Dragoons 5-2 Zwierzyniecki: A New Era Begins

Serhii Yelysieiev and Jan Kołodziejski of Krakow Dragoons FC having a cheerful conversation during match warmup
5
Dragoons Dragoons
2
Zwierzyniecki Zwierzyniecki
Sat, 23 Aug 2025 14:00 Klasa A — Week 1
Gronostajowa 12

Recap

A New Era Begins

The 2025/26 league season opened in style for the Kraków Dragoons, as Gonçalo Ferreira marked his first league match in charge with a thrilling 5–2 victory over Zwierzyniecki.

The Portuguese coach took the reins following Hugo Cruz’s decision to step down at the end of last season. Ferreira has already etched his name into Dragoons folklore by guiding the side to the fourth round of the Puchar Polski for the first time in club history. That cup adventure came to an end last Wednesday, however, with defeat to fifth-division outfit Radziszowianka Radziszów.

Line Up

Turning attention to the league, Ferreira made three changes for the opening game of the Klasa A season.

Gabriel Muñoz retained his place between the posts. The back four remained unchanged, with Roman Bilovol at right-back, Szymon Urzędowski on the left, and the pairing of Kuba Drobny and Obed Sánchez continuing in central defence.

In midfield, captain Enrico Forabosco once again pulled the strings. Fernando Gámez and Corneille Malonga dropped to the bench, allowing Alonso Villa-Garcia and Omar Atzori to come into the starting eleven.

Up front, Adrian Paliś was ruled out through injury, paving the way for Jan Kołodziejski to slot in on the right wing. Serhii Yelysieiev kept his place on the left, while Yuri Samyonov led the line in the central role.

Krakow Dragoons FC players posing for a pre-match photo
Gonçalo Lopes (head coach), Gabi Muñoz, Omar Atzori, Kuba Drobny, Obed Sánchez, Roman Bilovol and Serhii Yelysieiev (top), Yuri Samyonov, Enrico Forabosco (C), Alonso Villa-Garcia, Szymon Urzędowski and Jan Kołodziejski (bottom)

Kick Off

The Dragoons went straight on the offensive, starting the game brightly. Within three minutes, Enrico Forabosco lofted a delicious ball over the defence, perfectly into the stride of Alonso Villa-Garcia. The Peruvian cushioned it down on his chest into the path of Serhii Yelysieiev, who drove towards the goal line before putting the ball across goal. However, the pass had too much pace on it, and no Dragoons player could get on the end of it.

Minutes later, Forabosco released Villa-Garcia with an outrageous through-pass using the outside of his left boot. Villa-Garcia timed his run perfectly to latch onto it but lacked the legs to keep going, and the chance fizzled out.

In the 12th minute, the Dragoons came close to the opening goal after a couple of corners. A punch from the visiting keeper fell kindly outside the box for Villa-Garcia. The Peruvian unleashed a sweetly struck half-volley, only for the ball to whistle narrowly wide of the upright.

Chances!

The Expats kept pressing and came close again two minutes later. Forabosco’s short corner routine allowed him to clip a ball into the box, and Sánchez’s attempted header fell kindly for Yelysieiev at the back post. The Ukrainian poked the ball towards goal, forcing the visiting keeper to push it over the bar.

A minute later came a glaring miss. Yuri Samyonov pressed brilliantly to win possession in the box. While grounded, he managed to lay the ball off to Yelysieiev, who leaned back and ballooned a shot over from eight metres with the goal at his mercy. Hands went to heads both on the pitch and in the stands!

In the 17th minute, Zwierzyniecki created their first chance of the game. Forabosco lost possession in midfield, and the visitors broke forward with purpose. A clipped pass over the top of the Dragoons defence found a visiting attacker, who struck a shot at goal. The attempt bounced awkwardly in front of Muñoz, but the keeper managed to parry it upwards. Kuba Drobny reacted first, heading the ball to Sánchez, who calmly played it to Bilovol as the Expats worked their way out of trouble.

A period of calm followed, with the visitors camped inside their own half, looking to break on the counter. Meanwhile, the Expats dominated possession, patiently moving the ball around and probing for space.

Forabosco Breaks the Deadlock

Despite knocking on the door in the early stages, the breakthrough finally came in the 35th minute with a touch of fortune. Great build-up play saw the Expats quickly switch from left to right, with Bilovol feeding Jan Kołodziejski out wide. The Polish attacker whipped in a teasing cross that caught the Zwierzyniecki keeper off guard, forcing him to scramble backwards and tip the ball against the post. It fell back into the six-yard box, where Forabosco reacted quickest to stab it home and put the Dragoons ahead.

The Expats could have doubled their lead in the 40th minute but passed up a golden chance. A poor corner was cleared straight back to Forabosco, who swung it back into the box. Sánchez met the cross with an overhead volley, which fell kindly for Yelysieiev at the back post. Unfortunately, the forward blasted his effort over the bar from close range as the Expats continued knocking on the door.

Another opportunity came in the 43rd minute as Kołodziejski surged forward on a counterattack. However, the attacker held onto the ball too long, and the chance evaporated.

Shortly after, the referee blew the whistle to end the first period. It was a half dominated by the Dragoons, but only one goal separated the sides.

Second Half

Gonçalo Ferreira made a change at the break, sacrificing holding midfielder Omar Atzori for the more attack-minded Fernando Gámez.

Lead Increased

The Spaniard was immediately involved as the Dragoons started the second half with a bang. Barely two minutes after the restart, Gámez won the ball off the defence and found Yuri Samyonov in midfield. The Israeli had time to turn and split the defence with a perfect pass to Kołodziejski on the right wing. The Polish forward, clean through on goal, kept his nerve and slid the ball beneath the keeper to double the advantage.

Moments later, it should have been three. Kołodziejski looked to return the favour, threading a pass through for Samyonov. However, it had too much pace, and the ball just ran away. A mix-up between a defender and the advanced keeper saw both miss it entirely, leaving the ball to roll straight to Yelysieiev. With only a defender to beat on the line, the Ukrainian saw his effort blocked away.

Visitors Claw One Back

That miss proved costly, as Zwierzyniecki went straight up the other end to pull one back. A simple long ball caught the Dragoons’ defensive line high and released a visiting forward Erick Torres, who raced onto it and neatly finished past the stranded Muñoz.

Instant Response

The Dragoons responded immediately, restoring their two-goal cushion in the 54th minute. Kołodziejski received a throw-in and drove purposefully across the box. Attempting to find Yelysieiev, his pass was cut out, only for the ball to rebound straight back to him. On his second attempt, Kołodziejski slipped the ball through, and Yelysieiev, expertly timing his run to stay onside, made no mistake, calmly slotting past the keeper for 3–1.

The hosts were flying and nearly added a fourth three minutes later. Forabosco picked out Yelysieiev’s run with a delightful long ball over the top. The winger poked it past the advancing keeper into the box, where Samyonov sprinted to meet it. With defenders closing in, the Israeli just failed to make the decisive touch, and the chance went begging.

Dragoons Add a Fourth

The Expats showed a ruthless edge and grabbed their fourth in the 63rd minute. With Zwierzyniecki penned back, the Dragoons regained possession high up the pitch. A clever clip over the top released Yelysieiev, who rounded the keeper with ease before unselfishly squaring for Kołodziejski to tap in his second of the game.

Welcome Returns

In the 71st minute, the Dragoons welcomed back two long-term absentees. Barry Chowaniec returned to great applause after missing the second half of last season with a broken ankle, while Francesco Leuci also made his comeback after a knee injury. Samyonov and Bilovol made way. for the pair.

Zwierzyniecki tried to rally but came under waves of attacks. In the 78th minute, Yelysieiev tumbled in the box, but instead of a penalty, the referee waved play on and booked him for simulation, much to the Dragoons’ disbelief.

Back with a Bang

Less than a minute later, Forabosco, in one of his final contributions, lofted a precise ball over the defence for Chowaniec. The striker took control, showed his trademark burst of pace to get beyond the defence, steadied himself, and slotted past the keeper to make it five. Despite going down awkwardly in the process and briefly sparking fears of another ankle injury, he thankfully bounced back up to celebrate.

The Expats kept pushing. A clearance from Sánchez was headed forward by Leuci, releasing Kołodziejski through on goal. With Chowaniec breaking to his right, Kołodziejski went alone in search of his hat trick, but the keeper raced out quickly to deny him.

Visitors Hit Back

Zwierzyniecki managed a late consolation with just over five minutes remaining. A lapse in concentration saw Corneille Malonga’s under-hit back pass intercepted by Torres, who rounded Muñoz and rolled the ball into an empty net for his second goal of the game.

Stung by the goal, the Expats almost found a sixth. Gracjan Bałuch burst down the wing and pulled back for Leuci, who struck a fierce low drive. However, the keeper got down well to produce a save to deny the Italian a goal on his return.

There was still time for a moment of comedy as the clock ticked towards 90. Leuci dummied a pass for the overlapping Bałuch, whose heavy first touch saw him step on the ball and comically face-plant the turf. Undeterred, Bałuch recovered quickly, combining with Leuci down the line to end the move with a smile.

When the final whistle blew, the Dragoons had sealed an entertaining opening-day victory. Heavy legs from midweek were visible at times, but Ferreira’s men controlled the game from start to finish and never looked like losing.

Next Up

The Dragoons return to action next Sunday with their first away trip of the season to face SF Fairant.

A fellow fan-owned club, Fairant and the Expats share plenty of history, having entered the league pyramid around the same time. The two clubs first met in the Dragoons’ inaugural competitive fixture, a memorable 6–0 win in the Puchar Polski. Club legend Dani Silva scored a hat-trick and remains one of only three players who remain at the club along with Gabi Muñoz and the recently returned Adrian Paliś. Since then, the sides have traded victories, two further for the Dragoons and two for Fairant including a dramatic cup clash in the 2023/24 season in the last competitive meeting between the two sides.

Fairant also head into the match on the back of a win, having edged Trzebol Wielkie Drogie 1–0 thanks to a last-minute goal.

Posted on Text: Dave Burch Visual Editing: Daniel Silva
Share on Facebook

Lineup
1Gabriel Muñoz (chi)
3Obed Sánchez (col)
8Enrico Forabosco (fin/ita) 17 35'
9Yuri Samyonov (isr) 44
13Kuba Drobny (pol) 5
14Roman Bilovol (arg) 16
18Alonso Villa-Garcia (per) 36
33Omar Atzori (ita) 21
77Jan Kołodziejski (pol) 47', 63'
80Serhii Yelysieiev (ukr) 22 54'
78'
97Szymon Urzędowski (pol)
99Marcin Obyrtacz (pol)
5Simon Calabrese (ita) 13
16Francesco Leuci (ita) 14
17Stiven Campo (col) 8
21Fernando Gámez (esp) 33
22Gracjan Bałuch (pol) 80
26Jan Krzyżanowski (pol)
36Corneille Malonga (cod) 18
44Bartek Chowaniec (pol) 9 79'

Video

Dragoons FC kits: the home kit in blue and the away kit in white
Shop

Official kits

Match and training wear.
Designed by Power Canvas™.

Shop now