Recap
Job Done
The Dragoons secured a 2-0 victory against Pogoń II Kraków on a warm Saturday afternoon this past weekend.
Following a second consecutive defeat against Płomień Kostrze last weekend, Gonçalo Ferreira made several changes to his starting eleven, with some key men back in the fold. Marcin Obyrtacz kept his place in goal, while Alessandro Torpedine made his full debut in central defence with Brian Lemmen dropping out the squad. Roman Bilovol partnered the Italian, with Szymon Urzędowski moving to right-back to replace Simon Calabrese. Additionally, Koki Oe dropped into a defensive role at left-back to complete the back four.
⚽️ 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐔𝐏 ⚽️
Here is the starting XI selected by Head Coach Gonçalo Ferreira, looking to get back to winning ways!
🧤 GK: 🇵🇱
🛡️ DEF: 🇵🇱 | 🇦🇷 | 🇮🇹 | 🇯🇵
⚙️ MID: 🇪🇸 | 🇫🇮/🇮🇹 | 🇪🇸
🔥 ATT: 🇨🇿 | 🇵🇱 | 🇮🇹
COME ON, BOYS! #COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/Ltkb7igzNM
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) April 25, 2026
In midfield, Fernando Gámez returned to the lineup in place of Stiven Campo, starting alongside Bernabé García and captain Enrico Forabosco. Further forward, Barry Chowaniec and Martin Voženílek joined Mirko Barile in a revamped attacking trident as Giordano Zambon dropped to the bench.
Dragoons Lead Early
The match started quickly and after only six minutes the Dragoons went into the lead. Enrico Forabosco whipped a corner into the box and the ball travelled through a number of bodies, with Roman Bilovol bundling it home. However, Martin Voženílek had the final touch to send it goalward with the ball already in the net before Bilovol’s touch.
THE BREAKTHROUGH! ⚽️
The Dragoons led after just six minutes! Enrico Forabosco 🇮🇹 whipped in a deadly corner causing absolute chaos. 🧙♂️
Martin Voženílek 🇨🇿 got the touch, and while Roman Bilovol 🇦🇷 made sure, the Czech forward gets the credit! 👊
COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/CLQssy6R77
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) April 27, 2026
Chances Galore
Shortly after, the Dragoons continued to look dangerous from corners. Voženílek nearly doubled his tall, rising highest to meet another Forabosco corner, but sent a header over.
The Expats continued to stay on top and came close again in the 14th minute. Gámez found Voženílek on the wing, with the Czech driving across the edge of the box with pace. Voženílek looked up to find Gámez in space, but the Spaniard dragged his shot narrowly wide.
A minute later, Gámez found Forabosco out wide. The midfield magician sent a teasing cross into the box, but Barry Chowaniec failed to hit the target with a headed chance.
Losing Tempo
Despite the early dominance, the Dragoons began to lose their way as the first half progressed.
In the 23rd minute, a set-piece nearly gifted Pogoń an unlikely equaliser. Fortunately, Koki Oe showed awareness to clear the ball off the line after a headed effort at goal.
As the interval approached, the hosts looked increasingly frustrated and lacked their usual tempo. Too many wrong decisions, not pressing well and the midfield seemingly losing control. It looked like the Dragoons had fallen into a trap of complacency despite only leading by one goal.
The Dragoons had a stroke of fortune in the 40th minute as the official ignored a loud penalty shout as an opponent went over the outstretched leg of Obyrtacz after Bilovol had been caught in possession. This served as a warning sign for a side that had stopped playing fluid football.
Second Half
At the break, Coach Ferreira rallied his troops to focus and reiterated his instructions for the team to improve. The Expats also made one change at the break with Giordano Zambon replacing Mirko Barile.
The Perfect Start
The team talk seemed to have the perfect result as the Dragoons doubled their lead in the 47th minute. Patient build-up play and excellent football saw Koki Oe and Gámez combine down the left. The Canarian King accelerated past an opponent to reach the byline and cut the ball back across goal with a number of team-mates available. The pass found Voženílek unmarked and the Czech had the easiest of finishes to tap home his second goal of the afternoon.
CLINICAL CONSTRUCTION 🛠️🔥
A brilliant link-up between Koki Oe 🇯🇵 and Fernando Gámez 🇪🇸🇮🇨 saw the Canarian King reach the byline to set up Martin Voženílek 🇨🇿.
The Czech forward made no mistake to bag his second of the day! ⚽️💪
Highlights to follow 🎥#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/0sSoWxPnOM
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) April 27, 2026
Pogoń Show Signs of Improvement
A moment later, Obyrtacz gathered the ball at the edge of his box, only for the linesman to judge his foot to be over the line. The Dragoons’ custodian was promptly booked, but the visitors failed to capitalise as an ambitious trivela effort flew over the bar.
Despite being second best for large parts, Pogoń began to look the more dangerous of the two sides. On the hour mark, the visitors worked the ball around the box, with Alessandro Torpedine coming across well to deny a goalscoring chance, sliding in to deflect a shot wide.
In the 69th minute, a free-kick out wide saw Forabosco go for goal from a tight angle. The Italian hit the ball firmly and forced Wiktor Giętka into a flying save to keep it out.
Straight down the other end, the Expats lost their discipline. Mateusz Sikora somehow slalomed past a number of Dragoons men to drive towards goal. He found a team-mate inside the box, but a poor effort saw Obyrtacz stand strong to preserve the two-goal lead.
Wake Up Time
The Dragoons seemed to fall asleep again as Coach Ferreira made a number of changes to wake the team from their slumber. Jeremi Wabiński, eager to impress, lead the way as the Dragoons sought a third goal to kill the game.
With five minutes left to play, some good football saw Stiven Campo spray the ball out wide to find Koki Oe. The Japanese wing-back flew past a challenge and whipped a dangerous ball across the box. Unfortunately, no Dragoons man could take a touch, but good pressing by Wabiński and Calabrese turned possession over inside the area. Wabiński worked the ball onto his left foot to shoot, but Giętka got down well to keep the attempt out.
Chances At Both Ends
A minute later, the Dragoons came even closer to ending the visitors resistance. Great pressing from Campo saw the ball fall kindly to Koki Oe. Neat footwork from the Japanese saw him beat an opponent, and curl a shot at goal. It looked all the way a third, only for the ball to cannon back off the crossbar to deny Koki a second Dragoons goal.
Down the other end, Mateusz Sikora showed an outrageous piece of skill to work space for himself on the edge of the box. However, determined defending saw the Expats stand up and attempt to clear. On this occasion, Bilovol’s clearance did not go far and an effort from range whistled narrowly over the top.
As the end of the game entered the final minute the Expats had further chances for a third goal. Wabiński wasted an excellent opportunity as the Dragoons had a three on one attack. The Polish forward selfishly looked to go for goal himself rather than pass to Koki Oe out to his left. Wabiński saw his original effort blocked, and sent a weak second effort straight at the keeper.
The final minute of stoppage time saw another chance come and go. Szymon Urzędowski linked well with Koki Oe, with Wabiński putting the Japanese through on goal. However, a poor finish saw Giętka stick a leg to make a save. The rebound went straight to Urzędowski, who looked to work a shot rather than pass and smacked the ball over the goal.
Full Time
The Expats climbed to fifth, but the points tell only half the story. Coach Gonçalo Ferreira expected much more from his side. The squad must address a recurring lack of composure to avoid “confidence-sapping” results. Basically, players need to stop making selfish decisions all over the pitch. This struggle to maintain rhythm highlights a deeper issue within the team’s current approach.
Football remains a team game, yet excessive individualism marred this performance. Players often tried to do far too much alone when team-mates are in better positions. Play it simply and quickly, not looking for Hollywood passes as the ball comes straight back at you. You cannot control a game if you don’t keep the ball well and the group must trust one another to succeed. Individual brilliance wins moments, but teamwork beats ego. With over thirty players in the squad, everyone must leave their ego at home. Not one player has a god given right to start and everyone in the squad deserves a chance to contribute to the team. The Coach’s decision is final and has to be respected.
Must Improve All Round
This “hero” mentality caused a total breakdown in structural integrity. Poor decision-making and a slow tempo left the midfield imbalanced. These issues made transitions difficult and caused moves to break down frequently. Too often opponents win second balls too easily and pressure the defence.
The Dragoons possessed pace to burn but rarely tested a slow opposition backline. For the first 15 minutes against Pogoń, the Expats found the flanks to good effect, but after that it barely happened and chances stopped being made. Sometimes, the Expats seem married to a style that makes them look tactically rigid and unable to do the basics. At this level, you need to be able to be flexible at times, understand what you have available and how to get the best out of them. Just ask Ruben Amorim… who too often played a system that just did not work with the tools he had available at Manchester United!
Fluctuating squad availability week-on-week further compounds these challenges. A “back to basics” approach may help the team learn their roles to perfection and help them learn about their team-mates strengths and weaknesses. The coaching staff will likely demand much higher discipline moving forward. The talent exists, but the group must play and work together to achieve success.
A Testing Trip Ahead
Next weekend, the Dragoons travel to face Radziszowianka Radziszów II in a bid to maintain their upward momentum. Although the Expats have leapfrogged them in the table, the home side remains a threat. Radziszowianka recently pushed league leaders Trzebol in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Furthermore, the Dragoons will remember the painful 4-1 loss they suffered in the reverse fixture last year. On that occasion, three goals effectively ended the match in the first half. Four changes at the break did nothing to improve the Expats who conceded a fourth before a late Omar Atzori consolation.
🎖 MAN OF THE MATCH 🎖
Legend is a word used often, but Enrico Forabosco 🇮🇹 fully deserves it. The Midfield Magician put on a masterclass, leading by example with a calm, captain’s performance. 🪄
In his 128th game, he grabbed his 53rd assist!
Grande Capitano! 👏💪#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/KBiEkMfLXS
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) April 27, 2026
