Korona Kielce moved up to third place in Poland's top-flight Ekstraklasa after securing a 2-0 win against Wisla Plock.
German winger Morgan Fassbender opened the scoring in the first half before striker Mariusz Stepinski doubled the advantage after the break to seal the victory.
Korona spent 100,000 euros to sign Fassbender from Termalica Bruk-Bet Nieciecza. The midfielder had already shown strong form in his previous outing, scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Widzew Lodz.
Fassbender endured a difficult start against Wisla Plock, making errors on almost every early touch. The breakthrough came in the 23rd minute when Wiktor Dlugosz crossed toward the far post. Fassbender outmuscled defender Zan Rogelj to chest the ball into the net for the opening goal.
A Video Assistant Referee review checked whether the German was offside and whether a foul had occurred on a Wisla player before confirming the goal was valid.
First half pressure
Wisla Plock registered more shots in the first half through attempts from Patryk Kun and Krystian Pomorski, but they failed to beat Korona goalkeeper Xavier Dziekonski.
Korona threatened again in the 33rd minute with their second shot on target. Ariel Mosor delivered a cross into the penalty area for Slobodan Rubezic, whose shot went straight into the hands of Wisla keeper Rafal Leszczynski.
Korona created the first clear chance after halftime when Dlugosz crossed for Stepinski, who headed straight at Leszczynski while being caught offside.
The hosts expanded their lead shortly after following a swift counter-attack started by Martin Remacle. Remacle released Dlugosz, who ran almost half the length of the pitch before delivering a low pass to Stepinski. The striker's effort deflected off Marcus Haglind-Sangre and into the net to make it 2-0.
Wisla Plock fightback denied
Wisla held more of the ball throughout the match but struggled to convert possession into clear chances. Jorge Jimenez sent a 52nd-minute shot just wide of the post, while Fassbender saw a 61st-minute header from Norbert Barczak saved easily.
The visitors came closest to scoring in the 67th minute when Kun chipped the ball into the box. Mosor tried to clear but played the ball to Adam Radwanski, only for Mosor to recover with a crucial intervention. Dziekonski then saved a shot from Rogelj shortly after a failed Korona break ended in a poor attempt from Stepinski.
Wisla mounted heavy pressure in the final 15 minutes. Afonso Silva saw two efforts denied during a 71st-minute scramble, while Dziekonski comfortably dealt with late shots from Radwanski and Lukasz Sekulski.
The win elevates Korona Kielce to third in the Ekstraklasa standings with eight points, while Wisla Plock remains on four points just above the relegation zone.
