The Polish U-18 team from 2011 played a friendly match
Poles led by coach Michał Globisz in the group defeated Spain 4-1 and Denmark 3-2, and also tied 1-1 with Belgium. They took first place and defeated Czech Republic 3-1 in the final. The goals in the decisive place of the meeting were scored by Łukasz Nawotczyński, Wojciech Łobodziński and Łukasz Madej.
– This victory with Spain was a spring for us. I didn’t play in the final because in the match against Denmark I got a yellow card for playing the match. Paweł Kapsa defended the Czech Republic very well – emphasized Tomasz Kuszczak, former player of Stosy Polski and Manchester United. – It was a step. Somewhere I saw a statistic that only me and Dariusz Zawadzki did not play in the league. I am glad that we are mentioning that championship, because we are forgetting about the numerical successes.
20 years after the European Championships in Finland, almost all Polish representatives appeared at the sports facilities, in three stages of themselves, as well as in the next championships of the 2008 tournament. Not all of them came at the best time, but at the best time. Only a few of the championship squad were missing: Mateusz Żytka, Dariusz Zawadzki, Łukasz Mierzejewski, and Łukasz Nawotczyński arrived at the jubilee gala.
In the match with the TVP representation, it was clear that many of them had recently played the first guest of Bucharest in seniors for performances in Poland: Paweł Golański, Przemysław Kaźmierczak, Rafał Grzelak, Łukasz Madej, Sebastian Mila, Wojciech Łobodziński, Paweł Brożek or Radosław Matusiak.
The host of the match, Michał Listkiewicz, dictated a penalty kick, which was used by Robert Sierant. In the stands there was cheering for this competitor who is the coach of youth groups in SMS in Łódź. The place of the match was not accidental. They studied at the Sports Championship School because I know Golański, Kaźmierczak, Grzelak, Madej, Brożek, Robert Sierant and Paweł Hajduczek.
Łobodziński, who after Grzelak’s cross, was moved by TVP, moved to 2-0. – I played 20 percent, but successes after successes in some 200 percent to their best – joked Łobodziński, coach of Miedzi Legnica. – They were saying all the time that I was fooling myself and I stick to it all the time.
Na Madej, Brożek, Kaźmierczak, Piątek, Paska or Grzelak were impressive with their silhouettes. The rest of the group gained some more. After the break, the Polish representatives had no mercy for their rivals and scored five goals. TVP shot honorably for another person for another Polish representative, Marcin Żewłakow.
– In 2001, I gave the body as the president of the Polish Football Association, because I did not go to the final. Eugeniusz Kolator and Eugeniusz Nowak were for my deputies – admitted Listkiewicz. – But I was late in Canada at the Poland-Brazil match in the U-20 World Championship, which we won after a goal by Grzegorz Krychowiak. I remember it very well, because 25 of our fans from the Polish community and Canada came to Montreal.
After the match, TVP journalists regretted that they had not put themselves in a gold medal in the U-18 European Championship. “They couldn’t work out the situation for 20 minutes,” said one of them. “No no, we didn’t stand a chance with them,” admitted another.
And Rafał Patyra, who played the role of a coach for TVP, joked: – They had an unauthorized player, i.e. Radosław Matusiak [nie było go na mistrzostwach Europy w Finlandii – przyp. red.]so in a moment the result will be the opposite.
On the occasion, a tournament for children has already been played, Le Katowice SMS, Zachodnia Śląska Wrocław and ŁKS.
Poland U-18 (2001) – TVP 7-1 (2: 0)
Goals: Łobodziński, Brożek, Matusiak after 2, Sierant – Żewłakow.
Poland U-18 (2001): Kuszczak, Kapsa – Napierała, Radler, Sierant, Brożek, Golański, Hajduczek, Kaźmierczak, Grzelak, Mila, Łobodziński, Madej, Hajduczek, Rogalski, Matusiak, Pachelski, Piątek.