Two of the early season surprise packages faced off in the Polish Ekstraklasa on Friday evening, with Cracovia Krakow moving up into second place after beating leaders Pogon Szczecin 2-0 at the Jozef Pilsudski Stadium.
Portuguese frontman Rafael Lopes scored the clincher for Cracovia in the second half with a well-taken goal from a stylish team move, continuing the striker’s recent good form since a summer move from Boavista.
Both teams are surprising observers in the country with their positions in the higher reaches of the table, with Pogon leading the way despite finishing 7th last season. Cracovia meanwhile are one of the league’s highest scorers and the current form of Portuguese striker Rafael Lopes is proving a big asset for a team not expected to compete at the top end of the table.
Lopes, 28, who signed on a free transfer from Boavista during the summer, scored his third goal in two games when he instigated a neat one-two with Filip Piszczek before finding the net with twenty minutes to play. Romanian Cornel Rapa had given the hosts the lead on 58 minutes.
The result means Cracovia are now just a point off the leaders, while for Lopes a 7th goal in all competitions. With six goals from his 13 appearances in the league, the Braga native is now joint-3rd in the top goalscorers charts.
By Sean Gillen
