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- Polish PKO BP Ekstraklasa: Round 25: Czech-mate in Zabrze, Lech top Zagłębie, Jaga’s shocking defeat
Polish PKO BP Ekstraklasa: Round 25: Czech-mate in Zabrze, Lech top Zagłębie, Jaga’s shocking defeat
Stories of the Round
Round Highlights
- 21 goals scored (2.33 avg/game). 3 wins for the home teams, 4 for the visitors, 2 ties.
- Wisła Płock ended their 5-game losing streak (2:1 win vs Cracovia in Kraków).
- Legia Warszawa extended their unbeaten run to 6 (2W/4T), but Marek Papszun’s side still occupies a spot in the relegation zone.
- Hugo Vallejo’s double (his first goals in Poland) gave Piast Gliwice a shocking 2:1 away win over Jagiellonia Białystok. In that same match, the only goal for the Białystok side was scored by another Spaniard, Jesus Imaz, who now has 108 career Ekstraklasa goals — the same number as the all-time leader Flavio Paixao. The Pride of Podlasie, who led the standings after Round 23, are now winless in their last five matches.
- Bartosz Nowak recorded his 10th assist of the season and helped GKS Katowice defeat Lechia Gdańsk 2:0.
- Motor Lublin striker Karol Czubak converted a penalty and joined Tomas Bobcek at the top of the Ekstraklasa Golden Boot race.
- In Szczecin, a huge mistake by Pogoń Szczecin goalkeeper Valentin Cojocaru gave Korona Kielce a first-half lead. However, Thomas Thomasberg’s side came back to win with a dramatic last-minute effort (6th minute of stoppage time) by Jose Pozo, who scored twice after entering the match in the 59th minute.
Czech? Yes, Please!
Before their showdown with Raków Częstochowa, Górnik Zabrze had won only one of their last 10 games in Ekstraklasa. On top of that, their previous two home matches ended in disappointing 0:1 defeats. But this time, the fans who packed Ernest Pohl Stadium (over 23,000) had plenty to celebrate thanks to Górnik’s Czech contingent.
Former Sparta Prague captain Lukas Sadilek, who joined Górnik Zabrze in the winter transfer window, opened and closed the scoring in Zabrze. His compatriot Lukas Ambros added a third goal, while Raków Częstochowa could respond with only one.
Patrik Hellebrand and Ondrej Zmrzly also appeared in the match, meaning that at one point there were more Czech players (4) on the pitch for Górnik than Polish players (3).
The Sunday match was also special for Górnik Zabrze defender Rafał Janicki, who made his 400th Ekstraklasa appearance. Only seven players in league history have more appearances than the Chemik Police academy product, who is now just 159 matches behind the all-time leader Łukasz Surma.
Despite the big victory, not everything went well for Michal Gasparik’s side. Lukas Podolski entered the field in the 88th minute but was sent off just two minutes later for elbowing Michael Ameyaw. This marked the 12th appearance this season for the Polish-born, 40-year-old German player, who has yet to record a goal or assist but has collected 3 yellow cards and 1 red card.
Who Else but Ishak?
In Lubin, league leaders Zagłębie Lubin faced defending champions Lech Poznań in a key match for the title race.
The decisive moment came in the 7th minute when Mikael Ishak found the back of the net.
It was the Swedish striker’s 13th league goal and 26th overall this season. No player in Poland has scored more goals this year than the Lech Poznań captain, who now has 86 career goals for Lech and needs just 23 more to catch the club’s all-time top scorer Piotr Reiss.
What to Watch in Round 26
This time, attention turns to teams battling to stay in Ekstraklasa.
In Warsaw, Legia Warszawa will try to take advantage of the possibility that Raków Częstochowa may be fatigued after another busy schedule. The team from Częstochowa is the only Polish side still competing for three trophies this season (Polish Cup, European competition, and Ekstraklasa) and will also face a midweek UEFA Conference League clash with Fiorentina after losing the first leg 2:1 away.
The match will also feature Legia Warszawa head coach Marek Papszun facing his former club, which he managed in more than 350 matches since 2016.
In Łódź, Widzew Łódź will take on Górnik Zabrze in another edition of the Polish Classic. During the winter transfer window, club owner Robert Dobrzycki spent a record €13–20 million on new players.
Despite that investment, Widzew have won only two of their seven matches in 2026. So far, the club’s newest manager — their fourth this season — Aleksandar Vukovic remains unbeaten (1 win, 1 draw). However, to escape the relegation zone, the team must begin stringing together victories, which could be difficult against the tough and hardworking Miners from Zabrze.
Round 25 Results
Termalica Bruk-Bet Nieciecza – Motor Lublin 1:2
(Kubica 17’ – Czubak 30’ pk, Wolski 36’)
Radomiak Radom – Legia Warsaw 1:1
(Maurides 2’ – Pankov 7’)
Jagiellonia Białystok – Piast Gliwice 1:2
(Imaz 82’ – Vallejo 21’, 67’)
GKS Katowice – Lechia Gdańsk 2:0
(Wdowiak 39’, Shkurin 60’)
Cracovia – Wisła Płock 1:2
(Hasić 59’ – Sutalo 51’ own goal, Jurić 69’)
Arka Gdynia – Widzew Łódź 0:0
Zagłębie Lubin – Lech Poznań 0:1
(Ishak 7’)

Górnik Zabrze – Raków Częstochowa 3:1
(Sadilek 23’, 88’; Ambros 43’ – Ameyaw 79’, red card: Podolski)
Pogoń Szczecin – Korona Kielce 2:1
(Pozo 68’, 90’ – Cojocaru 24’ own goal)
Top Scorers
14 — Bobcek (Lechia), Czubak (Motor) +1
13 — Ishak (Lech) +1
12 — Brunes (Raków)
11 — Bergier (Widzew), Jesus Imaz (Jagiellonia) +1
10 — Pululu (Jagiellonia)
Round 26 Fixtures
Friday, March 20
Piast Gliwice (13) – Radomiak Radom (10)
Motor Lublin (9) – Zagłębie Lubin (1)
Saturday, March 21
Cracovia (11) – GKS Katowice (6)
Lechia Gdańsk (14) – Pogoń Szczecin (8)
Jagiellonia Białystok (3) – Wisła Płock (7)
Sunday, March 22
Korona Kielce (12) – Arka Gdynia (15)
Lech Poznań (2) – Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (18)
Widzew Łódź (17) – Górnik Zabrze (4)
Legia Warszawa (16) – Raków Częstochowa (5)











