Recap
Cool Heads, Hot Day
A scorching Sunday afternoon greeted the Dragoons, but the Expats kept their cool to secure a first away victory against Pogoń II.
After Tuesday night’s postponed clash with Tramwaj II, Gonçalo Ferreira’s men arrived hungry for redemption following late heartbreak against Płomień Kostrze.
The Portuguese head coach rang the changes, making five to his starting XI from the Płomień game. Marcin Obyrtacz returned between the sticks for Gabi Muñoz. Francesco Leuci and Szymon Urzędowski began at full-back, with Roman Bilovol continuing in central defence. He was joined by Simon Calabrese, back from absence and straight in for suspended skipper Kuba Drobny.
In midfield, Corneille Malonga started after unavailability, with Brian Lemmen dropping to the bench. Jan Krzyżanowski made his first start of the season, replacing the absent Rob Smits, while Fernando Gámez completed the trio.
Further forward, Janek Kołodziejski began on the right wing with Obed Sánchez again leading the line. The final change saw Serhii Yelysieiev return to the first XI, replacing Barry Chowaniec who started as a substitute.
⚽️ LINE-UP ⚽️
Here’s how the Dragoons 🐉 start today against POGOŃ Kraków II 👇
🧤 🇵🇱
🛡️ 🇮🇹 | 🇦🇷 | 🇮🇹 | 🇵🇱
⚙️ 🇨🇩 | 🇪🇸 | 🇵🇱
⚡ 🇺🇦 | 🇨🇴 | 🇵🇱#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/7wKuCNwe1W— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) September 21, 2025
Kick-Off
The Dragoons looked to impose themselves quickly, zipping the ball across a bobbly pitch. In the third minute, Malonga mopped up possession and fed Leuci, who slid a perfect pass into Kołodziejski. The winger sprinted clear and towards goal, but smashed his shot high and wide from a tight angle. To be fair to Janek, the ball did bounce awkwardly just before he hit it!
The hosts responded in the sixth minute, forcing panic from a corner. The ball ricocheted around the box with some brave defending blocking a shot from troubling the goal. The ball eventually dropped to the edge of the area, where another strike was unleashed but ballooned miles over the target!
Under the beating sun, the pace dipped, though the Dragoons kept threatening from set-pieces. Calabrese headed wide, and Sánchez wasn’t far off with another attempt.
On 20 minutes, a defensive header fell kindly to Kołodziejski just inside the box from Fernando Gámez’s corner, with the Pole taking a touch before hitting a low shot past the keeper. However, Kołodziejski had his head in his hands as the shot bounced agonisingly off the post and bounced back into play.
Dragoons Break the Deadlock
Seconds later, the breakthrough arrived as Leuci intercepted the following poor clearance and found Yelysieiev. The Ukrainian attempted a reverse pass towards Gámez, but was cut out by a defender. Disaster followed for the home defender, who inexplicitly attempted to dribble past the Canarian King inside his own box. However, Gámez was wise to reclaim possession, cut a pass back across goal, and Sánchez showed his striker’s instinct in expertly losing his marker to sweep home with clinical calmness. 1-0 Dragoons, and another goal for the Colombian.
Obed strikes again! 🇨🇴
Possession recycled after Jan Kołodziejski 🇵🇱 hit the post…
Fernando Gámez 🇪🇸🇮🇨 then showed excellent persistence to pounce on a defensive blunder, squared it across goal, and Obed Sánchez 🇨🇴 did the rest with a calm finish. 1-0 Dragoons! 🔥#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/wW21jTjGB9
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) September 22, 2025
Down the other end Pogoń tried to hit back instantly, but Obyrtacz gathered their first shot on target with minimal effort.
Almost immediately, the Expats should have doubled their lead. Krzyżanowski slipped Yelysieiev through with an excellent pass, and the Ukrainian squared to Sánchez six yards out. Somehow, the striker shinned his finish straight at the keeper. A shocking miss as the Expats squandered a glorious chance to double their lead!
On the half-hour mark, Pogoń came close again with their best chance of the half. A corner fell to the edge of the box, and a rasping drive flew inches wide with Obyrtacz stranded.
The Expats goal remained and carried their narrow lead into the break without really getting out of first gear.
Second Half
The Dragoons began brightly and created a good chance for an immediate goal after the break. Yelysieiev combined well with Urzędowski before racing into the box. Yelysieiev rifled a vicious shot at goal, but saw his attempt fly wide from a difficult angle.
Pogoń began to show some defiance at the start of the half without really threatening the Dragoons goal. Their best chance came when an overhead kick flashed across the face of goal, but no player attacked the ball and it ran harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
On 58 minutes, a brief ten minute period of Pogoń resistance was ended as Krzyżanowski was felled to win a free-kick. Sánchez stepped up from distance, leaned back, and launched one so high it is likely still in orbit. Reports suggest the astronauts on the ISS enjoyed the view as the ball flashed the past the window on it’s way to Jupiter.
Dragoons Grab a Second
From the resulting goal-kick, the Expats struck again to get grab a second goal. Malonga won the header and steered it to Yelysieiev, who used his experience to brush off the attention of a defender and surged down the left flank. He raced into the box and hung up a cross towards the back post, where Kołodziejski cushioned the ball with class. Quickly setting himself, the Pole cushioned a shot off his laces that beat the keeper and hit the net via the post. 2-0 Dragoons and a perfect time to kill the contest.
Janek at the double! 🇵🇱
Serhii Yelysieiev 🇺🇦 expertly burst down the left and exquisitely hung a cross to find Jan Kołodziejski 🇵🇱 free at the back stick.
Jan sets himself with perfection, and cushions a precise strike into the net via the post. 💪#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/Zq5f7Xvx4a
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) September 22, 2025
With the scoreline seemingly secure, Ferreira shuffled his pack. Lemmen and Chowaniec came on for Krzyżanowski and Yelysieiev, before Flavio Nkola made his first appearance of the season, replacing Kołodziejski. Valdzis Fuhaš also returned, taking Sánchez’s spot up front, while Bernabé Ureba García debuted in midfield for Gámez.
In the final stages, Michael Syska-Lamb replaced Franceso Leuci as Roman Bilovol moved to right back. Syska-Lamb quickly took one for the team to earn a booking after Calabrese misjudged a high ball, hauling down an opponent within shooting distance. Fortunately, the Dragoons’ wall held firm from the resulting kick, and the referee ended proceedings immediately after.
Full-Time
The 2-0 victory lifts the Expats into fifth place, momentum building with a game in hand. It wasn’t a vintage performance, but on a bobbly grass pitch in sweltering conditions, the Dragoons got the job done. Pogoń rarely threatened, while the Expats showed the composure needed to grind out results.
🇨🇩 🎖 MAN OF THE MATCH 🎖 🇨🇩
Not every hero scores goals. On Sunday, Corneille Malonga 🇨🇩 was everywhere… Breaking up play, covering the backline & keeping us ticking.
Bien joué, Corneille 👏🏾#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/YJqfElCe4s
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) September 23, 2025
Next Up
Next, the Dragoons return to home turf against Radziszowianka Radziszów II. The sides last met in the Puchar Polski last season, when Yuri Samyonov netted twice and Martin Voženílek added another in a convincing 3-0 win.
Earlier this season, the Expats faced Radziszowianka’s first team in the 4th round of the cup, heroically losing 3-1 despite Sánchez putting them ahead.
So far this season, Radziszowianka have two wins, one draw, two defeats. They’ve scored 11, conceded 14, and salvaged a dramatic 92nd-minute equaliser in a 4-4 draw this past weekend.
