Matsenko steady, Romanchuk keeps delivering, Kocherhin struggles: a Ukrainian view of Ekstraklasa round two

Round two of the Polish Ekstraklasa did not pass without disruption. Górnik Zabrze were the first to ask for a postponement because their Europa League game against Ferencváros in Budapest was moved from Thursday to Wednesday. Korona, who had been scheduled to host the vice-champion, did not oppose the change and neither did the league, so after just two rounds the table is already uneven. It was a round of comebacks. Legia, Śląsk and GKS all turned losing situations into wins, and eight goals were scored in the final ten minutes across the round. Legia, GKS and Pogoń sealed their results in stoppage time, but the real drama was elsewhere. Lucas Piazon, the Brazilian formerly of Chelsea, Málaga, Eintracht and Chievo, scored his first Ekstraklasa goal, only for Wieczysta to lose to the champions. Only Wieczysta and Raków have lost both games so far. Korona remain without a point, though they have played once. Legia and Jagiellonia have two wins apiece, while Górnik also have maximum points from a single match. Motor Lublin equalized against Jagiellonia in the 82nd minute but could not hang on; Sergio Lozano struck to give the visitors the win. Śląsk, back in the top flight after a year away, were still trailing Raków in the 86th minute when Marjanac and captain Samiec-Talar turned the game around. Samiec-Talar is no stranger to headlines. Late last season, he and teammate Patryk Sokołowski were beaten up by an amateur player after a night out. Sokołowski has not played a minute this season, while Samiec-Talar is on the pitch and on the scoresheet. Piast and Wisła Kraków served up the most spectacular match of the round: seven goals, a missed penalty by the visitors at 2-1 just before halftime, two Wisła equalizers and a decisive Piast goal in the 88th minute. Piast also made headlines off the pitch after reports that the club's debt had risen by 20 million zloty (around €4.45 million) over two years. So Lechia are not alone in that department. Ukrainian players had mixed weekends. Yehor Matsenko was steady as the right-sided centre-back in Śląsk's back three, collecting ratings between 6.6 and 7.0 before going off in the 89th minute at 1-1. A minute later, Samiec-Talar scored the winner. Taras Romanchuk, Jagiellonia's naturalized captain, played all 90 minutes in defensive midfield. He was not quite as dominant as in round one, but the reviews were positive: ratings of 7.1 to 7.3, a huge amount of running and five wins from eight duels. Vladyslav Kocherhin, however, endured another rough afternoon for Raków. He was replaced in the 73rd minute with his side 1-0 up, and Śląsk then completed the turnaround. His ratings were poor, around 6.1-6.4, with one off-target shot from outside the box and 76 percent passing accuracy. Roman Yakuba, Zagłębie's 25-year-old defender, is still sidelined and was absent from the squad. Maksym Tsymbaliuk, Wisła Kraków's 19-year-old holding midfielder, is fit but did not make the cut even though there were two open places. Viunnyk continues his recovery. And Lechia have still not earned a single point.