Wisla rise from dead

16th December 2011

Wisla Krakow qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa league in extraordinary circumstances this Wednesday, as Fulham failed to beat Odense at home. It was a turn of events that could only be described as miraculous.

Mid-way through the second half of the final round of games, Fulham were 2-0 up at home and cruising. Wisla, were 2-1 up in their game, but qualification was out of their hands, and depended on the Danish side Odense rousing themselves somehow against the London side. Wisla, like Lazarus, were dead in the water – and had been for weeks. Then the footballing Gods decided to intervene.

Odense got a goal back from a free kick, then scored an equaliser with the very last touch of the game. That goal eliminated Fulham and led to jubilation in Krakow, as a qualification that had seemed hopeless for months suddenly became a reality.

At the final whistle it was the fans who first got the news. It was like a volcano exploding on the terraces, as the Wisla players still stood somewhat restrained despite the victory over Dutch opposition. Then the players slowly realised what the jubilation on the stands meant and began joining in the celebrations, their faces a strange mixture of joy and disbelief.

The Wisla keeper, Sergei Pareiko, summed it up best, telling reporters, “Finally, fate has been kind to us. We’ve lost points and goals in the dying minutes of matches, and this time it went our way. It took me a long time to believe we really qualified.”

By contrast Legia’s qualification was secured weeks ago and the Warsaw side were able to approach Thursday night’s game in a relaxed manner. Perhaps too relaxed, as they suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Happoel Tel Aviv, shipping a goal in each half. Happoel scored their second while a man down, Gal Shish seeing a second yellow card just after the hour mark.