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 G�rnik Zabrze) agreed to enter, four Hungarian clubs (of which two, Kaposv�ri R�k�czi 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 G�rnik Zabrze

Finals

1977 Odra Opole                3-1 Widzew Ł�dź 
1978 G�rnik 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 Chorz�w              3-3 Odra Opole                
GKS Tychy                 1-2 Szombierki Bytom          

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

Round 3 [Jun 9]
Ruch Chorz�w              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 Chorz�w                       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 Krak�w              
[Jun 7]
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        1-0 G�rnik Zabrze             

Round 2
[Jun 4]
Wisła Krak�w              5-0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
[Jun 5]
G�rnik Zabrze             1-1 ROW Rybnik                

Round 3 [Jun 9]
G�rnik Zabrze             4-5 Wisła Krak�w              
Zagłębie Sosnowiec        2-2 ROW Rybnik                

Final Table:

 1.Wisła Krak�w                       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.G�rnik Zabrze                      3   0  1  2   5- 7   1

Grupa IV

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

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

Round 3
[Jun 8]
Widzew Ł�dź               1-1 ŁKS Ł�dź                  
[Jun 9]
Stal Mielec               1-1 Legia Warszawa            

Final Table:

 1.Widzew Ł�dź                        3   2  1  0   3- 1   5  Qualified
 2.ŁKS Ł�dź                           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 Ł�dź               2-1 Wisła Krak�w              
Odra Opole                7-4 Lech Poznań               [aet]

Final [Jun 18, Częstochowa]
Odra Opole                3-1 Widzew Ł�dź               
  [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 Ł�dź               1-1 Polonia Bytom             
Stal Mielec               1-2 Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   

Round 2 [May 10]
Polonia Bytom             0-3 Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   
Stal Mielec               1-0 Widzew Ł�dź               

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Widzew Ł�dź               1-0 Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   
Polonia Bytom             2-1 Stal Mielec               

Round 4 [May 17]
Polonia Bytom             1-2 Widzew Ł�dź               
Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   8-0 Stal Mielec               

Round 5 [May 20,21]
Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   3-1 Polonia Bytom             
Widzew Ł�dź               2-1 Stal Mielec               

Round 6 [May 24]
Stal Mielec               2-2 Polonia Bytom             
Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   3-0 Widzew Ł�dź               

Final Table:

 1.Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)            6   5  0  1  19- 3  10  Qualified
 2.Widzew Ł�dź                        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]
Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         0-2 ŁKS Ł�dź                  
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         2-1 Pogoń Szczecin            

Round 2 [May 10]
Pogoń Szczecin            1-1 ŁKS Ł�dź                  
Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         2-1 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         1-2 Pogoń Szczecin            
ŁKS Ł�dź                  0-0 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         

Round 4 [May 17]
Pogoń Szczecin            2-1 Zawisza Bydgoszcz         
ŁKS Ł�dź                  1-0 Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         

Round 5 [May 20,21]
ŁKS Ł�dź                  3-1 Pogoń Szczecin            
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         0-2 Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         

Round 6 [May 24]
Zawisza Bydgoszcz         1-1 ŁKS Ł�dź                  
Pogoń Szczecin            1-0 Kaposv�ri R�k�czi         

Final Table:

 1.ŁKS Ł�dź                           6   3  3  0   8- 3   9  Qualified
 2.Pogoń Szczecin                     6   3  1  2   8- 8   7
 3.Kaposv�ri R�k�czi                  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]
Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        3-1 Śląsk Wrocław             
Odra Opole                1-4 G�rnik Zabrze             

Round 2 [May 10]
G�rnik Zabrze             3-1 Śląsk Wrocław             
Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        2-2 Odra Opole                

Round 3 [May 13,14]
Śląsk Wrocław             2-1 Odra Opole                
Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        1-2 G�rnik Zabrze             

Round 4 [May 17]
G�rnik Zabrze             2-0 Odra Opole                
Śląsk Wrocław             3-0 Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        

Round 5 [May 20,21]
Odra Opole                2-2 Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        
Śląsk Wrocław             1-3 G�rnik Zabrze             

Round 6 [May 24]
Odra Opole                2-2 Śląsk Wrocław             
G�rnik Zabrze             1-1 Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz        
  [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.G�rnik Zabrze                      6   5  1  0  15- 5  11  Qualified
 2.Śląsk Wrocław                      6   2  1  3  10-12   5
 3.Tatab�nyai B�ny�sz                 6   1  3  2   9-11   5
 4.Odra Opole                         6   0  3  3   8-14   3

Playoff Stage

Semifinals [May 28]
Di�sgyőri VTK (Miskolc)   o/w Zagłębie Sosnowiec        [Di�sgyőri VTK withdrew]
G�rnik Zabrze             2-0 ŁKS Ł�dź                  

Final [May 31, Zabrze]
G�rnik Zabrze             2-0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec        
  [Janusz Marcinkowski 15, J�zef 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)), WikiG�rnik; background information: Historia Polskiej Piłki Nożnej

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

Author: Karel Stokkermans ([email protected])
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.