Wisła Kraków’s return to the PKO BP Ekstraklasa turned out to be exactly what the fans gathered at Reymonta expected. After four years spent at the back of the top league, “Biała Gwiazda” started a new chapter with a 2-1 victory over GKS Katowice. Although the first half did not produce any goals, after the change of sides the hosts showed effectiveness, which gave them full points at the opening of the season.

GKS Katowice was more dangerous at the beginning of the match

The match was played at a high pace from the first minutes. GKS Katowice entered the match boldly and at the very beginning forced Marcel Łubik to make two very good interventions. Wisła’s goalkeeper first stopped Bartosz Nowak, and a moment later he made an impressive save after Eman Markovic’s shot.

However, over time, the hosts took over the initiative and increasingly threatened Gabriel Kobylak’s goal. The closest to opening the scoring was Frederico Duarte, whose powerful shot from a tight angle was stopped by the post. There were no goals scored by the fans until the break, although both teams created several promising chances.

Wisła accelerated after the break

After the change of sides, Wisła definitely increased the pace. Just a few minutes after the game was resumed, Alan Uryga was close to scoring a goal with a header, and a moment later the hosts’ captain won a penalty kick.

Marko Bozic approached the ball and confidently beat Gabriel Kobylak, going down in history as the author of Wisła’s first league goal after returning to the Ekstraklasa.

Jordi Sánchez increased the lead

The goal scored gave the Krakow team even more self-confidence. Mariusz Jop’s team did not intend to defend their modest lead and a few minutes later they increased the score.

Jordi Sánchez took advantage of Raoul Giger’s great cross from the right side and gave the visiting goalkeeper no chance with an impressive header. A moment later, the Spaniard put the ball into the net for the second time, but after a VAR analysis, the shot was canceled due to a handball.

GKS made contact at the end

However, GKS Katowice did not give up. The guests gradually regained the initiative, and in the 79th minute they made contact thanks to Szymon Bartlewicz, who took advantage of the moment of hesitation by Wisła’s defense and defeated Łubik.

The end of the match brought a lot of emotions, but the hosts maintained concentration. The Katowice team tried to equalize, but Wisła effectively repelled subsequent attacks and did not allow the victory to be taken away.

Marcel Łubik is one of Wisła’s heroes

Marcel Łubik deserved special mention, as he kept his team in the game in the first minutes thanks to several excellent interventions. Bozić and Jordi Sánchez also played an important role, whose goals determined the fate of the competition.

Wisła showed that, despite its newcomer status, it can impose its own conditions and effectively use its strongest advantages.

The dream comeback of the White Star

The 2-1 win is a dream start to the season for the Krakow club and a successful return to the Ekstraklasa after a break of several years. The set of points scored in front of the home crowd can give Mariusz Jop’s team a valuable boost of self-confidence before the next league challenges.

In turn, GKS Katowice, despite its ambitious attitude and fighting until the last minutes, returns home without points, leaving, however, the impression of a team that will be able to stand up to many rivals in the current season.