Znicz Pruszków edged Korona Kraków 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Round of 64 of the Polish Cup on Tuesday. The regular time finish came after A. Hasic opened the scoring in the eighty-first minute and T. Proczek equalised from the spot just before the hour mark. Znicz held their nerve in the shootout, converting four of their spot-kicks while Korona could only manage three.
Yellow cards started flowing early, with A. Nadolski caught in possession in the tenth minute and M. Praszelik joining him in the book three minutes before half-time. V. Okhronchuk also received a card on the same minute, setting a physical tone for the contest. Both managers shuffled their decks at the break, with Znicz making three changes and Korona bringing on K. Zahiroleslam and K. Knap.
The second half settled into a pattern where Korona dominated possession but struggled to find the net until the penalty area. Hasic found his moment in the eighty-first minute, and Proczek responded from the spot in stoppage time. By then the match had turned, and the shootout stretched beyond the usual five rounds as both sides traded blows.
Znicz scored through D. Barnowski, A. Hasic, A. Ratajczyk and A. Nadolski. Korona replied with goals from T. Proczek, M. Klich and O. Kakabadze. Misses from D. Kameri, M. Glowinski, M. Borecki and M. Berte for the hosts, alongside M. Perkovic, J. Kosmalski and B. Traore for the visitors, decided the outcome.
The statistics tell a story of control without penetration. Korona registered 163 attacks against 122 for Znicz and held 56 per cent possession, yet their eleven shots on target yielded only a single goal. Znicz managed just one shot on target in ninety minutes but found the cut when it mattered.
The result keeps Znicz in the competition while Korona's campaign comes to an end. The hosts will now turn their attention to whatever lies ahead in the next round, having survived a penalty shootout that could have gone either way.
