Śląsk Wrocław beats Wieczysta Kraków 2:0 and leaves the relegation zone

Two goals in the first half

Śląsk Wrocław beat Wieczysta Kraków 2:0 in the 12th round of the Ekstraklasa at Tarczyński Arena on 25 October, ending a run of five straight league defeats. Malaly Dembele opened the scoring in the 24th minute, finishing after Piotr Samiec-Talar played a heeled pass into the penalty area. Przemysław Banaszak doubled the lead in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half (45+3), again set up by Samiec-Talar, who played a ball behind the Wieczysta defence. Interia reports that Śląsk held only 40% of possession but were the more dangerous and more efficient side.

Goalkeeper and a tighter second half

Karol Niemczycki was the main reason Śląsk kept a clean sheet, according to Wrocław.pl. He stopped a shot from Efthymios Koulouris in the fifth minute and a solo run by Lucas Piazon around the quarter-hour. In the 70th minute he beat Lisandro Semedo one-on-one. Mateusz Kochalski made a save in the 68th minute at the other end, after a deflection changed the ball's path. Radio Wrocław reports that Wieczysta pushed after the break but kept running into a wall of defenders. Polsat notes that Wieczysta had more of the ball and took more shots in the second half without seriously threatening Niemczycki, and that coach Željko Kopić made four substitutions in the first quarter hour of the second half.

Standings and the reaction

Mariusz Malec, a Śląsk defender, said the result mattered far more than the style of play, according to Radio Wrocław. Before the match Śląsk had six points and trailed Wieczysta by two points, with five straight defeats behind them. After the win Śląsk left the relegation zone, which Polsat says pushed Wieczysta into it. Interia reports that Samiec-Talar recently broke his wrist and played wearing a special bandage. Polsat adds that the win was Śląsk's second league victory of the season and its first since September, and that it came 84 days after the previous one.

Match details and next fixtures

Mateusz Piszczelok from Katowice refereed the match in front of 12,391 spectators, according to Radio Wrocław. Yellow cards went to Dominik Szala, Lamine Ba and Luka Marjanac for Śląsk, and to Karol Fila and Petar Pusić for Wieczysta. Śląsk's next match is against Radomiak Radom, another side from the lower part of the table. Wieczysta face Jagiellonia Białystok in their following round, as Polsat reports.