We are all done in Ekstraklasa! The last round brought plenty of goals, excitement and emotional good-byes. With countless twists and neverending drama it definitely was a season to remember.

32 goals were scored in nine games (3.55g/game) with six home wins and 3 draws. Total season numbers: 837 goals in 306 games (2.74 goals/game)

Tomas Bobcek’s double in Nieciecza gave the Slovakian striker the Ekstraklasa Golden Boot title. Lechia Gdańsk’s target man also missed the penalty, but still finished the season with 20 tallies, two ahead of Motor Lublin's Karol Czubak. Incredibly enough this impressive feat was not enough to keep Lechia Gdańsk’s spot in Ekstraklasa. John Carver’s team became the first ever to be relegated despite having the league’s top goal scorer.

Luis Palma scored in his 3rd consecutive game (a fantastic free kick golazo!) to finish the campaign with 10 goals and 6 assists and a Polish Championship under his belt. Now Celtic’s loanee goes back to Scotland, but Kolejorz’s fans hope for the return of the Honduran international to Bułgarska next season.

Legia Warszawa won their 4th in a row, but their hopes for a miraculous league comeback (after 21 rounds they were second to last!) fell short. To finish at #5 they also needed Zagłębie Lubin and GKS Katowice to lose their fixtures. While Lubin did not put up much of a fight in Białystok, Katowice found a decisive equalizer in the 7th minute of injury time in Szczecin.

Górnik finish strong

While the Championship was decided last week in Radom three teams entered last weekend with the hopes of securing silver or bronze medals. Raków Częstochowa were sitting in 4th place within a point of Jagiellonia Białystok and Górnik Zabrze. The Polish cup runners up did what they were expected to do, easily dispatching Arka Gdynia 3:0. Jagiellonia needed a penalty conversion by Afimico Pululu to squeeze past Zagłębie Lubin, so both teams needed Górnik to stumble at home against Radomiak Radom.

The Silesian side had a different idea and came out storming. By the halftime whistle it was 5:0 for the hosts. In the second part they added #6 before letting Radomiak score twice to make the score respectable. At the end all craziness ensued at Roosevelt Street. Górnik Zabrze came in 2nd in the league for the 5th time in the club's history. To couple it with the Polish Cup victory it was their most successful season since 1971-72 when they reached the double.

Podolski hangs up the boots

After over 20 successful seasons Lukas Podolski called it quits. The German international born in Poland played his last professional game in a shirt of a club that he supported from his childhood: Górnik Zabrze.

He came to Górnik in 2021 after spending 6 years at FC Köln, 3 at Bayern Munich, 2 at Arsenal, Galatasaray and Vissel Kobe and about a year at Inter Milan and Antalyaspor. His list of accomplishments include: German Championship and cup victories in Germany, England, Turkey, Japan and Poland.

For Die Mannschaft he took the field 130 times while scoring 49 goals and bringing home the 2014 World Cup trophy. Podolski says good-bye to his playing times, but he is going to stay involved with soccer. Recently he became the majority owner of Górnik Zabrze and seems ready to start winning again: this time as a front-office figure.

Returns of the giants

Out of three relegated teams Lechia Gdańsk were the biggest surprise. After Round 29 they sat comfortably in 9th place fueled by the league’s best attack. But 4 straight defeats propelled them down to the relegation zone which they could climb out of under a few conditions: they needed to have a winner in a Widzew - Piast game and Cracovia to lose at home to Korona. But most of all they needed 3 points in Nieciecza, but failed to get even one. 

A team that was tied for the most goals scored in this season (also tied for the most goals allowed) shared the fate of Arka Gdynia and Termalica and will try to use next season to achieve another promotion. In their stead Ekstraklasa welcomed the BetClic 1. Liga champions Wisła Kraków and Śląsk Wrocław (third team will become known through the 4-team playoffs). Both teams have rich traditions, history and fantastic fan bases and a total of 15 Ekstraklasa Championships between them. It will make the 2026-27 season even more packed with thrills and excitement. 

Round 34:

Termalica Bruk-Bet Nieciecza (18) - Lechia Gdańsk (16) 3:2 (Putiwcew 21’ Kurzawa 29’ Zapolnik 57’ - Bobcek 50’ 90’)
Cracovia (13) - Korona Kielce (11) 1:1 (Zahirorelsam 6’ - Svetlin 2’)
Górnik Zabrze (2) - Radomiak Radom (10) 6:2 (Chłań 9’ 13’ Liseth 28’ Sadilek 42’ 45’ Janza 53’ - Balde 72’ Soumah 80’)
Jagiellonia Białystok (3) - Zagłębie Lubin (7) 1:0 (Pululu 32’pen)
Lech Poznań (1) - Wisła Płock (8) 2:2 (Palma 30’ Walemark 60’ - Rogelj 48’ Kamiński 90’)
Legia Warszawa (6) - Motor Lublin (12) 4:0 (Nsame 32’ 55’ Chodyna 39’ Elitim 49’)
Pogoń Szczecin (9) - GKS Katowice (5) 1:1 (Cuic 31’ - Wędrychowski 90’)
Raków Częstochowa (4) - Arka Gdynia (17) 3:0 (Bulat 37’ Brunes 71’ Silva 75’)
Widzew Łódź (14) - Piast Gliwice (15) 2:1 (Baena 11’ Fornalczyk 56’ - Vallejo 64’)

Top scorers:

20 - Bobcek (Lechia)
18 - Czubak (Motor)
16 - Ishak (Lech), Brunes (Raków)
15 - Pululu (Jagiellonia)
14 - Bergier (Widzew)
13 - Jesus Imaz (Jagiellonia)

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