Poland - Puchar Ligi 1977-1978


Poland - List of League Cup Finals

Tournament held on two occasions, initiated by "Sport" magazine. The first edition in 1977 was contested by all 16 top level clubs in Poland (including GKS Tychy and ROW Rybnik, who had just been relegated) and was considered an official tournament by the PZPN (Polish FA). It started two days after the final round of the 1976/77 league season and was finished three weeks later. Winners Odra Opole were rewarded with a place in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup.
The second edition in 1978 also started immediately after the league season (which ended in controversy following allegations of corruption in the final few rounds) and just before the 1978 World Cup in Argentina (Poland played its first match the day after the league cup final). As only eleven top level clubs (including both relegated sides, Zawisza Bydgoszcz and Górnik Zabrze) agreed to enter, four Hungarian clubs (of which two, Kaposvári Rákóczi and SZEOL, had also just been relegated from the domestic top level) were invited to make up the numbers. Because of this, the PZPN did not consider the tournament official.
Two successor tournaments, the Puchar Ligi Polskiej (2000-2002) and the Puchar Ekstraklasy (2007-2009) were little more successful, each managing three editions before disappearing from the calendar.


Palmares

1977 Odra Opole
1978 Górnik Zabrze

Finals

1977 Odra Opole                3-1 Widzew Łódź 
1978 Górnik Zabrze             2-0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec


1977

Group Stage

Grupa I

Round 1
[May 29]
Arka Gdynia               0-0 Lech Poznań               
[Jun 1]
Pogoń Szczecin            2-1 Śląsk Wrocław             

Round 2
[Jun 4]
Śląsk Wrocław             0-1 Arka Gdynia               
[Jun 5]
Lech Poznań               2-0 Pogoń Szczecin            

Round 3 [Jun 9]
Lech Poznań               3-0 Śląsk Wrocław             
Arka Gdynia               0-1 Pogoń Szczecin            

Final Table:

 1.Lech Poznań                        3   2  1  0   5- 0   5  Qualified
 2.Pogoń Szczecin                     3   2  0  1   3- 3   4
 3.Arka Gdynia                        3   1  1  1   1- 1   3
 4.Śląsk Wrocław                      3   0  0  3   1- 6   0

Grupa II

Round 1 [May 29]
Ruch Chorzów              3-3 Odra Opole                
GKS Tychy                 1-2 Szombierki Bytom          

Round 2 [Jun 5]
Szombierki Bytom          1-0 Ruch Chorzów              
Odra Opole                1-0 GKS Tychy                 

Round 3 [Jun 9]
Ruch Chorzów              0-0 GKS Tychy                 
Odra Opole                3-2 Szombierki Bytom          

Final Table:

 1.Odra Opole                         3   2  1  0   7- 5   5  Qualified
 2.Szombierki Bytom                   3   2  0  1   5- 4   4
 3.Ruch Chorzów                       3   0  2  1   3- 4   2
 4.GKS Tychy                          3   0  1  2   1- 3   1

Grupa III

Round 1
[May 29]
ROW Rybnik                0-5 Wisła Kraków              
[Jun 7]
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        1-0 Górnik Zabrze             

Round 2
[Jun 4]
Wisła Kraków              5-0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
[Jun 5]
Górnik Zabrze             1-1 ROW Rybnik                

Round 3 [Jun 9]
Górnik Zabrze             4-5 Wisła Kraków              
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        2-2 ROW Rybnik                

Final Table:

 1.Wisła Kraków                       3   3  0  0  15- 4   6  Qualified
 2.Zagłębie Sosnowiec                 3   1  1  1   3- 7   3
 3.ROW Rybnik                         3   0  2  1   3- 8   2
 4.Górnik Zabrze                      3   0  1  2   5- 7   1

Grupa IV

Round 1
[May 28]
ŁKS Łódź                  3-0 Legia Warszawa            
[May 29]
Widzew Łódź               1-0 Stal Mielec               

Round 2
[Jun 4]
Legia Warszawa            0-1 Widzew Łódź               
[Jun 5]
Stal Mielec               0-0 ŁKS Łódź                  

Round 3
[Jun 8]
Widzew Łódź               1-1 ŁKS Łódź                  
[Jun 9]
Stal Mielec               1-1 Legia Warszawa            

Final Table:

 1.Widzew Łódź                        3   2  1  0   3- 1   5  Qualified
 2.ŁKS Łódź                           3   1  2  0   4- 1   4
 3.Stal Mielec                        3   0  2  1   1- 2   2
 4.Legia Warszawa                     3   0  1  2   1- 5   1

Playoff Stage

Semifinals [Jun 12]
Widzew Łódź               2-1 Wisła Kraków              
Odra Opole                7-4 Lech Poznań               [aet]

Final [Jun 18, Częstochowa]
Odra Opole                3-1 Widzew Łódź               
  [Andrzej Grębosz 3og, Wojciech Tyc 33, 75; Zdzisław Rozborski 90]


1978

NB: teams listed in italics were from Hungary.

Group Stage

Grupa I

Round 1 [May 6,7]
Widzew Łódź               1-1 Polonia Bytom             
Stal Mielec               1-2 Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   

Round 2 [May 10]
Polonia Bytom             0-3 Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   
Stal Mielec               1-0 Widzew Łódź               

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Widzew Łódź               1-0 Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   
Polonia Bytom             2-1 Stal Mielec               

Round 4 [May 17]
Polonia Bytom             1-2 Widzew Łódź               
Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   8-0 Stal Mielec               

Round 5 [May 20,21]
Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   3-1 Polonia Bytom             
Widzew Łódź               2-1 Stal Mielec               

Round 6 [May 24]
Stal Mielec               2-2 Polonia Bytom             
Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   3-0 Widzew Łódź               

Final Table:

 1.Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)            6   5  0  1  19- 3  10  Qualified
 2.Widzew Łódź                        6   3  1  2   6- 7   7
 3.Polonia Bytom                      6   1  2  3   7-12   4
 4.Stal Mielec                        6   1  1  4   6-16   3

Grupa II

Round 1 [May 6,7]
Kaposvári Rákóczi         0-2 ŁKS Łódź                  
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         2-1 Pogoń Szczecin            

Round 2 [May 10]
Pogoń Szczecin            1-1 ŁKS Łódź                  
Kaposvári Rákóczi         2-1 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Kaposvári Rákóczi         1-2 Pogoń Szczecin            
ŁKS Łódź                  0-0 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         

Round 4 [May 17]
Pogoń Szczecin            2-1 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         
ŁKS Łódź                  1-0 Kaposvári Rákóczi         

Round 5 [May 20,21]
ŁKS Łódź                  3-1 Pogoń Szczecin            
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         0-2 Kaposvári Rákóczi         

Round 6 [May 24]
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         1-1 ŁKS Łódź                  
Pogoń Szczecin            1-0 Kaposvári Rákóczi         

Final Table:

 1.ŁKS Łódź                           6   3  3  0   8- 3   9  Qualified
 2.Pogoń Szczecin                     6   3  1  2   8- 8   7
 3.Kaposvári Rákóczi                  6   2  0  4   5- 7   4
 4.Zawisza Bydgoszcz                  6   1  2  3   5- 8   4

Grupa III

Round 1 [May 6,7]
Szombierki Bytom          0-1 SZEOL (Szeged)            
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        bye

Round 2 [May 10]
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        4-0 SZEOL (Szeged)            
Szombierki Bytom          bye

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Szombierki Bytom          6-4 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
SZEOL (Szeged)            bye

Round 4 [May 17]
SZEOL (Szeged)            1-0 Szombierki Bytom          
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        bye

Round 5 [May 20,21]
SZEOL (Szeged)            2-3 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
Szombierki Bytom          bye

Round 6 [May 24]
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        2-2 Szombierki Bytom          
SZEOL (Szeged)            bye

Final Table:

 1.Zagłębie Sosnowiec                 4   2  1  1  13-10   5
 2.SZEOL (Szeged)                     4   2  0  2   4- 7   4
 3.Szombierki Bytom                   4   1  1  2   8- 8   3

Grupa IV

Round 1 [May 6,7]
Tatabányai Bányász        3-1 Śląsk Wrocław             
Odra Opole                1-4 Górnik Zabrze             

Round 2 [May 10]
Górnik Zabrze             3-1 Śląsk Wrocław             
Tatabányai Bányász        2-2 Odra Opole                

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Śląsk Wrocław             2-1 Odra Opole                
Tatabányai Bányász        1-2 Górnik Zabrze             

Round 4 [May 17]
Górnik Zabrze             2-0 Odra Opole                
Śląsk Wrocław             3-0 Tatabányai Bányász        

Round 5 [May 20,21]
Odra Opole                2-2 Tatabányai Bányász        
Śląsk Wrocław             1-3 Górnik Zabrze             

Round 6 [May 24]
Odra Opole                2-2 Śląsk Wrocław             
Górnik Zabrze             1-1 Tatabányai Bányász        
  [before this match there was a farewell ceremony for Zygfryd Szołtysik,
   member of the 1972 Olympic gold medal winning side, who was ending his
   football career at 35 years of age (however, he then moved to Canada
   to play for Toronto Falcons and continued playing for minor teams in
   Poland and Germany into his late forties)]

Final Table:

 1.Górnik Zabrze                      6   5  1  0  15- 5  11  Qualified
 2.Śląsk Wrocław                      6   2  1  3  10-12   5
 3.Tatabányai Bányász                 6   1  3  2   9-11   5
 4.Odra Opole                         6   0  3  3   8-14   3

Playoff Stage

Semifinals [May 28]
Diósgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   o/w Zagłębie Sosnowiec        [Diósgyőri VTK withdrew]
Górnik Zabrze             2-0 ŁKS Łódź                  

Final [May 31, Zabrze]
Górnik Zabrze             2-0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
  [Janusz Marcinkowski 15, Józef Kurzeja 27]


Poland - List of League Cup Finals

About this document

Sources: for 1977: Wikipedia (Polish edition); for 1978: Dziennik Polski (at Malopolska Digital Library), Trybuna Robotnicza (at Śląska Biblioteka Cyfrowa (Silesian Digital Library)), WikiGórnik; background information: Historia Polskiej Piłki Nożnej

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 10 Mar 2022

(c) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 2022
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.