Profitable performance from Polonia

KP Polonia Warszawa 2-0 Sliema Wanderers FC (Polonia win 5-1 on aggregate)
Two first-half goals ensured KP Polonia Warszawa's qualification for the UEFA Cup first round at the expense of their Maltese opponents, Sliema Wanderers FC was a rather routine task.

Early goal
Arkadiusz Bak opened Polonia's account after only four minutes when he latched on to Marcin Kus' pass into the penalty area to find the net from close range. Sliema's best chance of a rather pedestrian opening 45 minutes came on the half hour, but Polonia goalkeeper Andrzej Krzysztalowicz saved David Camilleri's shot from an acute angle.

Fast reply
Polonia responded immediately as Mateusz Bartczak hit the post from a free-kick, before he ran on to a clever pass from Mariusz Malinowski to double the home side's advantage after 39 minutes.

Doncic miss
With Polonia content to sit on their lead, Sliema had more scoring opportunities, but Danilo Doncic missed their best chance when he failed to meet an inswinging cross with the goal at his mercy.

'There is a gap' - Aquilina
“Before the match I realised there is a gap between Polish and Maltese football," said Sliema coach Edward Aquilina. “When I saw Polonia playing, I knew it would be hard for us and that in all probability, they would go through, and that’s what happened. All I could do was to keep myself hoping and praying. So I prayed, but the Pope is Polish."

Minimum plan
Polonia coach Janusz Bialek treated the rivals with respect, but knew it was a duty for his side to go through. “My players thought about the next matches in the competition,” he admitted. “I think we were just smarter. We have made our minimum plan, and it proved efficient as we won the match and had no bookings. This is important for upcoming matches in the competition, but all we will do now is wait for the outcome of the draw."