Recap
A Gritty Display
The Dragoons rose to 5th place with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over AP Kmita II Zabierzów. The result meant the Expats leapt over their opponents on the table in a gritty match that tested their resolve from start to finish.
After a tough 7 days including a victory over Czarni 03 Grzegorzowice and a 6-0 mauling to FC Oslo in the Fenix Trophy, the Expats found themselves at the bare bones with their squad selection.
🐉STARTING XI🐉
Here are your starters for today’s game!
🧤 𝐆𝐤: 🇵🇱
🛡️ 𝐃𝐟: 🇦🇷 🇮🇹 🇵🇱 🇵🇱
⚙️ 𝐌𝐟: 🇨🇩 🇫🇮/🇮🇹 🇳🇱
🔥 𝐅𝐰: 🇮🇳 🇮🇱 🇦🇴#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/Yr9u8hH5TI— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) November 9, 2024
Hugo Cruz had to make one enforced change to his defence to take on Zabierzów. Club hero Błażej Święcicki moved from left wing to slot in at left-back.
A welcome return to action saw Rob Smits return to the team in midfield. Corneille Malonga also came back after a two-game absence to start alongside Enrico Forabosco.
Three more changes saw Flavio Nkola, Yuri Samyonov and Rohit Chandran all start. Brian Lemmen, Martin Voženílek, Michał Nowak and Szymon Urzędowski all dropped from the squad while Jan Kołodziejski started from the bench.
First Half
On a chilly day, the Dragoons took some time to warm up, as the visitors looked the more dangerous. An early scare came in the 3rd minute as Kmita sent a cross dangerously across goal. An opponent struck a weak shot towards goal and Simon Calabrese had to clear from off the line.
After being second best in the opening stages, the Dragoons managed to work their first chance with 12 minutes played. Good pressing saw the Expats turnover possession high and the team worked the ball to Święcicki on the flank. His cross into the box fell perfectly for Yuri Samoynov who took a touch but his rushed attempt at goal was easy for goalkeeper Marcin Borysewicz to clutch.
Punt of Glory
Slowly, the Dragoons began to gain the upper hand and struck first in the 25th minute. Excellent frontline pressure saw Malonga win possession high up the field. The midfielder pushed forward and unleashed a sensational 25-metre toe-punt into the top corner to open the scoring.
Better Late Than Never 🐉
Watch how Corneille Malonga 🇨🇩 grabbed his first goal for the club last weekend.
Stealing the ball high up the pitch, The Congolese heel-snapper unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that proved too hot for the keeper to handle. 💪🔥#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/h6s8klgIbo
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) November 15, 2024
Dragoons Double Their Lead
Just two minutes later, the Expats immediately doubled their lead to strengthen their grip on the game. Roman Bilovol walked with the ball into the Kmita half and sent a deep cross towards where Nkola and Samyonov lurked. A defender won the aerial ball and looked to direct a header back to Borysewicz. However, a defensive blunder saw the keeper slow off his line, allowing Nkola to capitalise. The Angolan raced onto the loose ball and coolly dinked it over Borysewicz for a 2-0 lead.
Nkola At The Double ⚽️
The Angolan forward was quick to pounce on a defensive mix-up, seizing the opportunity to slot home the Dragoons’ second goal against Kmita Zabierzów.
Nkola’s 🇦🇴 sharp instincts and cool finish doubled our lead and kept the pressure on our opponents. 💪 pic.twitter.com/9Sc6PaUHuX
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) November 15, 2024
Kmita looked to reduce the deficit and threw more bodies into attacking areas. However, Marcin Obyrtacz kept his nerve, punching away a dangerous free-kick in the 35th minute and staying alert to Kmita’s testing shots from range.
Almost a Third
As the clock ticked towards halftime, the Expats created a great chance to add a third. Rob Smits went one-on-one with the keeper after a fine ball from Nkola. Unfortunately, Borysewicz’s quick reactions kept the scoreline down, rushing out to prevent the Dutchmeester from his seventh goal.
The Expats went into the break two goals ahead and had played relatively well. The team held their shape well and was disciplined out of possession, not allowing Kmita any clear-cut chances. Despite not quite dominating the ball, the Dragoons took two of their chances and just about shaded the half.
Second Half
The second half saw the Dragoons face pressure from Kmita, who came out determined to get back into the game. However, the first real chance came in the 50th minute for the Dragoons on the counter. Nkola and Smits connected well as they broke through the Kmita half, but the Angolan could only steer his effort just wide of the post.
Obyrtacz to the Rescue!
Kmita began asking questions of the Expats and made a triple change to get back into the game. In the 61st minute, they won a penalty after a trip on an opponent from Samyonov gifted them an excellent chance to score. However, Marcin Obyrtacz guessed right, diving the right way to deny Marcin Kukiełka’s spot-kick and preserve the Dragoons’ two-goal advantage.
The visitors had upped the ante, but the Dragoons stood firm with some last-ditch defending. In the 73rd minute, Bilovol smashed the ball long with the Kmita defence seemingly leaving it. Samyonov read the flight of the ball well and nipped in to go one-on-one with the keeper. However, a heavy second touch gave Borysewicz time to limit the distance and the keeper managed to get his foot onto the ball to prevent the Israeli from taking it around him.
The Dragoons Hold On
As the clock ticked into the 80th minute, Kmita came perilously close to getting the goal they craved. After near-constant pressure, the 3 games in 7 days began to show as the Dragoons looked tired and could not keep the ball. A deep cross saw the Expats unable to clear the ball and it fell kindly to Wiktor Woźniak. The Kmita man took the ball down well and blasted a shot from the edge of the box that cannoned back into play from against the post.
However, the fans held their breath as Damien Wójcik pounced upon the rebound and looked favourite to score. Thankfully, the ball would not sit for Wójcik and he sent a close-range half-volley flying over the bar.
Despite intense pressure from the visitors, the Dragoons created a further chance after good work from Święcicki. Jan Kołodziejski linked well with Danilo Birbiglia who forced Borysewicz into a flying save just minutes after being subbed on.
Tempers Flare
As the game approached its conclusion, tempers flared. Samyonov received a booking after reacting badly to an apparent stamp. Meanwhile, Święcicki saw red deep in injury time after an ill-advised kick at an opponent.
Despite the fiery end, the Dragoons held their nerve to secure a deserved victory, showing grit and determination to protect their two-goal advantage. This hard-earned win propels them above Kmita into 5th place in the standings.
💙🖤 MAN OF THE MATCH 💙🖤
Corneille Malonga 🇨🇩 put in a stellar shift for the Dragoons 🐉, covering every blade of grass and scoring his first goal for the club!
Congrats Corny👏🏿👊🏿💪🏿#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/4880SVAN55
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) November 13, 2024
Next up
Coming up next for the Dragoons is an away trip to 12th-placed Victoria Smroków. Victoria has found this season tough going, losing eight, winning twice and drawing once.
The two sides have met twice previously last season, with Smroków defeating the Expats 2-1 in the first meeting last October. However, despite going behind, the Dragoons roared to a 7-3 win in the return fixture in May.
💙🖤 WE NEED HELP💙🖤
We’re set for an unforgettable night of European football as FC Oslo arrives in Kraków for a Fenix Trophy battle on 20th November!
Matches like these are a huge privilege for our club, but they also bring significant costs, from travel to hosting expenses pic.twitter.com/8qwMRfasCP
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) November 14, 2024
