000 €
- League phase (missed)
- 3170000 €
Political backdrop on the terraces
During the first half, home fans unfurled a large banner reading "RED IS BAD", a reference to Hapoel's reputation as the most left-wing club in Israel. Bartłomiej Banasiewicz of the Polish Institute of Sports Diplomacy noted that Hapoel supporters have in the past displayed communist symbols and images of Che Guevara, and that the club maintains fan friendships with FC St. Pauli and Omonia Nicosia. Banasiewicz observed that in Poland, right-wing views dominate stadiums, making Hapoel an exception.
Hapoel, coached by Elianiw Barda, advances to the fourth qualifying round where they will face Atalanta Bergamo. The winner of that tie enters the Conference League league phase.
