Alan Uryga after #WISRCZ: This is a reward for determination, believing until the end, commitment, and leaving your heart on the pitch.
Damian Urbaniec
The Wisła Kraków captain on the closing stages of the match against Raków, the fans' role, his assist on the winning goal, and his approach to the away match against Lech Poznań.
Are goals scored in the final minutes of matches more a matter of skill or luck favoring a team that fights until the very end?
It's hard to talk about the ability to score in the 99th minute. I don't think they teach anything like that. It's more a reward for determination, believing until the end, commitment, and leaving your heart on the pitch. That's how I see it.
For much of the match, Raków defended with almost the entire team in their own half, making it difficult to find space to build attacks. Did you expect your opponents to approach the game that way?
No, Raków didn't surprise us. We knew they would want to play quite pragmatically. We understand the situation they're in. It's not easy playing when you know you're short on points and every match and every point is worth its weight in gold.
So we expected the match to look like that. We expected a lot of long passes and direct play from Raków.
Perhaps we hadn't expected our opponents to defend so deep and leave so much space in midfield, while crowding the area in front of their own goal. However, we knew they would probably opt for the safer approach.
After Wisła scored, the match took an unexpected turn. There was a disallowed goal and a penalty, and the refereeing decisions stirred up a lot of emotion. How did that closing stretch look from your perspective?
I didn't expect it, but I really did feel that the match was getting a little ugly. There was a lot of chaos, waiting for VAR decisions, and controversy surrounding individual incidents.
I had the impression that something had gone wrong and the game had started to look a little worse. I really did have similar feelings.
W the 99th minute, you once again managed to make the most of a set piece, just as you did against Śląsk Wrocław. This time, you provided the assist. Did that moment bring back memories of the previous match?
I won't hide the fact that when I ran into the penalty area and saw the referee award us a free kick, I immediately remembered the match against Śląsk.
I also tried to motivate my teammates to believe we could score. Once you've managed to do something like that, it's hard not to believe you can repeat it in a similar situation later on.
The ball was crossed in well. From my perspective, I was very close to getting a header away myself.
Going back to what I said earlier, determination and belief that we can score in the final minutes are things that sometimes bring about situations like that and ultimately lead to goals.
When you next play in Poznań, you’ll face the reigning Polish champions, Lech. You’ve already picked up some points, but your opponent will certainly make it difficult. Have you thought about how to approach this game?
We don’t have a specific plan yet. It’s literally only been an hour and a half since the match, so we haven’t had time to think about it yet.
We’ll certainly keep doing what we’ve been doing so far. Our style of play probably won’t change. I don’t think we’ll go into the game against Lech intending to sit deep and park the bus.
Of course, it’s possible that Lech will impose their game on us and the match will unfold that way. But I wouldn’t want anyone to conclude from what I’ve said that it definitely won’t happen. It depends on Lech’s quality and how well they play.
I doubt, though, that our plan is to defend desperately from the first minute and hope for a miracle.
As captain, you certainly see how important the fans’ support is. Do the atmosphere at the stadium and the fans’ encouragement help you maintain such a good unbeaten home run in the Ekstraklasa?
Yes, absolutely. I think it’s one of the factors that really helps us pick up points, especially in situations like that.
It’s no coincidence that we’ve scored again in stoppage time. It’s the sum of everything: the emotions, the cheering, and the support. It also strengthens our belief.
When the ball was passed to Kacper, did you see the goal coming, or was it literally such chaos in the penalty area that the ball was played blindly, Kacper got to it, and scored?
I was challenging a Raków defender for the ball in the air. We both went down, and when I turned around, all I saw was Kacper taking a shot. That’s all I saw from my perspective.
You’ve taken a liking to these late goals. If you had to choose: a comfortable game with a five-goal lead or that same adrenaline rush right to the end and a goal in the final seconds, which would you choose?
If you’d asked me that question before the game and guaranteed that we’d win with a goal in the final minutes, then for the spectacle and the emotions the fans would feel, remember, and talk about later, I’d probably choose stoppage time.
But for my own and the team’s mental health, I’d like to finally control a game with a comfortable lead for a little longer, instead of having to snatch victory in another close match.
Alan Uryga after #WISRCZ: This is a reward for determination, believing until the end, commitment, and leaving your heart on the pitch.