Ekstraklasa Results: Saturday

Saturday's 24th round matches conduced with both Jagiellonia Bialystok and Wisla Krakow losing.

Wisla Krakow 0-2 Gornik Zabrze
Ekstraklasa leader Wisla Krakow have now dropped two in a row. Gornik took the lead in the 24th minute with a Michal Gasparik's strike. Daniel Sikorski gave Gornik a 2-0 lead in the 81st minute. With six matches remaining, Wisla are still the leaders Gornik sit 6th in the standings.

Polonia Bytom 3-2 Jagiellonia Bialystok
With Wisla Krakow losing, Jagiellonia entered the match with a chance to tie Wisla for the leader position in the Ekstraklasa standings. However, relegation-threated Polonia Bytom jumped all over Jagiellonia and took a 3-0 lead into halftime. Miroslav Barcik, Blazej Vascak and Dariusz Jarecki scored for Polonia before halftime. In the second half, Jagiellonia scored two goals, but that wasn't enough. Ermin Seratlic and Andrius Skerla scored for Jaga.

Other scores from Saturday
GKS Belchatow 1-0 Korona Kielce
Polonia Warszaw 0-1 Slask Wroclaw

Roger's AEK Athens wins Greek Cup

AEK Athens took home their 14th Greek Cup with a 3-0 win over Atromitos on Saturday.

Roger Guerreiro, however, did not dress for the match. On the other side, Marcin Baszczynski played the full 90 minutes while Marek Saganowski started but was replaced in the 66th minute.

Saganowski finished third for the top scorer award in the Greek Cup with three goals.

Poles Abroad: Saturday

English League Championship

• Tomasz Cywka did not dress in Derby County's 2-0 loss to Bristol City. Cywka last played on March 5th against Barnsley.

• Radoslaw Majewski did not dress in Nottingham Forest's 5-1 win over Scunthorpe United.

Scottish Premier League

• Adrian Mrowiec played 90 minutes in Hearts' 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock.

German Bundesliga

• Robert Lewandowski started, played 78 minutes, scored a goal and took three shots in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Nurnberg.

• Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Nurnberg.  

• Jakub Blaszczykowski came off the bench in the 78th minute in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Nurnberg.

• Adam Matuszczyk came off the bench in the 85th minute in Koln's 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak played 90 minutes and took one shot in Lille's 5-0 win over Arles.

Turkish Super Lig

• Marcin Robak played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Konyaspor's 2-2 draw with Kasimpasa.

• Mariusz Pawelek played 90 minutes in Konyaspor's 2-2 draw with Kasimpasa.

Austrian Bundesliga

• Tomasz Welnicki played 90 minutes in Kapfenberg's 1-1 draw with FC Wacker Tirol.

Russian Premier League

• Piotr Polczak spend the full match on the bench in Terek Grozny's 1-0 win over Volga Nizhny Novgorod.

Ukrainian Premier League

• Marcin Kowalczyk spend the full match on the bench in Metalurh Donetsk's 5-1 loss to Arsenal Kyiv.

Cypriot First Division

• Kamil Kosowski played 90 minutes and scored goal in Apollon Limassol's 3-0 win over Enosis Neon Paralimni. 

Borussia Dortmund wins 7th Bundesliga title

Congratulations to the Polish trio in Germany, made up of Jakub Blaszczykowski, Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski for helping Borussia Dortmund win their first German Bundesliga since the 2001–02 season.

Kosowski scores in Apollon's win

Kamil Kosowski scored his first goal of the Cypriot First Division campaign on Saturday, netting a second-half goal in Apollon Limassol's 3-0 win over Enosis Neon Paralimni.

Kosowski started and played the full 90 minutes. His goal fell in the 60th minute.
 
Apollon sit first in Group B with 42 points.

Robak nets late equalizer as Konyaspor suffer relegation

Marcin Robak scored a late equalizer in Konyaspor's 2-2 draw with Kasımpasa. With the draw, Konyaspor were relegated to the TFF First League. 

Both Mariusz Pawelek and Robak, who scored his fifth goal of the season played the full 90 minutes.

As mentioned up top,  Konyaspor will play in the TFF First League next season.

Lewandowski scores as Dortmund secure German title

Borussia Dortmund were crowned Bundesliga champions thanks to a 2-0 win over Nurnberg which gave them an unassailable lead at the top of the table with two games of the season to go.

Robert Lewandowski scored his 9th goal of the season, giving Borussia a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute.

Lewandowski started but was replaced by Jakub Blaszczykowski in the 78th minute. Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes.

Here is Lewandowski's goal:

Lech Poznan Suffer Late Defeat

Zaglebie Lubin defeated Lech Poznan 1:0 at home thanks to Mouhamadou Traore's 79th minute strike.

Zaglebie: Bojan Isailovic - Bartosz Rymaniak, Csaba Horvath, Sergio Reina, Przemyslaw Kocot (84. Fernando Dinis) - Lukasz Hanzel, Damian Dabrowski, Dawid Abwo, Dawid Plizga, Amer Osmanagic (72. Szymon Pawlowski) - Mouhamadou Traore.

Lech: Krzysztof Kotorowski - Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (85. Vojo Ubiparip), Bartosz Bosacki, Hubert Wolakiewicz, Luis Henriquez - Dimitrije Injac, Rafal Murawski, Jacek Kielb (73. Siergiej Krivets), Semir Stilic, Bartosz Slusarski (63. Jakub Wilk) - Artjoms Rudnevs.

Full match highlights

Poland to play Cyprus in June?

The Polish national team have send an offer to the Cyprus Football Association requesting a friendly for June 4th or 5th. However, the Cypriots are having some problems with making the match official.

"Its going to be hard to play Poland in June," said Costakis Koutsokoumnis, President of the Cyprus Football Association.

The Cyprus national team is right now the number one option for Poland. However, their team is almost made up of all the whole Cypriot First Division and their players are on off-season break.

"We have received an offer for the Polish Football Federation. We have already rejected other offers from other federations. Our league ends in mid-May and our players go on break. Then our clubs have pre-season training," added Koutsokoumnis.

The Cypriots are also looking for a high offer, financial wise from the Polish national team. 
 
If the financial situation raises, there will be a better chance of accepting the invitation," said Adonis Procopiou, member of the Cyprus Football Association.

Poles Abroad: Friday

Turkish Super Lig

• Kamil Grosicki started and played 71 minutes in Sivasspor's 1-1 draw with Genclerbirligi

Dutch Eerste Divisie

• Michal Janota played 90 minutes in Go Ahead Eagles' 1-1 draw with Telstar

French Ligue 2

• Grzegorz Krychowiak started and played 76 minutes in Stade de Reims' 2-1 loss to Dijon FCO

German 2. Bundesliga

• Sebastian Tyrala played 90 minutes and took three shots in Osnabruck's 1-0 loss to SC Paderborn

Poles Abroad: Weekend Schedule

Friday

12:00 pm- Sebastian Tyrala with VfL Osnabruck play SC Paderborn 07

1:00 pm- Kamil Grosicki with Sivasspor play Genclerbirligi 

2:00 pm- Grzegorz Krychowiak with Stade de Reims play Dijon FCO

2:00 pm- Michal Janota with Go Ahead Eagles play SC Stormvogels Telstar

Saturday

8:00 am- Marcin Robak and Mariusz Pawelek with Konyaspor play Kasimpasa 

9:30 am- Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek with Borussia Dortmund play Nurnberg

9:30 am- Adam Matuszczyk with FC Koln play Bayer Leverkusen 

10:00 am- Tomasz Cywka with Derby County play Bristol City

10:00 am- Radoslaw Majewski with Nottingham Forest play Scunthorpe United

10:00 am- Adrian Mrowiec with Hearts' play Kilmarnock

2:30 pm- Roger Guerreiro with AEK Athens play Atromitos in the Greek Cup. 

Sunday

7:45 am- Lukasz Zaluska with Celtic play Dundee United

8:30 am- Mateusz Prus with Roda JC Kerkrade play NEC Nijmegen 

9:00 am- Blazej Augustyn with Catania play Cagliari

9:00 am- Artur Boruc with Fiorentina play Udinese 

9:05 am- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal play Manchester United with Tomasz Kuszczak

11:00 am- Ireneusz Jelen and Dariusz Dudka with Auxerre play Marseille 

12:00 pm- Pawel Brozek, Arkadiusz Glowacki and Piotr Brozek with Trabzonspor play Gaziantepspor 

2:45 pm- Kamil Glik with Bari play AS Roma 

Obraniak suspended two games

Ludovic Obraniak was issued a two-match suspension on Thursday for delivering a brutal foul on Thomas Heurtaux during Lille's 3-1 win over SM Caen on April 2nd.

Obraniak entered the match in the 84th minute and committed the foul, which resulted in a yellow card in the 86th minute.

The Polish international will miss Lille's matches with Nancy and Saint-Etienne

Blazej Augustyn Answers Your Questions

Blazej Augustyn found time in his busy schedule and answered the fan question. I want to thank Blazej for doing this and I hope to get more players involved. Tomasz Cywka will be next as he kindly agreed.

Kuba- What has been your most memorable game?

Blazej Augustyn- I think it was four years ago, when I played with the Polish U-19 national team. We were playing to qualify for the European Championships and we were losing 1:0. We qualify after I scored two beautiful goals.

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JZ- How would you compare the quality of Ekstraklasa to the Serie A. If Legia/Lech played in Serie A would they get relegated?

Blazej Augustyn- Its hard to compare it. There are certainly more valuable players here in Italy who play world class. The second thing is with the wonderful tactics teams have here (in Italy). Whats missing in Poland is players play on the ambitions of self-confidence while here they think what is best way to eliminate the value the the other team. I don't know where Lech or Legia would end.

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Anonymous- When do you think you'll get your first call-up to the national team?

Blazej Augustyn- I hope its when I'm in form and when I join the national team, I will say there.

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Bigcmos- How is your knee and would you consider yourself back to 100 percent ? I've had acl reconstructive surgery myself and have not returned back to my regular Strenght!

Blazej Augustyn- The knee is much better but its not the same as before surgery. Especially with my right knee which was operated twice and its weaker but I'm improving it everyday in the weight room. I think I'll be 100% soon but as of right now, I feel 70% to 80%. 

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Anonymous- Do you think Smuda is a moron?

Blazej Augustyn- Hehe I'm not the one who should describe him.

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Hieronim- Aside from staying healthy, what for you has been the biggest challenge in playing professional football in physical and mental aspects? thanks and all the best.

Blazej Augustyn- When I had to leave my family home early, I missed my friends and family, but a few years passed and I managed to get used it. I also miss what my friends have, which is sit down with friends and drink a beer, play cards or PlayStation or even go somewhere and relax. But anyway, I catch up on my holidays during off-season after a long year of hard work.

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BD- Do you think Polands national team has a future under Smuda

Blazej Augustyn- I don't want to speak about this topic. At first a lot of people wanted him to become the coach and now no one wants him. I know soccer is perverse, and I don't think coaches or politicians should give promises, for example when coaches say that they will make the team the best. A national team is not the same as a club team. But anyways, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him beacuse he is Polish and I want my Poland, after all these years, to finally win something because we really have good players..

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Zizu- Your preferred position to play, center-back, left-back or defensive midfielder?

Blazej Augustyn- I like to attack beacuse thats when the game is happy. I really like to play defensive midfielder beacuse thats where I can attack and defend.

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Daniel Jagiello- Where do you see yourself after the Euro in Poland/Ukraine AND if one of the big clubs came to sign you, which club would you want it to be (would you rather stay in Italy or go to England, Germany or Spain)?

Blazej Augustyn- Hmm I haven't even played one match for the Polish national team so its hard for me to say that I'll play at Euro. I don't care if its Italy, England or Germany. I just wants to be happy and love what I do.

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alanraftery- What is your opinion on Perquis and Arboleda getting Polish passports? Is it a positive thing for the Polish national team?

Blazej Augustyn- I don't know whether its positive or negative but to me Poles should play for Poland, English should play for England and Brazilians for Brazil. Which in our case, Poles should play for Poland beacuse if we win something, people will say, 'look how much Poles you had in their team'. They (Perquis and Arboleda) are great players but lets try something with our Polish players.

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Anonymous- Do you think you deserve a call-up from Smuda?

Blazej Augustyn- I think I certainly deserved when I played, but the coach had me in his ass. Now I'm working on regaining my form, which I had before the injury.

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Andy- The toughest striker you had to defend?

Blazej Augustyn- Antonio Cassano, Alessandro Del Piero and one younger one was when we played a frienldy against Utrecht and with Poland against Holland was Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

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Blazej Augustyn- Thanks everyone

Report: Poland wants to play Argentina

Michal Listkiewicz, the former President of PZPN, revealed on Thursday that Poland are trying to set up a friendly with Argentina.

The match would take place before Euro 2012.

1992 was the last time Poland met with Argentina. The final score was 2-0 in favor of Argentina.

Poland tops Macedonia, 3-0, in U-19 friendly

In the second match of a doubleheader, the Polish U-19 national team defeated Macedonia U-19 by the score off 2-0.

Polonia Warszawa's Pawel Wszolek opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. Piotr Mrozinski gave Poland a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute. 

Poland: Filip Bednarek - Wojciech Lisowski, Michal Czekaj, Rafal Janicki, Mariusz Mikoda - Bartosz Bereszynski, Piotr Mrozinski, Damian Rysiewski, Rafal Pietrzak (84. Wojciech Golla) - Pawel Wszolek (78. Mateusz Maka), Michal Zyro (66. Artur Golanski).

Two days earlier, Poland U-19 and Macedonia U-19 drew 0-0.  

Polish trio potentionally possible at Auxerre!

Ludovic Obraniak hates sitting on the bench and when he does get time he does very well. But, lately Obraniak has been very unhappy at his lack of game time for Lille this year. Some games he gets 10 minutes sometimes a bit more, but this player is certainly worth starting at this level.

Last year, there were rumors of him moving to Auxerre and they are back once again, if they can survive relegation Ludovic could potentially start in the midfield. That would create another Polish triangle this time in France. Playing together would be a huge boost not only for their moral, but for the team and also our National Team.

Auxerre need to get out of the basement of the French league and we will have to see if Jelen stays or goes. Only time will tell, but this would definitely be a great move for him, his playing time, and his comrades.

Behind the scenes: Wojciech Szczesny

Behind the scenes: Adam Matuszczyk

Who and Where will Poland play on June 4th or 5th?

With the help from Sportfive, the Polish national team are desperately looking for a new opponent for the June 4th or 5th date after the Czech Republic backed out.

"I suspect that we're not only searching in Europe but wherever possible," said Agnieszka Olejkowska, spokesperson of the Polish Football Association.

Poland national team coached Frank Smuda wished for a one-week training camp in mid-May and for three friendlies in June. However, his wishes will not come true.

"I know nothing, and I wont say anything. Negotiations are ongoing. Finding an opponent for early June is not as easy as it might seem," said Konrad Pasniewski, member of Sportfive.

Poland wanted to play Slovakia or Morocco but both nations rejected Poland's offers.

Younger Fabianski trains with Legia Warszawa

Arkadiusz Fabianski, the younger brother of Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski has started training with Legia Warszawa.

Legia Warszawa coaches admit that the youngster is very talented which mostly lies within his technical abilities, which probably runs through his genes. But there are also many weaknesses that can be fixed over time. His strength and other physical attributes will develop overtime.

The 18-year old currently plays for MSP Szamotuly, which is noted as one of the best goalkeeping schools in Poland.

Another busy weekend for Smuda's staff

Another busy schedule has been booked for the Polish national team coaching staff.

Hubert Malowiejski will travel to Greece on Saturday to watch the 2011 Greek Cup Final between AEK Athens with Roger Guerreiro and Atromitos Athens with Marcin Baszczynski and Marek Saganowski.

Someone from the staff was also suppose to travel to Belgium on Sunday to observe Marcin Wasilewski in action but the trip will most likely be rescheduled as Wasilewski is suspended for receiving a red card last week.

Smuda's assistants will also be observing the 24th round of the Ekstraklasa. The staff will travel to Warszawa to watch Legia take on Widzew Lodz and someone else will travel to Lubin to watch Zaglebie take on  Lech Poznan. Both games are on Friday.

On Saturday, someone from the staff will travel to Warszawa to watch Polonia take on Slask Wroclaw.

After Smuda returns from Canada on Sunday, together with his staff, Hubert Małowiejski, Jack Kazimierski and Jack Zielinski, they will attend the Polish Cup final in Bydgoszcz on Tuesday, May 3rd.

Thiago Cionek closer to Poland NT

Jagiellonia's Brazilian defender Thiago Cionek will soon receive his Polish citizenship.

Cionek has filed all his papers and awaits further instructions from the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.

"Playing for the Polish national team is a dream of mine and my parents. I've never spoken with Franciszek Smuda, but I hope he'll contact me. I will do everything I can to get called up to play for Poland," said Cionek.

As opposed to Manuel Arboleda, Cionek's application for citizenship should only be a formality. His great-grandmother Agnieszka Posokulska was born in Poland but emigrated to Brazil before the start of World War I.

Lato and Smuda heading to Canada

President of PZPN Grzegorz Lato and Poland national team coach Frank Smuda are heading to Canada on Wednesday for a three-day meeting with the local Polish community.

Both men will return to Poland on Sunday and will attend the Polish Cup final scheduled for Tuesday, May 3rd.

During the mid-80's, Lato played for Polonia Hamilton, an amateur league in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Lato usually visits the Polish community in Canada.

Slask midfielder Kazmierczak out for season

Slask Wroclaw defensive midfielder Przemysław Kazmierczak will be out for the season after injuring his right knee.

Kazmierczak was one of the best off-season acquisitions last summer. In 23 league appearances, Kazmierczak scored a team-high 8 goals. He was also named the Ekstraklasa Player of the Month for March.

Slask currently sit 6th in the standings with seven matches left in the season. Kazmierczak was a key member of the Slask team that went on a 14-game unbeaten streak.

Video: Pawelek, Robak vs. Besiktas

The PSB Questions: Ask Blazej Augustyn

A new feature here on Poland Soccer Blog is giving you a chance to ask Blazej Augustyn any question you want.

Augustyn will be the newest subject for The PSB Questions, and will be taking questions from PSB readers. Simply post your questions for Augustyn in the comments section below by Friday and I will send them out to Augustyn, who has agreed to answers some fan questions.

If this works out, I'll try to do it again (hopefully with other players) this summer.

Post your questions in the comments section below.

Poland, Macedonia U-19s play to scoreless draw

The Polish U-19 national team were held to a scoreless with the Macedonian U-19 national team in a friendly match on Tuesday.

Macedonia were forced to play with 10-men after Filip Najdovski recived a red card in the 50th minute.

Poland: Jakub Szumski - Filip Modelski, Rafal Janicki, Marcin Kaminski, Mariusz Mikoda - Lukasz Zejdler, Wojciech Golla, Mateusz Maka (84. Rafal Pietrzak), Pawel Wszolek (69. Bartosz Bereszynski) - Michal Zyro, Artur Golanski.

Poland U-19 play another friendly with Macedonia on Thursday.

Poles Abroad: Monday's Championship Rewind

• Tomasz Cywka did not dress in Derby County's 3-2 loss to Norwich. 

• Radoslaw Majewski spend the whole match on the bench in Nottingham Forest's 3-2 win over Bristol City. 

Robak scores as Konyaspor draw Besiktas

Marcin Robak netted his fourth goal of the season on Monday, scoring off a header in Konyaspor's 1-1 draw with Besiktas.

Both Robak and Mariusz Pawelek started and played the full 90 minutes.

Here's the goal:

Busy summer for Poles on the market

This summer's transfer window will be one exciting times of the year for Polish fans. Many Polish players abroad and in the Ekstraklasa are thinking about moving elsewhere. Here are some of the Polish player that could be on the move this summer:

Artur Boruc (Fiorentina)
Despite playing regularly and being praised by Italian journalists, Artur Boruc is planning on leaving Italy this summer. Frenchman Sebastien Frey, who has been out for almost the whole season, is ready to return and is the favorite to start in goal for Fiorentina next season.
Possible Destinations: West Ham, Tottenham, Schalke, Sevilla or Everton. 

Jerzy Dudek (Real Madrid)
Dudek still hasn't received a contract extension from Real Madrid. In four years at Santiago Bernabeu, Dudek has only made one league appearance. Dudek constantly repeats, he wants to fight for a place on Poland's Euro 2012 roster. A return to the Ekstraklasa would be special but also Russian clubs are taking a closer look a Dudek.

Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)
Jelen's agent admitted that Jelen will leave Auxerre this summer. Jelen was bothered by injuries all season long and wants to leave Auxerre to play for a better team.
Possible Destinations: Olympiakos or Zenit Saint Petersburg

Kamil Kosowski (Apollon Limassol)
Turned 34 this year but still can play on a high level. This contract with Apollon will expire this summer and a move back to Poland is expected.
Possible Destinations: Wisla Krakow or Lechia Gdansk.

Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United)
After five years as a second goalkeeper for Sir Alex Ferguson, Tomasz Kuszczak said he has enough. The Pole has recited the green light for a summer move away from Old Trafford.
Possible Destinations: West Ham, Galatasaray, Aston Villa or Everton

Ludovic Obraniak (OSC Lille) 
This may be the last season for Obraniak at Lille. Although his team is fighting for the French championship, the French-born Pole has enough seating on the bench. Obraniak has only started twice this season and mostly coming off the bench in the late stages of the match. Obraniak rejected a contract last summer for Auxerre.

Grzegorz Sandomierski (Jagiellonia Białystok) 
This truly can be the hit of this summer's transfer window. Sandomierski is being targeted by Juventus and Chelsea. Better for Sandomierski to move to a club that he'll have a chance to start regularly.

Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)
Malecki should leave Wisla Krakow this summer and not follow the footsteps of former teammate Pawel Brozek from five years ago. Brozek had many offers from foreign clubs but never seemed determined to leave the Ekstraklasa. Malecki will have a chance to leave Wisla this summer but the transfer will sit in Wisla Krakow's front office.
Possible Destinations: Paris Saint Germain, Auxerre, Blackburn, West Ham

Dudka stays hot with an assist for Auxerre

Dariusz Dudka continued his recent blazing hot form today by assisting in Auxerre's 1-1 draw with Lens.

Dudka's 6th minute cross found Willy Boly inside the penalty kick, who headed the ball home to give Auxerre a 1-0 lead. Dudka now has two goals and one assist in his last three matches.

Here is Dudka's assist:


Click on 'Auxerre 1-0 Lens' to see Dudka's assist.

Wasilewski sees red early in Anderlecht win

Marcin Wasilewski returned to Anderlecht's starting lineup on Sunday but didn't last too long.

Wasilewski was sent off in the 25th minute after picking up his second yellow card in Anderlecht's 2-1 win over Lokeren.

The second yellow card Wasyl picked up was also called a penalty kick, but was not converted by Ivana Leko.

Poles Abroad: Sunday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes, made five saves and saved a penalty kick in Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Bolton. 

Scottish Premier League

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the whole match on the bench in Celtic's scoreless draw with Rangers.

German Bundesliga 

• Adam Matuszczyk came off the bench in the 63rd minute in Koln's 4-1 loss to VfL Wolfsburg.

• Slawomir Peszko did not dress due to injury in Koln's 4-1 loss to VfL Wolfsburg. 

French Ligue 1

• Ireneusz Jelen played 90 minutes and took two shots in Auxerre's 1-1 draw with Lens.

• Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes and recorded an assist in Auxerre's 1-1 draw with Lens. 

Szczesny's penalty kick save vs. Bolton

Must-See Promo: Lech Poznan vs. Legia Warszawa Polish Cup Final

Boenisch close to Werder extension

Sebastian Boenisch has not played since last October but was given a 12-month contract extension from Werder Bremen.

Boenisch, who is recovering from a knee injury, wants to remain with Werder after buying a house close to the club's stadium.

The 23-year old defender doesn't know yet when he'll start training again but definitely not too early. He'll only return when he knows that everything with his knee is 100% fine.

When asked if Poland NT needs to look for a new left defender, Boenisch answered: Polish fans should not worry, because Sebstian Boenisch will return to the Polish national team. Even though it's an up-hill battle, I am an optimist. In a few months, you will see me on the field again.

Poles Abroad: Saturday (Updated)

English Premier League

• Tomasz Kuszczak spend the whole match on the bench in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Everton.

English Championship 

• Tomasz Cywka did not dress in Derby County's 4-2 loss to Burnley.

Scottish Premier League

• Adrian Mrowiec came off the bench at halftime in Hearts' 3-3 draw with Motherwell.

Italian Serie A

• Kamil Glik played 90 minutes in Bari's 1-0 loss to Sampdoria.

• Artur Boruc played 90 minutes and made five saves in Fiorentina's 2-1 win over Cagliari.

German Bundesliga

• Robert Lewandowski started, played 64 minutes and took two shots in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach.

• Jakub Blaszczykowski started, played 64 minutes and took one shot in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach.  

• Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes and took two shots in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach.  

French Ligue 2

• Grzegorz Krychowiak played 90 minutes in Stade de Reims' 1-0 win over Angers.

Dutch Eredivisie 

• Mateusz Prus played 90 minutes in Roda JC Kerkrade's 5-1 win over NAC Breda 

Russian Premier League 

• Piotr Polczak came off the bench in the 21st minute in Terek Grozny's 1-0 loss to FK Rostov-Na-Donu.

Turkish Super Lig

• Kamil Grosicki started and played 75 minutes in Sivasspor's 2-1 loss to Karabukspor.

• Maciej Iwanski did not dress due to injury in Manisaspor's 2-1 loss to Bursaspor. 

Glik's Bari relegated to Serie B

Kamil Glik doesn't have to worry but some of his current teammates will be playing in the Serie B next season after being relegated with a 1-0 loss to Sampdoria on Saturday.

The Polish defender started and played the full 90 minutes against Sampdoria.

Glik's loan contract with Bari expires this summer.

After finishing 10th last season in the Serie A, Bari are on the verge on finishing last this season.

Michal Janota's Goal vs. FC Dordrecht

Must-See Picture: Bakero's 'Lets all do the Poznan' shirt

 

Report: Poland will NOT play Czech Republic (Updated)

The Polish national team will not play Czech Republic this summer.

(Updated- Czech Republic will travel to Japan on tour. Due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Czech did not know if their going to travel to Japan and later scheduled a match with Poland. Today, Czech received a fax from Japan saying that the match is still active which results that Czech must cancel their June match with Poland.)

PZPN are now desperately looking for a new rival after signing a contract with the Cracovia Krakow stadium that a match will be played their in June..

Not that long ago, Poland were planning on playing three matches in June but now everything has broke down expect the friendly with France in Gdansk.

Poland were suppose to travel to Austria for training camp and play one frienldy there. The training camp and friendly were canceled. Then, Poland were supposed to play Czech Republic in Krakow but now this frienldy  was canceled.

PZPN tried to replace Czech Republic with Slovakia, Belgium or Morocco but all federations rejected the friendly.

PSB's 23 for June friendlies: April Edition

After a two month break, the Polish national team will hit the field for the first time in Poland since November 2010 and take on their toughest rival, Germany, since playing Spain last summer.

PolandSoccerBlog's Projected Poland's Roster for June friendlies: 

GOALKEEPER- Wojciech Szczesny, Grzegorz Sandomierski

DEFENDERS- Dariusz Dudka, Kamil Glik, Lukasz Piszczek, Manuel Arboleda, Damien Perquis, Maciej Sadlok, Arkadiusz Glowacki, Tomasz Jodlowiec

MIDFIELDERS- Ludovic Obraniak, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Slawomir Peszko, Adam Matuszczyk, Adrian Mierzejewski, Mateusz Klich, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Ariel Borysiuk

FORWARDS- Robert Lewandowski, Kamil Grosicki, Patryk Malecki, Ireneusz Jelen

Here are some thoughts on my selections:

Wojciech Szczesny definitely returns to the NT after being out lately with an injury. Grzegorz Sandomierski, who played 90 minutes against Greece and highly impressed should get a shot in one of the matches in June, probably against Czech Republic. Smuda will most likely take a third goalkeeper but for me, it was hard to choose one. With Lukasz Fabianski and Przemyslaw Tyton injured, and Artur Boruc and Tomasz Kuszczak not wanted, it looks like Smuda will go with a Ekstraklasa-based keeper.

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Damien Perquis and Manuel Arboleda were included in the projected roster as both are expected to receive their Polish passports in May. Both players will be a major upgrade to Poland's weak defense. The question is how will Arboleda be treated inside Poland's locker room after his conflict with Ebi Smolarek.

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The two surprises added to the projected roster are Mateusz Klich and Przemyslaw Kazmierczak. Both players have been red-hot since the Ekstraklasa restarted, scoring three goals apiece. Kazmierczak has been named the player of the month for March and definitely could add his experience in the midfield. Both players can be important in the late stages of the match, coming off the bench replacing Matuszczyk or Murawski.

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Also red-hot in the Ekstraklasa this round has been Patryk Malecki. The 22-year old can easily be written as the best player in the Ekstraklasa right now. Definitely deserves another shot at the NT, after our strikers are having a hard time finding the back of the net. Malecki had a conflict going on with Smuda but after meeting with the talented striker, Smuda promised to take another look at Malecki.

LKS and Widzew to get new stadiums

Lodz city council, Widzew Lodz officials and LKS Lodz officials have finally agreed on building two new stadiums in Lodz for Widzew and LKS.

The two new stadiums will be ready by 2013.

The new Widzew Lodz stadium will hold a capacity of 30 thousand people. As for LKS, their new stadium will hold a capacity of 16-18 thousand people. The cost of their new stadium will be about 150 million zloty.

The Hot Stove: PSG after Malecki, Schalke after Boruc, and more

Paris Saint Germain after Patryk Malecki

French side Paris Saint Germain are expected to make a summer move for Wisla Krakow striker Patryk Malecki.

PSG's scouts have already visited Krakow on several occasions and their main purpose is Malecki. Wisla are looking for a 2,5 million euros for the 22-year old.
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German side after Artur Boruc

Artur Boruc is being targeted by German side Schalke 04 to replace German international Manuel Neuer, who is set to leave Schalke this summer.

Boruc is expected to leave Fiorentina this summer after Sebastien Frey is ready to retain the starting job in goal for Fiorentina.

Boruc is also being observed by Tottenham, Everton and Sevilla.
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Official: Zielinski joins Udinese

Piotr Zielinski has officially signed a three-year contract with Italian side Udinese.

The contract will start this summer and the Italian club will play 100 thousand euros for the soon-to-be 17-year old. Zielinski will remain with Zaglebie until June 30th.

Poles Abroad: Friday

English Championship

• Radoslaw Majewski spend the whole match on the bench in Nottingham Forest's 3-2 win over Leicester City.

Dutch Eerste Divisie

• Michal Janota played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Go Ahead Eagles' 1-1 draw with Dordrecht.

Turkish Super Lig 

• Pawel Brozek came off the bench in the 83rd minute in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Eskisehirspor.

• Arkadiusz Glowacki spend the whole match on the bench in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Eskisehirspor. 

• Piotr Brozek did not dress in Trabzonspor's scoreless draw with Eskisehirspor.   

Janota scores in Holland

Michal Janota scored his fifth goal of the season in Go Ahead Eagles' 1-1 draw with FC Dordrecht.

Janota started and played the full 90 minutes. His goal fell in the 25th minute.

With the draw, Go Ahead Eagles fell to the seventh spot in the Dutch Eerste Divisie (second division). Janota's side are one point out of the final playoff spot.

Smuda made million off commercial

Poland national team coach Frank Smuda wont have to worry about this financial problems for the next couple years.

According to Fakt, Smuda received 1,5 million zloty for appearing in a commercial for Biedronkia, Poland national team main sponsor.

Smuda makes around 100 thousand zloty for coaching the Polish national team. The 68-year old coach would have to work a whole year to make the same amount which he received from Biedronkia.  

Here is the commercial:

Poles Abroad: Weekend Schedule

Saturday

7:45 AM- Tomasz Kuszczak with Manchester United play Everton

8:00 AM- Kamil Grosicki with Sivasspor play Karabukspor     

9:00 AM- Kamil Glik with Bari play Sampdoria

9:00 AM- Artur Boruc with Fiorentina play Cagliari 

10:00 AM- Maciej Iwanski with Manisaspor play Bursaspor 

10:00 AM- Tomasz Cywka with Derby County play Burnley

10:00 AM- Adrian Mrowiec with Hearts play Motherwell

12:30 PM- Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek with Borussia Dortmund play Borussia Monchengladbach

3:00 PM- Blazej Augustyn with Catania play Juventus

1:00 PM- Grzegorz Krychowiak with Stade de Reims play Angers

1:45 PM- Mateusz Prus with Roda JC Kerkrade play NAC Breda 

Sunday

7:30 AM- Lukasz Zaluska with Celtic play Rangers

9:30 AM- Adam Matuszczyk with FC Koln play VfL Wolfsburg 

11:00 AM- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal play Bolton Wanderers 

11:00 AM- Ireneusz Jelen and Dariusz Dudka with Auxerre play Lens

3:00 PM- Ludovic Obraniak with Lille play Lorient 

All times are Eastern

Which Pole(s) are you planning on watching this Easter weekend?

Sorry guys for the lack of posts the last couple of days. Had some Internet problems but I'm back now with everything Polish soccer.

Rasiak leaves AEL Limassol

Former Poland national team striker Grzegorz Rasiak has had his contract with AEL Limassol terminated by mutual consent.

The 32-year old former Tottenham and Southampton player, made 16 appearances for AEL Limassol without scoring any goals since joining the club on free transfer in August 2010.

AEL Limassol finished 8th in the Cypriot First Division standings and qualified for the Second Round, Group B playoffs.

Artur Boruc vs. Juventus

Tyrala scores in Osnabruck's draw

Sebastian Tyrala scored the equalizing goal from the penalty spot in Osnabruck's 1-1 draw with FSV Frankfurt.

It was Tyrala's fourth goal of the season. The 21-year old midfielder also took three shots on goal while playing the full 90 minutes.

After 31 matches, Osnabruck sit 16th in the standings with 28 points.

Here's the goal:



(Its the second highlight in the video)

Legia Warszawa vs. Lechia Gdansk: Highlights

1-0 and 2-0


3-0


4-0

Legia reach Polish Cup final after a blow out

Legia Warszawa defeated Lechia Gdansk 4-0 in the second leg of the Polish Cup semi-final and advanced to the Polish Cup final.

Already with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Legia came out strong and scored the first goal of the second leg in the 24th minute courtesy of Miroslav Radovic.

After halftime, Ivica Vrdoljak scored to give Legia a 2-0 lead with a 63rd minute strike. Krzysztof Bak scored an own goal in the 77th minute and three minutes later, Michal Kucharczyk scored to give Legia a 4-0 lead.

Legia: Wojciech Skaba - Jakub Rzezniczak, Dickson Choto, Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Manu, Ariel Borysiuk (83. Alejandro Cabral), Ivica Vrdoljak, Miroslav Radovic, Maciej Rybus (73. Michal Kucharczyk) - Michal Hubnik (80. Michal Zyro).

Lechia: Pawel Kapsa - Marcin Pietrowski, Luka Vucko, Krzysztof Bak, Vytautas Andriuskevicius (46. Lewon Hajrapetjan) - Ivans Lukjanovs (78. Kamil Pozniak), Marko Bajic (64. Tomasz Dawidowski), Lukasz Surma, Pawel Nowak, Abdou Traore - Bedi Buval.

Legia will play Lech Poznan in the Polish Cup final on May 3rd.

U-19 Roster Announced

Poland U-19 national team coach Janusz Bialek has announced his roster for a training camp in Grodzisk Wielkopolski.

After the training camp, coach Bialek will select 18 players that will take part in the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification

Here is the full roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Jakub Szumski (Legia Warszawa), Filip Bednarek (FC Twente, Holland)

DEFENDERS: Michal Zyro (Legia Warszawa), Michal Czekaj (Wisla Krakow), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Rafal Janicki (Lechia Gdansk), Mariusz Mikoda (Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala), Lukasz Zejdler (Banik Ostrava, Czech Republic), Filip Modelski (West Ham United, England).

MIDFIELDERS: Piotr Mrozinski (Widzew Lodz), Damian Adamczyk (Wisła Plock), Pawel Wszolek (Polonia Warszawa), Rafal Pietrzak (Gornik Zabrze), Lukasz Brondel (Rakow Czestochowa), Rafal Wolski (Legia Warszawa), Damian Dabrowski (Zaglebie Lubin), Andre Dej (MSV 02 Duisburg, Germany), Wojciech Golla (Lech Poznan), Mateusz Maka (KSZO Ostrowiec), Leszek Nowosielski (Ruch Zdzieszowice), Damian Rysiewski (Arka Gdynia)

FORWARDS: Bartlomiej Pawlowski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Bartosz Bereszynski (Lech Poznan), Artur Golanski (LKS Lodz).

Lech Poznan vs. Podbeskidzie: Highlights

1-0 Damian Chmiel


2-0 Piotr Malinowski


2-1 Stilic


2-2 Rudnevs


2-3 Rudnevs

Obraniak's two assists helps Lille reach French Cup final

Ludovic Obraniak assisted on both of Lille's goals to help his team book a place in the French Cup final on Tuesday with a 2-0 win at Nice.

Obraniak started and played 75 minutes in the win.

Lille will play the winner of Paris Saint Germain vs. Angers SCO.

Here are both of Obraniak's assists:

Lech Poznan reach Polish Cup final

Lech Poznan overcame a 2-0 defect and reached the Polish Cup final with a 3-2 win over Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala thanks to Artjoms Rudnevs' 90th minute strike.

The First Division side took the lead early when Damian Chmiel scored in the 25th minute. After halftime, Piotr Malinowski gave Podbeskidzie a 2-0 lead and the Polish Cup Cinderella were cruising to their first ever Polish Cup final.

Semir Stilic cut the lead in half with a 73rd minute strike and three minutes later, sub-on Artjoms Rudnevs scored the level the score a 2-2.

In stoppage time, Artjoms Rudnevs scored the game-winning goal to help Lech Poznan advance to the Polish Cup final.  

Podbeskidzie: Richard Zajac - Slawomir Cienciala, Jacek Broniewicz, Bartlomiej Konieczny, Tomasz Gorkiewicz - Dariusz Latka, Damian Chmiel (79. Adam Cieslinski), Piotr Koman, Maciej Rogalski, - Sylwester Patejuk (64. Robert Demjan), Krzysztof Zaremba (57. Piotr Malinowski).

Lech: Krzysztof Kotorowski - Marcin Kikut (46. Semir Stilic), Manuel Arboleda, Bartosz Bosacki, Luis Henriquez - Dimitrije Injac - Bartosz Slusarski (46. Artjoms Rudnevs), Rafal Murawski, Siarhiej Krivets - Jakub Wilk - Vojo Ubiparip (68. Jacek Kielb).

Perquis closing in on a Polish passport

Damien Perquis will receive his Polish passport at the end of May. This means Perquis will be ready to play against Czech Republic and France during the June friendlies.

Perquis will receive a Polish passport from the hands of the Governor of the Mazowieckie County. However, Perquis will not be granted citizenship. The citizenship can only be granted by the President of Poland. Perquis will be granted citizenship right away when the Governor of the Mazowieckie County confirms that to the President to Poland.

Lech Poznan to play Borussia Dortmund in May

Borussia Dortmund with the Polish trio will play Lech Poznan in a frienldy on May 19th in Poznan.

The match will see Poland national team striker Robert Lewandowski return to his former club where he made 52 appearances, grabbing 32 goals while helping Lech win the 2009-2010 Ekstraklasa title.

"Both sides agreed to all of the details. I can confirm that I signed a contract saying that Lech will play Borussia Dortmund on May 19th at 8:00 pm local time," said Marek Pogorzelczyk, Lech's sporting director.

Reports: Chelsea eye Sandomierski

English giants Chelsea are planning a summer move for Jagiellonia Bialystok goalkeeper Grzegorz Sandomierski, according to English "Daily Mail".

Chelsea scouts observed Sandomierski during Poland's 0-0 draw with Greece in a friendly match three weeks ago as he made two world class saves.

Chelsea feel he is the ideal candidate to become Petr Cech's back-up.

Jagiellonia are looking for about 3 million euros for the youngster.  

Ekstraklasa Week 22: A Look Back

Gornik Zabrze 0:0 Lechia Gdansk (Highlights)
Gornik Zabrze dominated most of the game but couldnt find the back of the net. Pawel Kapsa was outstanding for Lechia, making save after save while keeping his side in the game. Both sides have been struggling lately with Wisla Krakow and Jagiellonia Bialystok running away and Lech Poznan and Legia Warszawa catching up from behind.

Wisla Krakow 3:1 GKS Belchatow (Highlights)
Wisla Krakow are running away with the Ekstraklasa title after collecting three points against GKS. Maor Melikson stoled the show with a goal and two assists.  On the other side, Belchatow's goalkeeper Lukasz Sapela made two crucial mistakes which led to two of Wisla's goals. Tomasz Wrobel also received a red card in the 50th minute after a brutal foul on Melikson.

Polonia Bytom 0:2 Polonia Warszawa (Highlights)
Lukasz Piatek opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a nice goal from inside the penalty box. Polonia Bytom had their chances but couldnt get the ball past Sebastian Przyrowski. In the dying minutes of the match, Daniel Golebiewski scored an insurance goal for Polonia Warszawa. With the loss, Polonia Bytom remain in the 14th spot in the standings with 23 points and are tied with Arka Gdynia for the final relegation spot.

Lech Poznan 1:0 Legia Warszawa (Highlights)
The most interesting match in Poland with both teams fighting for a spot in next year's Europa competitions. Both sides had numerous chances to score but both goalkeepers in goal were standings on their heads. The match was even the whole evening but it was Lech Poznan who scored the first and only goal of the game. Artjoms Rudnevs' 83rd minute strike was the decider.

Widzew Lodz 0:0 Ruch Chorzow (Highlights)
Despite two red cards, Ruch Chorzow managed to hang around and steal a point away from their opponents. Widzew dominated throughout the whole 90 minutes, but wasted numerous chances. A one-sided game ends zip-zip as both teams are hanging around at the bottom of the standings.

Zaglebie Lubin 0:2 Jagiellonia Bialystok (Highlights)
A weird match in Lubin with the home side receiving two red cards and also, for the second time this season, the stadium lights shut off for about 23 minutes at the Dialog Arena. Jagiellonia took the lead in the 41st minute when Tadas Kijanskas converted a penalty shot. Jaga took a 2-0 lead in the 65th minute when Ermin Seratlic scored. Jagiellonia deserved to take home the three points.

Arka Gdynia 3:0 Cracovia Krakow (Highlights)
The last two teams in the standings battled for three important points. Arka scored two goals in less then 3 minutes. First, Pawel Zawistowski scored off a free-kick in the 13th minute and then, in the 15th minute, Tadas Labukas scored after a scramble in the penalty box. In the 78th minute, Mirko Ivanovski gave Arka a 3-0 lead. Cracovia without a chance at Gdynia.

Slask Wroclaw 0:1 Korona Kielce (Highlights)
A boring first half between the both sides. Pavol Stano scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute which gave Korona the three points. Both sides had numerous chances in the second half but didn't convert.