The journey to the quarterfinals of the Fortuna Polish Cup has been markedly different for Piast and Raków. Piast Gliwice breezed through their matches, securing victories against Wieczysta Kraków (4-0), Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (1-0), and Carina Gubin (5-2). In contrast, Raków Częstochowa faced tougher opposition, defeating ŁKS Łódź (2-0) and Cracovia (1-0) from the PKO Ekstraklasa.
The reigning champions of Poland, however, have struggled to find their footing in the spring round. While they suffered a narrow defeat against Warta Poznań (1-2) in the opening fixture, they managed to secure a win against Piast Gliwice (3-1) and shared points with Stal Mielec after a goalless draw. The form of Dawid Szwarga’s team leaves much to be desired, with criticism also directed towards the coach himself.
On the other hand, Piast Gliwice started the spring round with two losses (1-3) and a lackluster goalless draw against Cracovia, indicating a decline in their performance level.
The match between the two sides saw an early threat from Raków, with Gustav Berggren hitting the crossbar shortly after the referee’s whistle. However, Frantisek Plach appeared to have the trajectory of the ball under control, suggesting a resilient defensive effort from Piast.
Piast’s response came just shy of the 20-minute mark. Grzegorz Tomasiewicz’s masterful display of balance in midfield deceived Gustav Berggren and Bartosz Nowak, opening up space for Michael Ameyawa on the left flank. Ameyawa delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of Kamil Wilczek, but the seasoned striker’s effort narrowly missed the target, leaving the spectators holding their breath.
A Convincing 3-0 Victory in Fortuna Polish Cup Quarterfinals
In the 25th minute, Piast took the lead. Following a quickly taken free-kick from the left side, Ameyaw delivered a cross, which Jakub Czerwiński flicked on, allowing Tomas Huk to head the ball into the net from close range. Moments later, Gliwice launched another attack. Ameyaw outpaced Bogdan Racovitan, cut inside, and found Serhij Krykun with a precise pass. The winger controlled the ball and unleashed a powerful shot, but Vladan Kovacević made a good save.
Huk had a chance to double the lead towards the end of the first half. The Slovakian reached the ball outside the penalty area and struck it powerfully, only to be denied by Stratos Svarnas on the goal line. Raków struggled against Piast’s dominance in the first 45 minutes.
Shortly after the break, the hosts delivered another blow. After a short corner kick, chaos ensued in Raków’s penalty area, with the ball bouncing around. Czerwiński finally found the net with a low shot, extending Piast’s lead to 2-0.
By the 68th minute, the game was effectively over. Patryk Dziczek threw the ball into play, causing confusion in the penalty area once again. However, Jorge Felix kept his composure and scored from close range to make it 3-0. It was a remarkable entrance for the Spaniard, who had only been on the field for a minute.
Ultimately, Piast convincingly defeated Raków 3-0 and advanced to the Fortuna Polish Cup semifinals in impressive fashion. The visitors from Częstochowa were completely helpless in Gliwice and could have lost by an even larger margin, thus rightfully bowing out of the tournament.
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