Olimpia Grudziadz saw off Gornik Zabrze II 4-3 in the Round of 64 of the Polish Cup on Wednesday, a match that swung between the sides more times than either dressing room would have liked. By then you know these youth cups don't always follow the script, and this one certainly broke its own.
Gornik took the lead through M. Wichtowski in the thirteenth minute, but K. Cichon equalised from the spot just six minutes later. L. Podolski restored the home advantage before Olimpia's J. Pietrzyk turned the game with a fifty-third-minute strike.
And here's the thing about that forty-sixth minute — Gornik made three substitutions simultaneously, which tells you the staff were reacting to something they saw on the training ground rather than in the game. They sat deep and soaked it up, but the visitors kept knocking on the door.
W. Szafranek put Olimpia ahead in the sixty-eighth, and M. Posmyk extended the lead in the eighty-third. K. Jarzec capped the scoring with a ninth-minute stoppage-time goal to make it 4-3, a result that probably felt like a draw to everyone watching.
Gornik had been in fine form before this — three straight wins including a 6-0 demolition of Kromierzysz II — while Olimpia arrived with five consecutive victories, their most recent a 5-3 win over Swit Skolwin.
Five yellow cards were shown in total, with I. Kowalik and A. Griksa among those cautioned, but the match was decided by moments rather than discipline. Gornik created enough to feel they deserved more, but in knockout football you can't always trust the eye test.