Znicz Pruszków edge past ŁKS Łódź II in Cup opener
Znicz Pruszków secured a 3:1 victory over ŁKS Łódź II in the Round of 128 of the Polish Cup on Wednesday afternoon. The home side took control early and saw out the match without letting the visitors back into contention.J. Kosmalski opened the scoring in the eighth minute, catching ŁKS Łódź II off guard. To be fair, the visitors had looked organised enough in their build-up, but the break caught them flat-footed. D. Barnowski doubled the lead just before the interval with a goal in the 43rd minute that left the away defence scrambling.
ŁKS Łódź II pulled one back in the 30th minute, though without a scorer credited the response felt more like a consolation than a statement. And here's the thing — the hosts weren't done by then. A late strike in the 90th minute plus six sealed the result and left the visitors with nothing to show for their efforts.
The win follows a mixed run for Znicz Pruszków, who drew 2:2 with Świt on 18 July before losing 1:2 at Chojniczanka Chojnice. They've won three of their last five outings, including a 4:1 demolition of Mławianka Mława, and the momentum seemed to carry through.
ŁKS Łódź II arrived with mixed recent form — a 3:1 win against Barycz Słupów followed by defeats to Zagłębie Bydgoszcz and Warta Sieradz. By then it was clear they hadn't found their rhythm, and the Cup exit will add to concerns about consistency.
The victory moves Znicz Pruszków into the Round of 64, while ŁKS Łódź II's cup campaign ends at the first hurdle. Three goals scored, one conceded — the hosts showed enough composure to see out a match that could have slipped away.