Head Coach Vladislav Lupashko after Lechia vs Unia Skierniewice

Lechia Gdańsk defeated Unia Skierniewice 3:2 in Matchday 13 of the Betclic 1. Liga. The White-and-Greens came from behind twice before scoring the winning goal in the closing stages of the match. During the post-match press conference, head coach Vladislav Lupashko reflected on his team’s performance, addressed Tomasz Neugebauer’s injury, assessed individual players and thanked the supporters for their backing.

A special moment of the press conference was also dedicated to Dawid Pajor and Bogdan Niecikowski, who are celebrating ten years of service at the Club.

The press conference began with a special tribute. Coach Lupashko acknowledged the presence of Dawid Pajor and Bogdan Niecikowski, who have been working for Lechia Gdańsk for over a decade:

– Today, we have two people here with us, Dawid Pajor and Bogdan Niecikowski, who have been working at the Club for over ten years. We want to show them our respect and thank them for the work they do. People like them are the foundation that keeps the entire Club running.

Dawid Pajor also took the floor, thanking everyone who had been part of the Club over the past ten years:

– Thank you all for these ten years. I would like to thank everyone who has been here during that time – the presidents, players and coaches. Sometimes there are matches that make us happier, and sometimes less so. We keep moving forward.

The head coach then moved on to his assessment of Saturday’s match:

– We played against a very good-quality opponent. As I said before the match, I believe their coach is doing some of the best work in the league. I’m sure they will start winning from their next match onwards. As for us, we had seven players who also featured in the previous match, and we had very little time to recover. The players understood that our opponents would press aggressively. I want to thank our supporters for their backing.

During the press conference, Lupashko was also asked whether the final result was better than Lechia’s overall performance:

– I don’t agree with that. We created a lot of chances, and the goals we conceded came from unfortunate situations. Teams are built in moments like these, when you manage to overcome difficulties. These are the moments that help you build a team.

One of the most difficult moments of the match was the injury to Tomasz Neugebauer, who had to leave the pitch before half-time:

– Neugebauer’s injury was the worst thing that happened on the pitch today. You know how he plays, how he links defence and attack, and how important he is to our team. We don’t know how long Tomek will be out. He will undergo medical examinations tomorrow, and then we’ll see how serious the injury is.

Blanuta was one of the key figures in Saturday’s match, finding the back of the net twice:

– It’s very important for a striker to score goals. I spoke to him recently and told him not to get frustrated when he doesn’t score. His quality is very high. We need to work with him on the pitch, but also on the mental side of his game.

Towards the end of the press conference, the head coach addressed the supporters’ reaction following the defeat against Jagiellonia Białystok in the STS Polish Cup:

– We have to win matches and bring joy to our supporters. I really appreciate victories like this, when we manage to turn a game around. I was very surprised by the way our supporters reacted after our last defeat, and I’m extremely grateful to them for that. I would like to dedicate this victory to our supporters, as well as to Bogdan and Dawid, who are also Lechia fans.