The Polish Ekstraklasa season came to an end on Saturday, bringing relegation disappointment for Latvian internationals Vladislavs Gutkovskis and Alvis Jaunzems, while Estonian defender Märten Kuusk celebrated European qualification with GKS Katowice.
Earlier this week it was officially confirmed that Arka Gdynia, represented by Gutkovskis, would be relegated to Poland’s second division after a crucial defeat against Bruk-Bet Termalica. In Saturday’s final match of the season, Arka travelled to face Rakow Czestochowa, who still had a mathematical chance of finishing second in the league.
Gutkovskis started the match and played 64 minutes, but Arka closed out their Ekstraklasa campaign with a 0-3 defeat, extending their winless streak to seven matches. The 31-year-old striker finished his return season in Poland’s top flight with four goals and one assist in 16 league appearances.
Joining Arka in relegation will be Lechia Gdansk, where Jaunzems has been sidelined through injury since last year. Lechia needed an away victory against already relegated Bruk-Bet Termalica to survive, but once again failed to deliver in a must-win situation, suffering a 2-3 defeat.
Lechia, featuring several former Valmiera FC players including Camilo Mena, Rifet Kapic and Ivan Zhelizko, played one of the league’s most entertaining styles this season, finishing tied for the highest number of goals scored while also conceding the most in the division. However, a disastrous run through April and May ultimately sealed relegation, as the club failed to win any of their final seven league matches, losing six of them.
That means both Latvian internationals’ clubs will compete in Poland’s second tier next season.
Meanwhile, Kuusk and GKS Katowice had reason to celebrate. Although the Estonian defender was not included in the squad on Saturday, Katowice scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser away against Pogon Szczecin to earn a crucial 1-1 draw. The point secured a fifth-place finish and qualification for European competitions for the first time since the 2003/04 season, finishing ahead of Poland’s most decorated club Legia Warsaw.
Kuusk completed his third season in Poland, making 15 Ekstraklasa appearances during the campaign.
Source: https://www.ekstraklasa.org/
