23 May 2007, by Sean Gillen

Rui Miguel scores vital goal as Zaglebie close in on Polish title triumph

Zaglebie Lubin 4-2 Widzew Lodz

Portuguese forward Rui Miguel scored within two minutes of coming on as a substitute as Zaglebie Lubin beat Widzew Lodz 4-2 to go top of the Polish Liga with just one match remaining.

GKS Belchatow’s 2-1 home defeat to Wisla Krakow gave Zaglebie the opportunity to close the two-point gap between the sides at the top of the table, and Rui Miguel helped the side from Lubin win their match on Tuesday and become the league’s new leaders going into the final day.

Marcin Pietron put Zaglebie ahead at the Stadion Gorniczego Osrodka Sportu when he finished off a good passing move with a left-footed finish in the 13th minute, and the hosts held onto the lead until the break.

However, Widzew stunned the 34,000 capacity home crowd with two goals inside the first three minutes of the second half. Serbian Sasa Bogunovic got on the end of a left-wing cross to stab home on 47 minutes, and the striker swept in his second following a rapid Lodz counter attack one minute later.

A stunned Zaglebie boss Robert Pietryszyn called for Miguel almost immediately, and the former Naval man took just two minutes to draw his side level, heading home a right-wing cross, to the joy of his manager.

Zaglebie were back in front on the hour, with Lukasz Piszczek latching onto a throughball and coolly lifting his finish over the onrushing Jakub Hladowczak. The comeback was completed when Piszczek got his second six minutes later, again showing great composure to turn his marker and slip the ball past the Widzew ‘keeper.

If the side from the south-west of Poland manage to secure the title during next weekend’s tough final match at Legia Warsaw, it will be only their second ever title, having won the national championship in 1991.

Zaglebie finished third in the Polish Liga last season, following a 12th place finish in the previous campaign.

Zaglebie:
Vaclavik, G. Bartczak, Stasiak, Alunderis, Arboleda, Lobodzinski, M.Bartczak, Iwanski (Pawłowski, 85), Pietron (Kolendowicz, 51), Piszczek, Banaczek (Rui Miguel, 51)

Widzew:
Hladowczak, Klos, Oshadogan, Stawarczyk, L.Broz, Szeliga (Grzelczak, 65), Rzezniczak (Kursa, 46), Juszkiewicz, Budka, Bogunovic, M. Broz

Goals:
[1-0] Pietron, 13
[1-1] Bogunovic, 47
[1-2] Bogunovic, 48
[2-2] Rui Miguel, 53
[3-2] Piszczek, 60
[4-2] Piszczek, 66