– Then I scored a goal in the last minute, and then we won the cup – said Kamil Grosicki after Pogoń successfully passed the first round of the Fortuna Polish Cup. The inhabitants of Szczecin are close to fulfilling their captain’s prediction.
Sebastian Szczytkowski
02 House 2024, 09:00
WP SportoweFakty / Paweł Piotrowski / In the photo: Kamil Grosicki Pogoń Szczecin, as a participant in the European Conference League qualifiers, had a free fate in the first round of the Fortuna Polish Cup. She entered the game a round later and lost promotion at the stadium of the penultimate team in the first league, Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała. If advancement was determined by the number of goal-scoring opportunities created, Pogoń would not have been in the cup since November. However, it was Kamil Grosicki’s flash that was decisive.
It was the 90th minute of the match and Kamil Grosicki had already changed the position of winger into striker. Pogoń’s slow play accelerated, and Adrian Przyborek’s pass went a dozen or so meters in front of Patryk Procek’s goal. Grosicki did not hesitate and shot under the crossbar to make it 1-0. It was the only hit on target by Pogoń, who played very poorly compared to Podbeskidzie.
– Gentlemen. I want everyone to believe in our goal, which is to reach the National Stadium. We have three steps left and regardless of who we play against, everyone must believe that we can play in the final for Pogoń and Szczecin. We can really afford it, Grosicki said in the locker room after the match.
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In the final against his beloved club
Kamil Grosicki recalled the match in Bielsko-Biała in September 2009. He was a player of Jagiellonia Białystok, which at the beginning of the Polish Cup also played in the first league – GKS Tychy. The match ended with the same score 1-0, also after a goal scored by Grosicki. The only difference was that it was already 120 minutes on the clock, not 90 minutes.
– Then I scored a goal in the last minute, and then we won the cup – said Michał Probierz’s national team player.
Before the final, Jagiellonia also eliminated Arka Gdynia, Korona Kielce and Lechia Gdańsk. The road to Bydgoszcz led through six matches, and the seventh one, Kamil Grosicki, played with a torn heart. Jagiellonia’s last opponent was Pogoń, still in the first league, which was the highlight of the competition. The final, marked by refereeing errors, ended with a 1-0 victory for the favorite. Kamil Grosicki celebrated winning his first and only Polish Cup after the match with the club he grew up with.
Three overtimes in the next rounds
For the next 14 years, neither Pogoń nor Grosicki appeared in the Polish Cup final. For other reasons. The port workers often failed, and Grosicki made a career abroad. The club and his pupil had to join forces to have the trophy at their fingertips. Both in 2010 and 2024, the opponent of Grosicki’s team will be the first league team. This time, Wisła Kraków was the sensational finalist.
Before the final, Pogoń played four matches in the cup and only successfully beat Podbeskidzie without overtime. Later the road was even more difficult. Pogoń is currently drawing the third, second and first power in the PKO Ekstraklasa table. She won against Górnik Zabrze in bitter cold, eliminated Lech Poznań at Bułgarska Street, and in the semi-final she took revenge on Jagiellonia for the final from 14 years ago. Leo Borges, Joao Gamboa and Fredrik Ulvestad scored goals in overtime.
The first of the promises
Michał Probierz’s squad may fulfill the first of the promises made to Pogoń fans in 2021 on Thursday. He returned to the club after 14 years of absence and promised to fight for trophies. The third year has passed and so far, nothing has come of Kamil Grosicki’s plan, although the team leader produces impressive offensive statistics year after year. From this season, after the departure of Damian Dąbrowski, the winger is the captain of Pogoń.
– Kamil has been the captain for a long time and also cares about the atmosphere in the locker room. We see on social media how the band lives. He is a real captain and mobilizes the boys before each training session. The mere fact that he is with them makes them feel safe, having a Polish representative by their side. In the final, everyone will have to contribute to the victory – says Olgierd Moskalewicz, former Pogoń and Wisła player in the Głos Portowcy podcast.
The final of Pogoń – Wisła will start on Thursday, May 2, at 4 p.m. Writing a history similar to that of 2008 is very real.
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