Recap
Defeat in the Dark
The Dragoons slumped to a disappointing 3-0 defeat away to LKS Zieleńczanka Zielonki II on Monday evening, with a tough pitch and an out-of-sorts display proving too much to overcome.
🐉 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 🐉
The Dragoons are back in action and ready to go to battle.
Here’s the team Head Coach Hugo Cruz 🇵🇹 has selected to take on LKS Zieleńczanka II Zielonki 👇
🧤 GK: 🇵🇱
🛡️ DEF: 🇦🇷 | 🇵🇱 | 🇮🇹 | 🇵🇱
⚙️ MID: 🇳🇱 | 🇮🇹🇫🇮 | 🇨🇩
🔥 FWD: 🇨🇿 | 🇮🇱 | 🌏#COYD 💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/0F823pNGth— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) May 5, 2025
Line Up
Hugo Cruz made four changes to the side that came from behind to defeat LKS Błękitni II Modlnica the previous week.
Josh Dawson dropped to the bench, with Simon Calabrese returning to the starting lineup alongside Kuba Drobny, Szymon Urzędowski, and Roman Bilovol.
Following a man-of-the-match performance, Rob Smits was restored to the midfield, replacing Stiven Campo. The Dutchmeester joined Enrico Forabosco and Corneille Malonga to complete the trio in the middle of the park.
With Jan Kołodziejski unavailable, Vałdzis Fuhaš came into the side, to lead the line with Yuri Samyonov and Martin Voženílek in attack. The Czech forward replaced Rohit Chandran, who, despite carrying a knock, took a place on the bench.
Kick Off
The match started evenly in the early with both sides feeling their way into the game. The best chance came to the Dragoons as Kuba Drobny rose to meet Forabosco’s free-kick, but flicked a smart header just wide of the post.
A difficult surface soon turned the game into a battle. A scrappy first half saw little rhythm, for either side. The Dragoons struggled to put together any meaningful attack, whilst Zielonki looked to work the ball into the channels.
Dragoons Fall Behind
Eventually, the hosts struck first just after the half-hour mark. A long ball forward wasn’t dealt with, and a cruel bobble off the pitch deceived Obyrtacz. The keeper probably should have done better, but the ball squirmed into the net for 1-0.
From there, the Dragoons struggled to find any fluency. Voženílek and Calabrese each had half-chances, but the final ball was lacking throughout. Despite seeing a lot of possession, Hugo Cruz’s men went into the break trailing to the hosts’ only real attempt.
The Portuguese coach and Kuba Drobny had some strong words at half time as the team looked to regroup and come out fighting.
Second Half
The second half began with further frustration. Rob Smits lead the way and saw a shot saved after a sharp turn in the box.
However, seconds later a heart-in-mouth moment at the other end saw Obyrtacz wander out of his box. It looked as if Zieleńczanka, would double their lead, but fortunately, a shot slammed into the side-netting.
Zielonki Double Their Lead
Minutes later, the Dragoons’ defensive line was breached again by a long pass allowing a simple one on one. The Zielonki forwarded casually rounded Obyrtacz and slotted into an empty net to double the advantage.
Hugo Cruz turned to his bench on the hour mark. Rohit Chandran and Josh Dawson entered the game, with Yuri Samyonov and Vałdzis Fuhaš making way. Usually, a centre back, Dawson went into the attack as the Dragoons looked to make use of the Englishman’s physicality.
Martin Voženílek almost pulled one back on 67 minutes. The winger accelerated into the box but saw his shot well blocked by the keeper. Voženílek had a second bite of the cherry with the rebound, however, a covering defender did enough to block the ball on the line. The Dragoons appealed for handball, but the official showed no interest and gave a corner.
As the visitors pushed forward and near total darkness descended, frustration mounted as the Dragoons could not find their usual rhythm.
With the game being continued in farcical conditions, Hugo Cruz made a late flurry of subs as Simon Calabrese, Enrico Forabosco, Martin Voženílek and Roman Bilovol all departing. In their place came Michael Syska-Lamb, Stiven Camp, Gracjan Bałuch and Alejandro Pascual.
A Late Third
Zielonki rubbed salt in the wound with a third goal late on. The Dragoons lost possession deep in their own half. A cross into the box found an attacker unmarked and a firm header left Obyrtacz with no chance.
It was a flat performance from the Dragoons, who will be disappointed with the result and the manner of the defeat. On a difficult surface and against a determined opponent, nothing quite clicked. Zielonki deserved their win as all too often the Dragoons struggle to find a winning formular on grass pitches.
💥 MAN OF THE MATCH 💥
Heart, desire, and fight! Corneille Malonga 🇨🇩 stood tall in a night to forget.
Despite a dismal 3-0 defeat, his relentless energy and passion shone through. A true example to follow for the rest of the team.
Congrats Corny 👊🏿👏🏿🤝🏿#COYD💙🖤 pic.twitter.com/ktcY2We5sa
— Krakow Dragoons FC (@DragoonsFc) May 6, 2025
Next Up
The Dragoons will have to do much better in their next fixture against title chasing Sportowiec Modlniczka. Sportowiec top the league by two points and have won 16, drawn 2 and lost 2 in their 20 games this season.
In the previously meeting, Modlniczka came away from Gronostojowa with all three points in a 2-1 win. The Expats missed a host of chances and eventually fell behind to two well worked goals. Jan Kołodziejski hit back late on, but the Expats could not find a leveller with the hosts down to ten.
