Raków Częstochowa beat Motor Lublin 2-1 as Patryk Makuch scores twice in Tomasz Kaczmarek debut

First-half exchange in Częstochowa

Raków Częstochowa ended a six-match domestic losing run on Friday evening with a 2-1 home victory over Motor Lublin to open matchday 8 of the Ekstraklasa. Playing in persistent rain at the stadium on Limanowskiego Street in front of 4,759 spectators, both sides struggled to generate clear chances during the opening half-hour. Motor Lublin created the first sustained offensive spell through attempts from Fabio Ronaldo, Karol Czubak, and Ivo Rodrigues before breaking the deadlock in the 34th minute. Kamil Lukoszek collected a pass from Rodrigues in the Raków half and fired a long-range shot past goalkeeper Kacper Trelowski from roughly 22 metres. The hosts responded eight minutes later in the 42nd minute when Marko Bulat found Patryk Makuch on the edge of the penalty area, allowing the forward to score with a strike from distance.

Second-half pressure and decisive header

The second half began with immediate pressure from the visitors, who missed an opportunity to regain the lead within 30 seconds of the restart. Fabio Ronaldo delivered a low cross from the left flank, but midfielder Mateusz Łęgowski sent his shot over the crossbar from six metres. Raków answered five minutes later through Jean Carlos Silva, whose attempt from a tight angle was saved by Motor goalkeeper Gaspar Tratnik. Motor striker Karol Czubak tested Trelowski with two headed efforts, while Tratnik kept out shots from Mahir Emreli and Bulat at the other end. The decisive moment arrived in the 77th minute when substitute Władysław Koczerhin crossed from the left wing. Makuch met the ball with a header into the top corner of the net to seal his second goal of the evening. Tratnik denied Emreli in the 80th minute, while Trelowski stopped a late effort from Makan Aiko to protect the win.

Coaching transition and early season context

The fixture marked the coaching debut of Tomasz Kaczmarek, who was hired late on Tuesday evening from Radomiak Radom after Raków paid his contract buyout clause. Raków entered the match with zero points from six league fixtures following an opening sequence of six consecutive league defeats and elimination from UEFA Conference League qualification. The poor start had led to the dismissal of coach Dawid Kroczek, who had taken charge following the previous season after the departure of Marek Papszun. Assistant coach Dawid Szulczek directed the squad in an interim capacity during the two fixtures preceding Kaczmarek's arrival. Despite collecting their first three points of the 2026/27 campaign under referee Szymon Marciniak, Raków remained inside the relegation zone.

Post-match assessments and next fixtures

Following the final whistle, Kaczmarek commended the leadership and resilience within the dressing room while praising his coaching staff for their match preparation.

You do not win a match with skills alone. You win matches with personalities, with character. Today I felt what kind of personalities we have here.

Kaczmarek specifically cited Dawid Szulczek, Fran Tudor, and Bogdan Racovitan for steadying the team through the transition. Motor Lublin manager Mariusz Misiura acknowledged his team's missed opportunities, as the defeat marked Motor's third consecutive league loss following a 3-2 defeat against Legia Warsaw.

Raków were more effective than us. The match went both ways, looking at the created chances. This match could have ended in our victory. What remains for us is to work on effectiveness and convert our chances.

Raków return to league competition on Tuesday in a rescheduled match against Zagłębie Lubin.