Znicz Pruszkow eliminated top-flight side Cracovia from the Polish Cup, winning 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the first round of the competition.
The hosts, who were relegated to Poland's third-tier II liga last season, forced extra time with a 95th-minute penalty from Tymoteusz Proczek to cancel out Ajdin Hasic's late opener for the Ekstraklasa club.
The Polish Cup, known domestically as the Puchar Polski, is the premier knockout tournament in Polish football. Organised by the Polish Football Association, it is contested by clubs from across the league system, offering smaller teams the chance to challenge the country's elite clubs in single-elimination ties.
Cracovia, officially known as Miejski Klub Sportowy Cracovia, are based in the southern city of Krakow. They compete in the Ekstraklasa, the highest level of professional football in Poland, which features the country's top 18 clubs. The team entered the cup tie sitting on eight points in the current league campaign, having recorded an evenly balanced start of two wins, two draws and two defeats from their opening fixtures.
Znicz Pruszkow, situated in the Masovian Voivodeship just outside Warsaw, currently compete in the II liga. Despite its name translating directly to the Second League, the II liga serves as the third tier of the Polish football pyramid. The club was relegated from the I liga at the end of the previous season, making them substantial underdogs as they hosted top-flight opposition.
Cracovia breakthrough
As an Ekstraklasa side, Cracovia entered the away fixture as heavy favourites to secure a routine victory and advance to the second round. However, they struggled to establish dominance or find a way past the resolute Znicz Pruszkow defence during the early stages of the match.
The first half ended in a goalless draw, with neither side able to produce the quality needed to break the deadlock. As the scoreline dragged on into the second half, Cracovia manager Bartosz Grzelak decided to alter his team's approach.
Grzelak turned to his substitutes' bench, introducing key first-team players who had initially been rested for the cup fixture. Among the additions were Mateusz Klich and Otar Kakabadze, who were brought on to inject creativity and experience into the visitors' forward play.
The tactical changes eventually paid off in the 81st minute, though the opening goal stemmed from a defensive error. Hasic initially delivered a poor cross into the penalty area, but a Znicz defender miskicked his attempted clearance, sending the ball straight back to the Bosnian midfielder.
Given a second opportunity, Hasic opted for a completely different approach. Positioned on the edge of the penalty area, he struck a curling, left-footed shot that looped under the crossbar of the Znicz goal, giving Cracovia a late 1-0 lead.
Late equaliser
Despite falling behind in the closing minutes of the game, the hosts refused to let their heads drop. Znicz Pruszkow pushed forward aggressively in search of an equaliser, committing players to the attack as the match entered stoppage time.
Their persistence was rewarded in the 95th minute when they were awarded a crucial penalty kick. Proczek took responsibility for the high-pressure spot-kick and confidently converted, making it 1-1 and forcing an additional 30 minutes of extra time.
Cracovia controlled possession for the majority of the first half of extra time, but they failed to translate their dominance into clear goalscoring opportunities. The hosts, conversely, found renewed energy in the second period.
In the 109th minute, Proczek nearly found a second goal for Znicz. He unleashed a powerful strike from the corner of the penalty area, but the ball deflected off Cracovia defender Brahim Traore and went behind for a corner.
Cracovia responded, and Hasic had a golden opportunity to win the match in the 112th minute. The goalscorer embarked on a weaving run, dribbling past several defenders to work his way into the six-yard box. However, his final shot was too forceful and flew over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Hasic found space in the penalty area once again, but his effort was blocked by the Znicz defence.
With just two minutes remaining in extra time, Znicz launched a rapid counter-attack. Substitute Jan Kosmalski drove the move forward, passing to fellow substitute Michal Glowinski on the left flank. Glowinski attempted to beat Traore inside the penalty area but was unsuccessful, winning only a corner before the referee signalled for penalties.
Penalty shootout drama
The match went to a penalty shootout to decide who would advance to the second round. The shootout began flawlessly, with Dawid Barnowski and Proczek scoring for Znicz, while Hasic and Klich matched them for Cracovia to make it 2-2.
Adam Ratajczyk converted Znicz's third penalty, but the shootout shifted when Cracovia's Dijon Kameri saw his effort saved by Znicz goalkeeper Norbert Gzowski, giving the hosts a 3-2 advantage.
Znicz failed to capitalise on the opening, as Cracovia goalkeeper Sebastian Madejski immediately saved Glowinski's attempt in the fourth round. Cracovia's Mauro Perkovic then struck the goalpost, presenting Michal Borecki with a chance to win the tie for Znicz in the fifth round.
However, Madejski produced a crucial save to keep the Ekstraklasa side in the competition, allowing Kakabadze to score his penalty and level the shootout at 3-3.
Moving into sudden death, Madejski gave Cracovia an initial advantage by saving Kosmalski's penalty. Gzowski immediately responded in kind, saving Traore's shot to keep Znicz alive.
In the seventh round, Aleksander Nadolski confidently converted for the hosts, shifting the pressure onto Mohamed Berte. The Cracovia forward was unable to deliver, as Gzowski tipped his shot onto the post to secure a 4-3 shootout victory for Znicz Pruszkow and seal their place in the next round.
The remaining first-round matches of the Polish Cup are scheduled for September 2 and 3, with Widzew II Lodz set to face Polonia Bytom on September 15.
