Brozek signs with Recreativo

Polish national team striker Pawel Brozek signed a two-year deal with Spanish second division side Recreativo Huelva.

Brozek agreed to personal terms on Thursday and underwent medical tests today before signing a contract a few hours ago. He will wear the number "9" on the back of his jersey.

Brozek will not be available for Saturday's league clash with CD Numancia.

Kobylanski joins Werder Bremen

Polish prospect Martin Kobylanski has signed a contract with Werder Bremen after both teams agreed to a undisclosed transfer fee.

"We've tracked Martin's development for some time now," Uwe Harttgen, director of Werder said today. "He's a huge talent and has already proved it on the fields of the 2. Bundesliga."

The 18-year-old did not make an appearance for Energie Cottbus this season, but made three league appearances last season.

He has yet to announce which national team he'll represent but he did make two appearances for the Polish U-18's in their two friendlies last week.

Sandomierski signs loan deal with Blackburn

Polish national team goalkeeper Grzegorz Sandomierski has joined English club Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan deal with an option for a permanent deal.

"I am very happy to be at this big club. I think it will be a good place for me to improve and I hope to play a part in this big season," Sandomierski told the club's official website.

The 22-year-old was unable to break into Genk's first team so returned to his former employee Jagiellonia Bialystok in 2012 where he made 13 appearances.

Blackburn currently sit 3rd in the Championship standings with two wins and one draw.

Wolski to be sidelined for three more weeks

Just as it looked like that everything was coming together for Rafal Wolski, luck decided to turn against him.

Wolski will be sidelined for three more weeks after pain returned to his injured leg that was operated on in June. He has yet to play this season.

"He started to practice regularly but pain returned and we don't want to take any risks," Jan Urban, coach of Legia Warszawa said today.

Wolski should be available for Legia's September 16 league clash with Gornik Zabrze.

Brozek agrees to terms with Recreativo

Pawel Brozek's move to the Spanish second division has taken a closer step.

Brozek agreed to personal terms with Recreativo Huelva and will undergo medical tests on Friday before signing a contract, announced the club's official website. Brozek's surprising move should be finalized on Friday.

A move to Recreativo is a step back in Brozek's career but it's better than siting on the bench at Celtic or Trabzonspor while the Polish national team is in need of strikers as World Cup qualifications begin.

Slask 1, Hannover 5: Match Highlights

Poles Abroad: CL/EL Action

Champions League

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's 2-0 win over AEL.

• Wojciech Pawlowski spend the full match on the bench in Udinese's loss to Sporting Braga in penalties.

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the full match on the bench in Celtic's 2-0 win over Helsingborg.

Europa League

• Przemyslaw Tyton spend the full match on the bench in PSV's 9-0 win over Zeta.

• Grzegorz Sandomierski did not dress in Genk's 2-0 win over Luzern.

• Adrian Mierzejewski spend the full match on the bench in Trabzonspor's loss to Videoton in penalties.

• Artur Sobiech came off the bench in the 63rd minute and scored two goals in Hannover's 5-1 win over Slask Wroclaw.

• Dariusz Dudka did not dress in Levante's 1-0 win over Motherwell.

• Ludovic Obraniak played 90 minutes and recorded an assist in Bordeaux's 3-2 win over Crvena Zvezda.

Slask embarrassed in Europa League

No one gave Slask Wroclaw a chance in this match-up, but no one expected to witness what really happened in this two-legged series.

Slask put on a fight in the first leg but left short 5-3 at home. Needing three goals to have a chance to advance looked impossible, but life was given to Slask when Przemyslaw Kazmierczak scored in the 10th minute to give his side a 1-0 lead.

However, that did not last long as 12 minutes later, Tomasz Jodlowiec was shown a straight red card and a penalty kick was awarded for taking down Jan Schlaudraff. Mohammed Abdellaoue stepped up and converted on the penalty kick to level the score at 1-1. From that point on, it was a disaster for Slask Wroclaw and their fans.

Szabolcz Huszti made it 2-1 in the 35th minute and that's how it stayed until halftime. In the 63rd minute, Polish national team striker Artur Sobiech came off the bench and added two more goal -- one in the 68th minute and another in the 85th minute. This gave the German side a 4-1.

Huszti scored his second of the night to make it 5-1 in the game and 10-4 on aggregates, completely embarrassing the Polish side.

Slask: Marian Kelemen - Tadeusz Socha, Marcin Kowalczyk, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Amir Spahic - Waldemar Sobota, Rok Elsner (82. Dalibor Stevanovic), Sebastian Mila, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Sylwester Patejuk (65. Johan Voskamp) - Cristian Omar Diaz (46. Mariusz Pawelec).

Legia 1, Rosenborg 2: Match Highlights

Late goal eliminates Legia from Europa League

A late goal from Mikkel Diskerud send Legia Warszawa packing home without a spot in the group stage of the Europa League.

After a 1-1 draw at home last week, Legia needed to find the back of the net to have a chance to quailfy for the next round and did so, but two, second-half goals from Rosenborg ended Legia's dream.

Danijel Ljuboja scored the key goal in the 36th minute with a nice strike with his left foot, past the opposing keeper from a thigh angle, which put Legia in front on aggregates. In the 65th minute, Ljuboja could have put the game away but his strike hit the crossbar and bounced out of play.

However, Tore Reginiussen scored in the 69th minute, which at that moment, would send the game to extra-time. But, disaster stroke in the 87th minute, as Mikkel Diskerud put Rosenborg in front with a strike of his own, sending his side to the group stage of the Europa League.

Legia: Dusan Kuciak - Jakub Rzezniczak, Michal Zewlakow, Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Miroslav Radovic (68. Michal Zyro), Daniel Lukasik (87. Dominik Furman), Janusz Gol, Danijel Ljuboja, Jakub Kosecki (90. Jorge Salinas) - Marek Saganowski

Piszczek returns to training; will play Saturday

Polish national team defender Lukasz Piszczek retunred to practice today and will be ready to play against FC Nuernberg on Saturday. 

"Lukasz is training really well and looks good," Jurgen Klopp, coach of Borussia Dortmund said today.

Piszczek missed season opener vs. Werder Bremen last Friday after suffering a minor thigh injury during a training session a week ago.

Poles Abroad: Champions League group drawing

The Polish trio with Borussia Dortmund will have a hard times getting past the group stage after drawing Spanish champions Real Madrid and English champions Manchester City in Group D of the Champions League.

Here's rest of the groups featuring Poles:

Group B

• Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski with Arsenal drew Schalke, Olympiakos and Montpellier.

Group C

• Marcin Wasilewski with Anderlecht drew AC Milan, Zenit-St. Petersburg and Malaga.

Group D

• Robert Lewandowski, Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski with Borussia Dortmund drew Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.

Group G

• Lukasz Zaluska with Celtic drew FC Barcelona, Benfica and Spartak Moscow. 

Pawel Brozek heading to Spain?

Former Polish national team striker Pawel Brozek is expected to sign a contract with Spanish second division side Recreativo Huelva.

First, Brozek was linked with a move to former employee Wisla Krakow, but his asking price was too high, so Wisla decided to take a different step. Now, Brozek is linked with a move to Spain's second division, where  Recreativo have eyed Brozek since the beginning of the transfer window.

Recreativo decided to wait with the transfer until Brozek's asking price falls lower and now, with that happening, they are ready to make the next move and sign a contract with the former Polish international.

Brozek is coming off two bad seasons with Celtic and Trabzonspor, where most of the time, he saw the bench.

After two league matches, Recreativo have a win and a loss on their account. They're also the club of Alexander Szymanowski, Argentine-born with Polish roots.

Pawlowski turns down invitations to play for Poland U-21

Wojciech Pawlowski has turned down a call-up to the Polish U-21 national team for their Euro Under-21 qualifiers against Russia and Portugal.

Pawlowski send a letter to PZPN's Jerzy Engel stating that he does not want to take part in Poland's last two qualifiers, which will determine if Poland quailfy for the 2013 European U-21 Championships.

The 19-year-old's reason for not wanting to represent the U-21 team was because he wants to fight for a place in Udinese's goalkeeping dept chart. As of right now, Pawlowski sits as the second-string goalkeeper but could drop to third.

"I want to fight for something more than just a back-up for my club," Pawlowski said today. "I often travel to national team camps and games and I don't have the opportunity to showcase my skills to my club coach."

Poland play Russia on Sept. 6 and Portugal on Sept 10. Poland's full roster can be seen here.

Fornalik discusses call ups

Poland national team head coach Waldemar Fornalik spoke to reporters today after competing his roster for upcoming qualifiers.

(Fornalik overall....)
"We've watched every Ekstraklasa game of the first two rounds and every possible game of players that play abroad, and we think we made the right choices that will let us present ourself well in our first two qualifiers."

(On Lukasz Piszczek....)
"We haven't received any information stating that Lukasz will not be ready to play against Montenegro, so I'm thinking positivity."

(On Marek Saganowski....)
"This shows that every player that plays well and is in form has a chance to be called up to the national team. This also shows that Marek has been playing well in every game."

Perquis completes move to Real Betis

Polish national team defender Damien Perquis signed a three-year deal with Real Betis today, announced the club's official website.

"I can't wait to make my debut. If all goes well, I'll be able to play against Atletico Madrid next week," Perquis said today.

Perquis arrived in Sevilla this morning and underwent medical tests. He also revealed that he had an offer from Real Zaragoza, but believes he made the right choice.

"On Saturday, I was at the match against Rayo Vallecano and when I saw the atmosphere inside the stadium I immediately knew I chose well – and I was right," Perquis said.

Betis began their 2012/13 campaign with a 5-3 win over Athletic and 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.

Fornalik completes roster

Poland national team head coach Waldemar Fornalik completed his squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Called up today were: Kamil Glik, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Rafal Murawski, Waldemar Sobota, Arkadiusz Piech and Marek Saganowski.

Here is Poland's full roster:

Goalkeepers: Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV), Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)

Defenders: Marcin Komorowski (Terek Grozny), Damien Perquis (Sochaux), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (1860 Munich), Kamil Glik (Torino), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warszawa)

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Ariel Borysiuk (FC Kaiserslautern), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Ludovic Obraniak (Bordeaux), Eugen Polanski (FSV Mainz), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Stade Reims), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Waldemar Sobota (Slask Wroclaw)

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Arkadiusz Piech (Ruch Chorzow), Marek Saganowski (Legia Warszawa)

Janusz Gol (Legia Warszawa), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Slask Wroclaw) and Arkadiusz Milik (Gornik Zabrze) were named to the reserve list.

Poland play Montenegro on Sept. 7 and Moldova in Sept. 11.

Polish prospect joins Inter Milan

Polish prospect Dawid Smug has signed a three-year deal with Italian powerhouse Inter Milan.

Until now, the 18-year-old was a member of MSP Szamotuly, but spend last season on loan at at GKS Belchatow, where he made seven appearances for their Mloda Ekstraklasa side. MSP Szamotuly is one of the best goalkeeping academies in Poland.

"We're happy that this transfer has completed. We were working on it for about half-an-year," Lukasz Maslowski, Smug's agent said. "Now, he joined a big club where everything is in his hands. He has the potential to be a special goalkeeper."

Smug will now be part of Inter's Primavera side and NextGen Series, a similar tournament to Champions League but for youngsters. Inter won their first ever edition last season.

Must-See: Lewandowski being funny

Kosecki to run for President of PZPN

Former Polish national team striker and captain Roman Kosecki announced today he will join the race for Polish Football Association presidency.

Kosecki, 46, has until September 25th to collect 15 votes of support from Polish Football Association members. He announced today that he'll have no problem collecting the 15 votes and already has a plan.

Kosecki made 69 appearances for the Polish national team, scoring 19 goals from 1988-1995. During his long career, he played for Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid, Osasuna, Montpellier, FC Nantes, Legia Warszawa and Chicago Fire. He's currently a politician in the Polish Sejm from Civic Platform.

The elections for new Polish Football Association President will take place on October 26. Other candidates who announced that will be running are current President Grzegorz Lato, former General Secretary Zdzislaw Krecina, British-born Polish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki and Polish politician Mieczyslaw Golba.

Who would you like to see as the next President of PZPN?

Sandomierski on trial with Blackburn

Grzegorz Sandomierski was not able to break into Genk's starting eleven, so he'll try his luck elsewhere.

According to reports, Sandomierski began a three-day trial with English side Blackburn Rovers today. The 23-year-old goalkeeper is looking for a change after failing to overtake the starting job from Laszlo Koteles for an year now.

Sandomierski joined Genk in August of last year but sitting on the bench was not an option for him, so he decided to return to his former employee Jagiellonia Bialystok on a six-month loan spell. Now, he retunred to Genk and he finds himself where he left off -- on the bench.

Blackburn currently play in the Championship after being relegated last season.

Poles Abroad: Sunday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny did not dress (injured) in Arsenal's goalless draw with Stoke City.

• Lukasz Fabianski did not dress in Arsenal's goalless draw with Stoke City. 

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak started and played 77 minutes in Bordeaux's goalless draw with PSG.

German Bundesliga

• Artur Sobiech came off the bench in the 65th minute in Hannover's 2-2 draw with Schalke.

Italian Serie A

• Kamil Glik played 90 minutes in Torino's goalless draw with Siena.

Dutch Eredivisie

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV's 3-1 win over Groningen.

Belgian Pro League

• Grzegorz Sandomierski did not dress in Genk's 2-0 win over Zulte-Waregem.

German 2. Bundesliga

• Ariel Borysiuk played 90 minutes in Kaiserslautern's goalless draw with 1860 Munich.

• Grzegorz Wojtkowiak played 90 minutes in 1860 Munich's goalless draw with Kaiserslautern.

Turkish Super Lig

• Adrian Mierzejewski spend the full match on the bench in Trabzonspor's 2-0 win over Elazıgspor.

Fact of the Day: Opening games of WC Qualifiers

The Polish national team is 9-5-2 all-time in opening games of World Cup qualifications.

Their five losses came to: 1998 vs. England, 1974 vs. Wales, 1962 vs. Yugoslavia, 1958 vs. Soviet Union and 1934 vs. Czechoslovakia.

Poland open 2014 World Cup qualifications vs. Montenegro on Sept. 7.

Poles Abroad: Saturday

English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka played 90 minutes in Barnsley's 5-1 loss to Brighton.

• Tomasz Kuszczak played 90 minutes in Brighton's 5-1 win over Barnsley.

• Slawomir Peszko played 90 minutes in Wolves' 1-1 draw with Derby County.

French Ligue 1

• Grzegorz Krychowiak played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Reims' 1-0 win over Sochaux.

• Damien Perquis did not dress in Sochaux's 1-0 loss to Reims.

German Bundesliga

• Eugen Polanski spend the full match on the bench in Mainz's 1-1 draw with Freiburg.

• Sebastian Tyrala started and played 69 minutes in Greuther Furth's 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

• Mateusz Klich did not dress in Wolfsburg's 1-0 win over Stuttgart.

Italian Serie A

• Wojciech Pawlowski spend the full match on the bench in Udinese's 2-1 loss to Fiorentina.

Russian Premier League

• Maciej Rybus played 90 minutes in Terek Grozny's 2-1 win over Spartak Moskva.

• Marcin Komorowski started, played 74 minutes and received a yellow card in Terek Grozny's 2-1 win over Spartak Moskva.

Fact of the Day: Polish Dortmund

The Polish trio has been involved (either being the scorer or delivering an assist) in all six goals scored by Borussia Dortmund this season.

In the Supercup, Robert Lewandowski scored a goal. In the German Cup, Lewandowski delivered an assist, Blaszczykowski scored a goal and had an assist and Lukasz Piszczek recorded an assist. In their first league game today, Lewandowski and Blaszczykowski both delivered assists.

Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski each deliver assists in Borussia's win

Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski both delivered assists in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win over Werder Bremen.

Blaszczykowski assisted on Marco Reus' goal which gave Borussia a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute and Lewandowski assisted on Mario Gotze's goal which gave Borussia a 2-1 lead in the 81st minute. It was Blaszczykowski who started the play on Borussia's second goal. He fed the ball to Lewandowski after escaping from two defenders.

Both Poles played the full 90 minutes, while Lukasz Piszczek was forced to sit out with a minor thigh strain.

Blaszczykowski's assist:


Lewandowski's assist:

Piszczek out for Borussia's season opener

Polish national team defender Lukasz Piszczek will miss Borussia Dortmund's season opener vs. Werder Bremen today.

Piszczek will side out with a minor thigh strain that he suffered during Tuesday's training session.

Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski are both in Borussia's starting lineup. Game-time is set for 2:30 pm est.

Fornalik announces first 16 players for upcoming World Cup qualifiers

Poland national team head coach Waldemar Fornalik has released the first part of the roster that he'll bring into camp for the team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers at Montenegro (Sept. 7) and vs. Moldova (Sept. 11).

Lukasz Fabianski and Marcin Komorowski are the only two new faces included in the roster. Lukasz Piszczek was injured in training this week but should be ready for international duty.

Here is the squad:

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV Eindhoven)

Defenders: Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Damien Perquis (Sochaux), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (1860 Munchen), Marcin Komorowski (Terek Grozny)

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Eugen Polanski (Mainz), Ariel Borysiuk (FC Kaiserslautern), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Ludovic Obraniak (Bordeaux), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny)

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)

Fornalik will compete the roster with Ekstraklasa-based players on Monday.

What do you think of the group? Who do you think is missing that should have gotten a call?

Perquis expected to sign Friday

Polish national team defender Damien Perquis is expected to sign a three-year deal with Real Betis on Friday, according to Spanish reports.

Real Betis reached to an agreement with Sochaux over a transfer fee and with Perquis over personal terms. Perquis will be making million euros per year.

Betis won their first game of the season 5-3 vs. Athletic Club last weekend. Perquis has yet to play this season for Sochaux.

Poles Abroad: CL/EL Action

Champions League

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the full match on the bench in Celtic's 2-0 win over Helsingborg.

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's 2-1 loss to AEL.

• Wojciech Pawlowski did not dress in Udinese's 1-1 draw with Sporting Braga.

Europa League

• Grzegorz Sandomierski did not dress in Genk's 2-1 loss to Luzern.

• Adrian Mierzejewski spend the full match on the bench in Trabzonspor's goalless draw with Videoton.

• Artur Sobiech came off the bench in the 75th minute and recorded an assist in Hannover's 5-3 win over Slask Wroclaw.

• Dariusz Dudka did not dress in Levante's 1-1 draw with Motherwell.

• Ludovic Obraniak played 90 minutes in Bordeaux's goalless draw with Crvena Zvezda.

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV's 5-0 win over Zeta.

Who should Fornalik call up for WC qualifiers?

The Polish national team returns to action in September for their first taste of qualifications since failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Led by new head coach Waldemar Fornlik, the national team will play Montenegro on Sept. 7 and  Moldova on Sept. 11. 

PROJECTED POLAND ROSTER FOR UPCOMING WC QUALIFIERS:

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny, Przemyslaw Tyton

Defenders: Lukasz Piszczek, Marcin Wasilewski, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Damien Perquis, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Kamil Glik, Tomasz Jodlowiec

Midfielders: Eugen Polanski, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Ludovic Obraniak, Maciej Rybus, Adrian Mierzejewski, Ariel Borysiuk, Rafal Murawski

Forwards: Arkadiusz Piech, Robert Lewandowski, Kamil Grosicki, Marek Saganowski

Some thoughts:

Waldemar Fornalik mentioned that he would like to call up some new additions to his roster. Earlier this week, he said that there should be two or three Ekstraklasa players included.

As of right now, I know don't who is Poland's third goalkeeper. Artur Boruc is still without a club, Grzegorz Sandomierski and Lukasz Fabianski are benchwarmers, which leads to Tomasz Kuszczak as the odd man.

A new addition to the defense could be Kamil Glik, who has not played with the national team for over a year now. Torino kick off their season this weekend and Glik should have a guaranteed starting job after playing the full 90 minutes in their Italian Cup win last Saturday. Marcin Wasilewski looked slow at times vs. Estonia but that should not mean his starting job is jeopardized.

Sebastian Boensich is still without a club so I doubt Fornalik will call him up but Jakub Wawrzyniak has been playing lights out with Legia Warszawa so the left-back position should not be a worry for Fornalik.

Ariel Borysiuk was not called up to the U-21 national team for their qualifiers so I'm guessing he'll get another shot with the senior team. Rafal Murawski is healthy after missing the Estonia friendly so one of them should pair up with Eugen Polanski as the two defensive midfielders.

Polish journalist Roman Kolton reported this week that Fornalik is considering calling up red-hot Marek Saganowski. He should replace Artur Sobiech, who was called up to the U-21 national team today.

What do you think of this squad?

Hannover downs Slask Wroclaw in thriller

Slask Wroclaw put on a show in front of their home fans, but it was Hannover 96 who did the rest of damage in a 5-3 goal-fest in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs.

It was not the start Slask was looking for as already in the 7th minute, the German side took a 1-0 lead. Leon Andreasen scored his first of two with a low shot that beat Slask's keeper Rafal Gikiewicz. In the 25th minute, Jan Schlaudraff made it 2-0 with a one-timer from inside in the penalty box.

However, Slask did not give up as Tomasz Jodlowiec cut the deficit in half with a goal in the 34th minute. The ball bounced around inside the penalty box after a corner kick and it was Jodlowiec who stoke a hard shot from a half-volley into the back of the net. Five minutes before break, Hannover added another one to make it 3-1.

Slask had to fight back after halftime and did so. Sylwester Patejuk scored in the 54th minute on a nice run on the right-hand side and slipped one passed the opponent's keeper. But Slask was done as Przemyslaw Kazmierczak made it 3-3 with a header off a corner kick.

But in the final 10 minutes of the game, it all fell apart for Slask. Leon Andreasen scored his second of the night off a free kick and then Manuel Schmiedebach made it 5-3 with an assist from Artur Sobiech.

Slask: Rafal Gikiewicz - Mariusz Pawelec, Marcin Kowalczyk, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Patrik Mraz - Waldemar Sobota, Rok Elsner (46. Sylwester Patejuk), Dalibor Stevanovic, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Lukasz Gikiewicz (46. Johan Voskamp) - Sebastian Mila.

Legia allow late goal to settle for a draw

Jakub Kosecki scored a beauty but Legia Warszawa could not hold on and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs.

Legia started off as the better side, forming dangerous counter-attacks, but could not capitalize which really hurt them in this game. In the 20th minute, Michal Kucharczyk let one go from distance but the crossbar prevented Legia from taking the lead.

Three minutes before halftime, Legia formed a decent counter-attack lead by Marek Saganowski, who gave it up to Miroslav Radovic, who found Kosecki on the left-hand side. Without hesitation, Kosecki curved his shot into the upper corner and gave Legia a 1-0 lead.

However, with 10 minutes remaining in the game, Legia let one slip by allowing the equalizer. Tarik Elyounoussi received the ball inside the penalty box but slipped it back out to Borek Dockal, who took a low shot which got passed Dusan Kuciak.

The return leg is set for next Thursday in Norway.

Legia: Dusan Kuciak - Jakub Rzezniczak, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Michal Kucharczyk (76. Michal Zyro), Miroslav Radovic, Daniel Lukasik (90. Dominik Furman), Danijel Ljuboja, Jakub Kosecki - Marek Saganowski.

U-21: Call ups for Euro qualifiers

Poland U-21 national team head coach Stefan Majewski named a 18-man roster for upcoming Euro U-21 qualifiers. Poland play Russia on Sept. 6 and Portugal on Sept. 10.

Two players -- Artur Sobiech and Marcin Kaminski were included in the U-21 roster which should mean they will not be included in the senior team for upcoming qualifiers. Both players were called up for the Estonia friendly.

Here is Poland's roster:

Goalkeepers: Krzysztof Kaminski (Ruch Chorzow), Lukasz Skorupski (Gornik Zabrze). 

Defenders: Jakub Bartkowski (Widzew Lodz), Piotr Malarczyk (Korona Kielce), Daniel Dziwniel (Offenbacher FC Kickers 1901, Germany), Damian Byrtek (Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala), Pawel Olkowski (Gornik Zabrze), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Mateusz Matras (Piast Gliwice). 

Midfielders: Tomasz Kupisz (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Mateusz Klich (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Stade de Reims, France), Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warszawa), Daniel Lukasik (Legia Warszawa), Jakub Kosecki (Legia Warszawa), Michal Zyro (Legia Warszawa). 

Forwards: Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96, Germany), Arkadiusz Milik (Gornik Zabrze). 

Poland sit 3rd in the standings with two games remaining. They are three points out of the playoff spot and four points out of first place.

Fornalik considering Saganowski, Majewski, Glik

Poland national team head coach Waldemar Fornalik is looking for reinforcement for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

According to Polsat's Roman Kolton, Fornalik is considering calling up striker Marek Saganowski, who has been red-hot since joining Legia Warszawa in June. In seven games in all competitions, the 33-year-old has five goals and four assists.

Saganowski's last appearance with the national team came in 2009 when Poland defeated Greece 2-0 in a friendly. It was the game where Ludovic Obraniak made his debut and scored both goals.

Kolton also reports that Fornalik will take a closer look at Radoslaw Majewski and Kamil Glik. Fornalik will travel to Wroclaw on Thursday to watch Slask take on Artur Sobiech's Hannover 96 in the Europa League. Then, on Saturday,  Fornalik will travel to England to watch Majewski's Nottingham Forrest take on Bolton and he'll end his trip in Italy on Sunday after he watches Glik's Torino take on Siena.

Fornalik will also meet with former Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda during the game on Thursday.

Thursday's Europa League Action

1:00 pm est - Legia Warszawa vs. Rosenborg BK 
Legia are coming off an impressive 4-0 win over Korona Kielce in their first Ekstraklsa game of the season and a 3-1 win over SV Ried in the second leg of the third round of the Europa League two weeks ago. Danijel Ljuboja has scored five goals in those last two wins and the combination of Ljuboja-Radovic-Saganowski has been too much for any opposing defense.

Game notes: Ivica Vrdoljak (suspended) will miss the match.... Dickson Choto, Rafal Wolski, Michal Zewlakow and Michal Zyro all practiced on Wednesday but only Zewlakow and Zyro will be available to play. Everyone else is healthy and ready to go for Legia.

Opponent Review: After 19 league games, Rosenborg sit 3rd in the standings....They've won their last two league games by the same score of 3-0....Their top scorer is Rade Prica with 5 goals....

2:45 pm est - Slask Wroclaw vs. Hannover 96
Slask Wroclaw are coming off third straight defeats -- 3-0 loss to Helsingborg in the first leg, 3-1 loss to Helsingborg in the second leg and 2-1 loss to Widzew Lodz in first league game.

Game Notes: Mateusz Cetnarski will miss the game due to an injury.

Opponent Review: Hannover kick off their Bundesliga season on Sunday....Polish NT striker Artur Sobiech was include in Hannover's roster.

Perquis close to deal with Real Betis

Polish national team defender Damien Perquis is close to making a move to La Liga side Real Betis.

According to his agent, Alexandre Krstic, talks between the Spanish club and Sochaux took another step today and Perquis should sign a contract with Betis in the near future.

"I doubt there should be any problems from this point. I think that in the end, both sides will come to an agreement," Krstic said today. "My client is interested in playing for Betis and in a stronger league."

Perquis has yet to make a league appearance this season. As for Real Betis, they've finished 13th in the La Liga last season.

QPR interested in Artur Boruc

Artur Boruc may soon complete his dream move to the English Premier League.

According to reports, Queens Park Rangers' manager Mark Hughes is heavily interested in signing former Polish national team goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Hughes is worried about the team's goalkeeping situation after their 5-0 loss to Swansea City on Saturday.

The 32-year-old is a free agent after leaving Italian side Fiorentina for a dream move to the Premier League this summer. He moved to Italy from Glasgow in 2010, after five years with Celtic.

Poles Abroad: Midweek Action

English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka played 90 minutes, scored a goal and received a yellow card in Barnsley's 3-1 loss to Wolves.

• Slawomir Peszko played 90 minutes and recorded an assist in Wolves' 3-1 win over Barnsley.

• Tomasz Kuszczak played 90 minutes in Brighton's goalless draw with Cardiff.

• Radoslaw Majewski spend the full match on the bench in Nottingham Forest's 1-1 draw with Huddersfield.

Piszczek hurt in training

Polish national team defender Lukasz Piszczek suffered an injury during Tuesday's training session with Borussia Dortmund.

Piszczek injured his right thigh in training during a mini-scrimmage and will undergo further tests on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury. Piszczek could face the possibility of missing Friday's season opener vs. Werder Bremen.

Piszczek made 32 league starts out of possible 34 last season.

Radoslaw Matusiak retires at age 30

Former Polish national team striker Radoslaw Matusiak has decided to hang up his boots at the age of 30.

Matusiak was a free agent since June after spending half-a-year at Widzew Lodz, where he made 10 league appearance, scoring only once. Before joining Widzew, Matusiak made four appearances in half-a-season for Greek side Asteras Tripoli. 

"It's true, I'm retiring. No one wanted me, so what should I do?" Matusiak said today

The 30-year-old was a huge prospect by making a name for himself while playing for GKS Belchatow from 2004-2007. Then, he joined Italian side Palermo, where his career began to go downwards. After making only three appearances for the Italian club, Matusiak's career continued with short stints at Heerenveen, Wisla Krakow, Widzew Lodz and Cracovia Krakow. 

Matusiak made his national team debut in 2006 and scored his first international goal on September 6, 2006 in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Serbia. Overall, he made 15 appearances, scoring seven goals in two years with the Polish national team.

Zielinski to replace Zub as assistant coach

Jacek Zielinski is back where he was before.

According to reports, Zielinski will replace Marek Zub as assistant coach of the Polish national team. Zub quit the position one week after being hired to become the head coach of Latvian side Zalgirisu Wilno.

An official announcement should be made this week, according to Tomasz Rzasa, director of media relations.

Zielinski was the assistant coach under Frank Smuda from 2009 to 2012.

Poles Abroad: Sunday

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak started, played 83 minutes and scored a goal in Bordeaux's 1-0 win over Rennes.

• Damien Perquis spend the full match on the bench in Sochaux's 2-0 loss to Marseille.

German Cup

• Artur Sobiech spend the full match on the bench in Hannover's 6-1 win over Nottingen.

• Grzegorz Wojtkowiak played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in 1860 Munich's 6-0 win over Hennef.

• Ariel Borysiuk played 90 minutes in Kaiserslautern's 3-1 win over Hansa Rostock.

Spanish La Liga

• Dariusz Dudka did not dress in Levante's 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

Russian Premier League

• Maciej Rybus played 90 minutes, scored two goals and received a yellow card in Terek Grozny's 2-1 win over Dinamo Moscow.

• Marcin Komorowski played 90 minutes in Terek Grozny's 2-1 win over Dinamo Moscow. 

Obraniak scores again for Bordeaux

Ludovic Obraniak is on fire to begin the new season.

Obraniak, who missed Wednesday's frienldy vs. Estonia due to injury, scored the game-winning goal in Bordeaux's 1-0 win over Stade Rennais on Sunday.

Obraniak now has two goals in two league games to begin the new season. He started and played 83 minutes.

Here is Obraniak's goal:

Blaszczykowski's goal in German Cup

Jakub Blaszczykowski scored a goal and added an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Oberneuland in the German Cup on Saturday.

Here is Blaszczykowski's goal:

Poles Abroad: Saturday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes and made three saves in Arsenal's goalless draw with Sunderland.

• Lukasz Fabianski did not dress in Arsenal's goalless draw with Sunderland.

English Championship

• Radoslaw Majewski started and played 89 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Bristol City.

• Tomasz Cywka played 90 minutes in Barnsley's 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.

• Slawomir Peszko came off the bench in the 46th minute and received a yellow card in Wolves' 1-0 loss to Leeds.

German Cup

• Robert Lewandowski started, played 69 minutes and recorded an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Oberneuland.

• Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes and recorded an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Oberneuland.

• Jakub Blaszczykowski started, played 84 minutes, scored a goal and recorded an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Oberneuland.

• Kacper Przybylko started and played 64 minutes in FC Koln's 2-1 win over Unterhaching.

• Adam Matuszczyk did not dress (injured) in FC Koln's 2-1 win over Unterhaching.

• Sebastian Tyrala started and played 79 minutes in Greuther Furth's 2-0 loss to Kickers Offenbach.

• Mateusz Klich spend the full match on the bench in Wolfsburg's 5-0 win over Schonberg.

Italian Cup

• Kamil Glik played 90 minutes in Torino's 4-2 win over Lecce.

Belgian Jupiler League

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes and missed a penalty kick in Anderlecht's 2-1 win over Mons.

• Grzegorz Sandomierski did not dress in Genk's 1-1 draw with Lierse.

Dutch Eredivisie

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in PSV's 5-0 win over Roda JC.

• Filip Kurto played 90 minutes in Roda's 5-0 loss to PSV.

• Mateusz Prus spend the full match on the bench in Roda's 5-0 loss to PSV.

• Mikolaj Lebedynski spend the full match on the bench in Roda's 5-0 loss to PSV.

Turkish Super Lig

• Adrian Mierzejewski spend the full match on the bench in Trabzonspor's 1-1 draw with Karabukspor.

• Kamil Grosicki started and played 61 minutes in Sivasspor's 1-0 win over Gaziantepspor.

Rybus nets twice in Terek's win

Poland national team midfielder Maciej Rybus scored a brace, including the game-winner in Terek Grozny's 2-1 win over Dinamo Moscow.

Rybus opened his 2012-2013 scoring account in the 30th minute, giving his side a 1-0 lead. Dinamo made it even in the 75th minute, before Rybus scored the game-winner of a fantastic free kick in the 83rd minute.

Rybus played the full 90 minutes and also saw a yellow card.

Here are Rybus' goals:

Ekstraklasa Season Preview (Part 1)

Here are the couple notable players that left Ekstraklasa this summer:

WHO LEFT EKSTRAKLASA?

Artjoms Rudnevs from Lech Poznan to Hamburger SV
Dudu Biton from Wisla Krakow to Standard Liege
Semir Stilic from Lech Poznan to Karpaty Lviv
Piotr Celeban from Slask Wroclaw to Vaslui
Patryk Malecki from Wisla Krakow to Eskisehirspor (loan deal)
Nacho Novo from Legia Warszawa to Huesca
Ismael Blanco from Legia Warszawa to 1860 Munich
Wojciech Pawlowski from Lechia Gdansk to Udinese
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak from Lech Poznan to 1860 Munich
Sergey Krivets from Lech Poznan to Jiangsu Sainty
Grzegorz Sandomierski from Jagiellonia Bialystok to Racing Genk

More Ekstraklasa season preview to come!

Dudka signs with Levante

Dariusz Dudka is on his way to a new challenge.

Dudka signed a two-year deal with Spanish club Levante UD after passing his medical tests and agreeing to personal terms earlier today.

"I had offers from Turkey and Russia, but Levante's offer was the most promising for me," Dudka said today. "I feel every happy to sign with the club from Valencia, that plays in the La Liga. I consider the Spanish league the best league in the world."

Dudka signed as a free agent after his contract with French side Auxerre expired earlier in the summer.

The 28-year-old Dudka became the first Polish player (non-goalkeeper) to sign with a Spanish club since Eugen Polanski played with Getafe CF from 2008 to 2010.

Poland Youth NT Results

Poland U-19 8:1 Latvia U-19
Goals for Poland: Lukasz Kacprzycki 27, 45, Tomasz Kedziora 40 (PK), 76, Wiktor Baginski 38, 88, Mateusz Janeczko 60, 83

Mateusz Taudul (46. Amadeusz Skrzyniarz) - Robert Sulewski, Tomasz Kedziora, Wiktor Witt, Adrian Liberacki (46. Mateusz Janeczko) - Kamil Wlodyka (46. Lukasz Wronski), Karol Linetty, Martin Kobylanski (46. Piotr Zielinski), Lukasz Kacprzycki (46. Aleksander Jagiello) - Wiktor Baginski, Norbert Neumann.

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Poland U-21 2:1 Czech U-21
Goals for Poland:
Kacper Przybylko 54, Pawel Wszolek 74

Jakub Szumski (46. Michal Szromnik) - Adam Pazio, Michal Kolodziejski, Julien Tadrowski, Jakub Kielb (72. Maciej Bobek), Bartosz Bereszynski (55. Bartosz Zurek), Piotr Piekarski, Szymon Drewniak, Pawel Wszolek (86. Krzysztof Kopcinski), Mateusz Szwoch (46. Kamil Kaminski), Kacper Przybylko.

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Poland U-23 0:2 Greece U-23

Krzysztof Kaminski (46. Lukasz Skowron) - Filip Modelski (46. Jakub Bartkowski), Damian Byrtek, Piotr Malarczyk, Daniel Dziwniel - Tomasz Kupisz (46. Jakub Kosecki), Daniel Lukasik (46. Filip Starzynski), Grzegorz Krychowiak, Mateusz Klich, Michal Kucharczyk (46. Maciej Jankowski) - Lukasz Jamroz.

Dudka talking with Levante

Dariusz Dudka may soon find a new home.

According to reports, Dudka is close to signing a deal with Spanish club Levante UD. The 28-year-old is a free agent after deciding not to renew his contract with Auxerre earlier in the summer. He will need to undergo medical tests and agree on contract details to sign with the Spanish club that finished 6th in the Spanish La Liga last season. Levante also have qualified for the play-off round of the Europa League.

Dudka spend the last four years with Auxerre, where he made 110 league appearances, scoring six goals. After the French club was relegated to the second division last season, Dudka decided to try his luck elsewhere. He was targeted by Olympiacos, Terek Grozny and 1860 Munich.

Poland 0, Estonia 1: Full Highlights

Group H's August friendly results

Poland and San Marino were the only two Group H teams to not win in their August friendly. England and Montenegro won in their respective games and Ukranie and Moldova played to scoreless draws in their respective games.

England 2-1 Italy
Montenegro 2-0 Latvia
Ukranie 0-0 Czech Republic
Moldova 0-0 Albania
San Marino 2-3 Malta
Poland 0-1 Estonia

2014 World Cup qualifications begin on September 7 with two Group H games. Poland travels to play Montenegro and Moldova welcomes England.

Vassiljev's free kick goal vs. Poland

Poland defeated by late goal in Fornalik's debut

Waldemar Fornalik's coaching debut with the Polish national team didn't start out too well as Konstantin Vassiljev scored a late free-kick goal giving Estonia a 1-0 win over Poland.

In their final game before World Cup qualifiers kick off in September, the Polish national team were outplayed by their opponents in the first half. Poland's only dangerous attack of the first half came in the 36th minute when Jakub Blaszczykowski found Lukasz Piszczek on the right hand side, who send a cross inside the penalty box but Maciej Rybus' header sliced right by the Estonian post.

The Estonians settled down in the second half and weren't so dangerous, but the Polish national team didn't created anything either. Couple chances were wasted by Blaszczykowski. Poland's attack looked nervous, same as they played under Frank Smuda.

It seemed as the game will go scoreless until added time when Konstantin Vassiljev scored a perfect free-kick that was tipped by Wojciech Szczesny and ended up in the back of the net.

Fornalik become the eighth consecutive Poland national team coach to lose in his debut. Also, it was the first time in history that the Polish national team lost to Estonia.

Poland: Wojciech Szczesny - Lukasz Piszczek, Marcin Wasilewski, Damien Perquis, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Jakub Blaszczykowski (85. Arkadiusz Piech), Eugen Polanski, Ariel Borysiuk (69. Janusz Gol), Maciej Rybus (57. Kamil Grosicki) - Artur Sobiech (46. Adrian Mierzejewski), Robert Lewandowski.

Share your thoughts about the match below!

Game-day: Poland vs. Estonia (2:45pm est)

It's a new beginning for the Polish national team today. Not only their road to World Cup 2014 begins here, but also the road of new head coach Waldemar Fornalik.

Game-time is set for 2:45pm est.

Starting lineup: Szczesny - Piszczek, Wasilewski, Perquis, Wawrzyniak - Blaszczykowski, Polanski, Borysiuk, Rybus - Sobiech, Lewandowski.

Any predictions for today's game?

Must-See Goal: Ludovic Obraniak

Poland national team midfielder Ludovic Obraniak scored a goal in Bordeaux's 3-2 win over Evian TG FC on Saturday.

Here is Obraniak's goal:

Fornalik looking to not repeat history

On Wednesday, Waldemar Fornalik will make his national team coaching debut, something that has not gone well for the past six national team coaches.

Frank Smuda, Stefan Majewski, Leo Beenhakker, Pawel Janas, Zbigniew Boniek and Jerzy Engel all lost in their national team coaching debuts.

The last Polish national team coach to win in his debut is Janusz Wojcik. Fifteen years ago, Poland defeated Hungary 1-0 in his debut.

Blaszczykowski to remain captain of NT

Jakub Blaszczykowski will remain the captain of the Polish national team, head coach Wademar Fornalik  announced today.

"For me it was an obvious choice that Blaszczykowski should remain the captain," Fornalik said. "I don't have any reason to chance anything."

There was some concern after Blaszczykowski's reaction to the media following Poland's early exit out of Euro 2012.

Back to a 4-4-2 system?

If it's a new coach, there must be a new system.

Waldemar Fornalik will be making his national team coaching debut Wednesday and also with that, he'll test out a new formation system, a system that has not been used in almost five years.

Under Leo Beenhakker and Frank Smuda, the Polish national team played with only one striker. It only happened once in a while that we saw two strikers with those two men. However, Fornalik wants to check out a different formation and most likely will start with two strikers vs. Estonia.

Someone who can start alongside Robert Lewandowski is a man who is very well known to Fornalik -- Arkadiusz Piech. He's been one of the best players in Ekstraklasa but Smuda seemed to catch on to Piech, who was voted the best player in Poland last year.

Which formation would you like to see vs. Estonia?

Wojtkowiak's own goal vs. Dresden

Just a week ago, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak was a hero for scoring the game-winning goal in his debut. Now, his luck turned away from him as Wojtkowiak scored an own goal in 1860 Munich's 2-2 draw with Dynamo Dresden.

Here is Wojtkowiak's own goal:

Poland to play Wales or Denmark in November friendly

The Polish national team will take a break from World Cup qualifications and will play a friendly in November to end the year of 2012.

According to the national team's director Konrad Pasniewski, Poland will most likely face either Denmark or Wales in November.

"For sure, we'll play this game at home but we still don't know where," Pasniewski said. "Warszawa is crossed out because we play England there and Poznan most likely is crossed out too. Everything indicates that it will be Gdansk."

Poland was 3-0-1 in friendlies under Frank Smuda in 2012. Their first friendly under Waldemar Fornalik will be vs. Estonia Wednesday.

Lewandowski's goal in Super Cup vs. Bayern

Robert Lewandowski scored a goal in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Sunday.

All three Poles started for Borussia but only Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes. Jakub Blaszczyjowski came off in the 71st minute.

Here is Lewandowski's goal:

Poland NT Notes (Day 1)

Ludovic Obraniak will miss Wednesday's friendly vs. Estonia after hurting his metatarsal during Saturday's league game against Evian Thonon Gaillard.

Obraniak arrived in Warszawa today and spoke with new national team head coach Waldemar Fornalik, before heading back to France tomorrow.

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Ariel Borysiuk was called up to the Polish national team as a last-minute call up.

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Rafal Murawski passed a last-minute fitness test and will be available to play on Wednesday.

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The Polish national team only held one training session today. Everyone called up, even Borysiuk, expect for Murawski and Obraniak took part in the session which took place later in the day.

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The team will fly over to Estonia tomorrow.

Pawel Brozek released by Trabzonspor

Turkish side Trabzonspor have announced they've terminated the contract of former Polish national team striker Pawel Brozek.

Both sides came to an agreement which allows Brozek to become a free agent. Earlier this month, Trabzonspor released Brozek's brother, Piotr, who later signed with Lechia Gdansk.

Brozek made 19 league appearances, scoring two goals since joining Trabzonspor in January 2011. He spend five months on loan at Scottish side Celtic, making three league appearances.

Where would you like to see Brozek play next?

Legia draw Rosenborg, Slask gets Hannover in Europa League draw

The Europa League draw has been completed, with both Polish clubs knowing who they will play in the final qualifying round.

Legia Warszawa have drawn Norwegian side Rosenborg BK.

Rosenborg began its journey all the way back in the first qualifying round, which they've beat Northern Irish club Crusaders FC 4-0 on aggregate. In the next round, Rosenborg had trouble with Kazakh side FC Ordabasy but defeated them 4-3 on aggregate. And then,  Rosenberg advanced on away goals after drawing 1-1 with Servette.

Slask Wroclaw were drawn against German side Hannover 96.

The German club began its Europa League challenge in the third qualifying round against Irish side St. Patrick's Athletic. It was a no contest with Hannover crushing them 5-0 on aggregate.

The first legs will be played on August 23, and the second legs will be played a week later on August 30.

What do you think about the drawings?

Legia 3, Ried 1: Goal Highlights

Ruch, Lech eliminated from European competitions

Viktoria Plzen 5:0 Ruch Chorzow (agg 7:0)
Michal Duris scored three times to add on to Viktoria Plzen's lead from the first leg. Marek Bakos added the fourth one with Marek Hanousek scoring late to make it 5-0.

Ruch: Michal Peskovic - Zeljko Djokic, Piotr Stawarczyk, Maciej Sadlok, Marek Szyndrowski - Maciej Jankowski (65. Lukasz Janoszka), Marcin Malinowski, Pawel Lisowski (81. Igor Lewczuk), Mindaugas Panka, Marek Zienczuk - Arkadiusz Piech (78. Grzegorz Kuswik).

Lech Poznan 1:0 AIK (agg 1:3)
Despite being the better team, it was a little too late for Lech Poznan, who scored the only goal in the second leg. Mateusz Mozdzen scored the lone goal from distance in the 72nd minute.

Lech: Jasmin Buric – Kebba Ceesay, Hubert Wolakiewicz, Manuel Arboleda, Luis Henriquez - Rafal Murawski, Lukasz Tralka (60, Bartosz Bereszynski) – Mateusz Mozdzen, Szymon Drewniak, Aleksandar Tonev (60, Vojo Ubiparip) - Gergo Lovrencsics (85, Jakub Wilk).

Legia completes comeback; advances to playoff

It was just too early for a promising Legia Warszawa to exit out, so they've decided to complete a comeback and advance to the play-offs of the Europa League with a 3-1 win today.

The combination of Ljuboja-Radovic-Saganowski was just too much for SV Ried's defense today as the trio combined for all three goals.

It all began in the 41st minute, when Danijel Ljuboja send in a perfect chip to Marek Saganowski, who headed it in and made it 1-0. Ten minutes after halftime, Legia scored again and this time, Ljuboja made a short run with the ball and handed it over to Radovic who without a problem, beat the goalkeeper with a low shot.

The insurance goal was scored by Ljuboja himslef, who already had two assists. The 33-year-old received a fantastic pass and scored by chipping over the opposing keeper.

Ried pulled one back with a goal from Robert Zulj in the 76th minute after Ivica Vrdoljak was send off after seeing his second yellow card of the night.

Legia: Kuciak - Jedrzejczyk, Zewlakow (12. Suler), Astiz, Rzezniczak - Kosecki, Vrdoljak, Lukasik (59. Gol) , Radovic, Ljuboja (79. Zyro) - Saganowski.

Peszko completes loan move to Wolves

Former Poland national team midfielder Slawomir Peszko secured a season-long loan move to English club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"Slawo is a player who can operate on both wings and had a very good first half to the season last year, setting up a lot of goals for Podolski," new Wolves manager Stale Solbakken told the club's official website.

Solbakken was the coach at FC Koln who signed Peszko back in 2011. The 27-year-old winger played 41 games for the German club, who were relegated to the German second division last season.

"To be honest, and I think he would admit this himself, the second half to the season wasn't as good because  he was maybe complicated by trying to get into the Polish squad for the Euros," Solbakken said.

Peszko was also given the option to re-sign after his loan deal expires next year.

Poland remains 54 in latest FIFA rankings

It's been quiet surrounding the Polish national team since Euro 2012 ended, but the FIFA Rankings never mute down and in the latest release, Poland stayed in the same spot as the last time around -- 54th in the world.

Poland's next opponent Estonia made a surprising seven spaces jump from 56th to 49th in the world. 

Poland's World Cup 2014 qualifying group consists of England who moved up one spot to 3rd, Ukraine who who also moved up one spot to 45th, Montenegro who remained at 50th place, and Moldova who moved up two spaces to 137th and San Marino who dropped one spot to 206.

Marek Zub resigns as assistant coach of Poland NT

Marek Zub, who was recently hired as assistant coach of the Polish national team, has resigned from that position to take over the coaching duties at Latvian club Zalgiris Vilnius.

Zub was hired by PZPN on August 2 to become the assistant coach under Waldemar Fornalik but has agreed to with Fornalik to leave that position to become the head coach at Zalgiris.

"I understand his decision. Coaching a team independently is a challenge for every coach and Zalgiris is a very good team. I wish Marek all the best," Fornalik said today.

There has been no information about who will replace Zub as assistant coach under Fornalik.

After 22 games, Zalgiris sits second in the A Lyga standings, sitting only eight points behind FK Ekranas. In Latvia, the season schedule runs on a spring/fall system.

Thursday's Europa League action

Legia Warszawa vs. SV Ried 1 pm est
First leg: 1-2

Viktoria Plzen vs. Ruch Chorzow 2 pm est
First leg: 2-0

Lech Poznan vs AIK 2 pm est
First leg: 0-3

The draw for the play-off round will be held on Thursday. Slask Wroclaw already have a guaranteed place in the play-off round.

Slask knocked out in Champions League qualifications

15 years and counting. That's the last time a Polish team played in the group stage of the Champions League. This year, Slask Wroclaw ended its Champions league dream less than a month after it started.

After a 3- 0 loss in the first leg a week ago, Slask suffered a similar loss in the return leg today. They scored the first goal, but then allowed three in a row as they watched another nightmare featuring Polish clubs in the Champions League.

Cristian Omar Diaz gave Slask hope with a goal in the 30th minute. However, just before halftime, Thomas Sorum scored his first of many more to come. Five minutes after the break, Sorum added his second of the day which gave Helsingborgs a 2-1 lead and then, in the 70th minute, Sorum completed his hat-trick with an insurance goal.  

The Ekstraklasa champions will find out tomorrow who they will play in the Europa League playoff round.

Slask: Marian Kelemen - Marcin Kowalczyk, Mariusz Pawelec, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Patrik Mraz - Waldemar Sobota, Dalibor Stevanovic, Sebastian Mila, Tomasz Jodlowiec (75. Mateusz Cetnarski), Sylwester Patejuk (75. Johan Voskamp) - Cristian Omar Diaz (75. Rafal Gikiewicz).

Latest signings around Ekstraklasa

Danish left-back Jan Frederiksen signed a one-year deal with Wisla Krakow.

The 30-year-old spend most career in Denmark, playing for Brondby IF, Randers, Herfolge and Midtjylland. He also played one season at Excelsior in Holland.

Frederiksen never made a senior cap appearance for Denmark but was a key player for their youth teams in the past.
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Former Poland national team goalkeeper Mariusz Pawelek signed a one-year deal with Polonia Warszawa

The 31-year-old is making a return to Ekstraklasa after spending one year with Turkish side Konyaspor. Before his Turkey experience, Pawelek spend four season with Wisla Krakow, helping them win three league championships.

Also, Polonia signed 21-year-old striker Tomasz Holota from GKS Katowice and Russian defender Sergei Golyatkin.

Boenisch on trial with Stoke City

Poland national team defender Sebastian Boenisch has impressed while on trial with English side Stoke City.

The 25-year-old left-back recorded an assist in Stoke's 1-1 draw with Yeovil on Tuesday. He also played 67 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Torquay on Monday.

Boenisch is currently a free agent after leaving Werder Bremen in June.

Wolves close to acquiring Peszko on season-long loan

Former Polish national team midfielder Slawomir Peszko is close to signing a season-long loan deal with English side Wolverhampton Wanderers

According to English reports, Peszko has already underwent medical tests with the English club but his deal depends on whether Michael Kightly agrees personal terms and passes a medical at Stoke City.

Wolves will play in the Championship this season after finishing 20th in the Premier League last season.

Wojtkowiak scores winner in debut

Polish national team defender Grzegorz Wojtkowiak scored the game-winning goal in 1860 Munchen's 1-0 win over Regensburg. The 27-year-old played the full 90 minutes in his 2. Bundesliga debut.

Here is Wojtkowiak's winner:

Blaszczykowski scores game-winner in Cup friendly

Somethings never get old.

Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek teamed-up to lead Borussia Dortmund into the finals of Germany's pre-season mini-tournament -- LigaTotal Cup. They will face Werder Bremen, who beat Bayern Munich, in the finals on Sunday.

Blaszczykowski heads in a perfectly placed pass from Piszczek to give Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute.

Here is Blaszczykowski's goal: