2021–22 Ekstraklasa
96th season of top-tier football league in Poland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2021–22 Ekstraklasa (also known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski)[4][5] was the 96th season of the Polish Football Championship, the 88th season of the highest tier domestic division in the Polish football league system since its establishment in 1927 and the 14th season of the Ekstraklasa under its current title. The league is operated by the Ekstraklasa S.A.
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 July 2021 – 21 May 2022 |
| Champions | Lech Poznań (8th title) |
| Relegated | Górnik Łęczna Wisła Kraków BB Termalica Nieciecza |
| Champions League | Lech Poznań |
| Europa Conference League | Raków Częstochowa Pogoń Szczecin Lechia Gdańsk |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 818 (2.67 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ivi López (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Lech 5–0 Wisła K. (17 September 2021) Raków 5–0 Jagiellonia (18 December 2021) Lech 5–0 Termalica (12 February 2022) |
| Biggest away win | Wisła K. 0–5 Śląsk (23 October 2021) Radomiak 1–6 Zagłębie (6 May 2022) |
| Highest scoring | Legia 5–3 Górnik (6 May 2022) |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Radomiak Radom Lech Poznań |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Raków Częstochowa |
| Longest winless run | 10 matches Warta Poznań |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Legia Warsaw |
| Highest attendance | 41,008 Lech 2–1 Zagłębie (21 May 2022)[1] |
| Lowest attendance | 0[A] Radomiak 2–2 Piast (14 December 2021)[2] |
| Total attendance | 2,249,931[B][3] |
| Average attendance | 7,353 |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
The regular season was played as a round-robin tournament. A total of 18 teams participated, 15 of which competed in the league campaign during the previous season, while the remaining three were promoted from the 2020–21 I liga. The season started on 23 July 2021 and concluded on 21 May 2022. Each team played a total of 34 matches, half at home and half away. It was the first season in the formula with 18 teams, instead of 16.[6] The bottom three teams of the final league table were relegated. It was the fifth Ekstraklasa season to use VAR.
Legia Warsaw were the defending champions, who won their 15th Polish title the previous season. Lech Poznań clinched their 8th Ekstraklasa title on 14 May after winning 1–2 away against Warta Poznań and after Raków Częstochowa lost 0–1 away against Zagłębie Lubin, both with one game remaining. The season's runner-up was Raków Częstochowa, and the third-placed team was Pogoń Szczecin.
Teams
A total of 18 teams participated in the 2021–22 Ekstraklasa season.
Changes from last season
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała had been relegated to 2021–22 I liga, ending their one-year stay in the top flight. The 2021–22 season is Radomiak Radom’s first season in the top flight since the 1984–85 season, and their first season after the league’s name change in 2008. Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza returned to the top flight after 3 years, having last played in the 2017–18 season. The third, and last team, to be promoted was Górnik Łęczna, returning after a four-year absence.
| Promoted from 2020–21 I liga |
Relegated from 2020–21 Ekstraklasa |
|---|---|
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
- ^Upgrading to 31,871.
- ^Upgrading to 21,163.[7]
- ^Due to the renovation of Stadion im. Braci Czachorów in Radom, Radomiak will play home matches at the Stadion Lekkoatletyczno-Piłkarski in Radom.
- ^Due to the renovation of Dębińska Road Stadium in Poznań, Warta will play home matches at the Stadion Dyskobolii in Grodzisk Wielkopolski.[8]
- ^Upgrading to 15,000.
| Bruk-Bet Termalica | Cracovia | Górnik Łęczna | Górnik Zabrze | Jagiellonia | Lech |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadion Bruk-Bet Termalica | Stadion im. Józefa Piłsudskiego | Stadion Górnika | Stadion im. Ernesta Pohla | Stadion Miejski | Stadion Poznań |
| Capacity: 4,666 | Capacity: 15,114 | Capacity: 7,464 | Capacity: 24,563 | Capacity: 22,432 | Capacity: 43,269 |
| Lechia | Legia | Piast | Pogoń | Radomiak | Raków |
| Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk | Stadion Wojska Polskiego | Stadion im. Piotra Wieczorka | Stadion im. Floriana Krygiera | Stadion Lekkoatletyczno-Piłkarski | Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków |
| Capacity: 43,615 | Capacity: 31,800 | Capacity: 10,037 | Capacity: 9,300 | Capacity: 4,501 | Capacity: 5,500 |
| Stal | Śląsk | Warta | Wisła Kraków | Wisła Płock | Zagłębie |
| Stadion Miejski | Tarczyński Arena Wrocław | Stadion Dyskobolii | Stadion im. Henryka Reymana | Stadion im. Kazimierza Górskiego | Stadion Miejski |
| Capacity: 6,864 | Capacity: 45,105 | Capacity: 5,383 | Capacity: 33,326 | Capacity: 3,500 | Capacity: 16,068 |
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Górnik Zabrze | End of contract | 27 May 2021 | Pre-season | 27 May 2021 | ||
| Jagiellonia Białystok | End of caretaker spell | 4 June 2021 | 4 June 2021 | |||
| Wisła Kraków | 7 June 2021 | 7 June 2021 | ||||
| Zagłębie Lubin | Signed for Abha Club | 1 July 2021 | 16 July 2021 | |||
| Stal Mielec | Resigned | 8 July 2021 | 9 July 2021 | |||
| Lechia Gdańsk | Mutual consent | 28 August 2021 | 6th | 1 September 2021 | ||
| Legia Warsaw | Sacked | 25 October 2021 | 15th | 25 October 2021 | ||
| Warta Poznań | 2 November 2021 | 17th | 8 November 2021 | |||
| Cracovia | Mutual consent | 9 November 2021 | 11th | 10 November 2021 | ||
| Legia Warsaw | Resigned | 13 December 2021 | 18th | 13 December 2021 | ||
| Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza | Sacked | 13 December 2021 | 17th | 13 December 2021 | ||
| Zagłębie Lubin | 16 December 2021 | 13th | 16 December 2021 | |||
| End of caretaker spell | 21 December 2021 | 14th | 21 December 2021 | |||
| Jagiellonia Białystok | Sacked | 23 December 2021 | 10th | 23 December 2021 | ||
| Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza | End of caretaker spell | 6 January 2022 | 18th | 6 January 2022 | ||
| Resigned | 8 January 2022 | 18th | 10 January 2022 | |||
| Wisła Kraków | Sacked | 13 February 2022 | 13th | 14 February 2022 | ||
| Wisła Płock | 28 February 2022 | 10th | 28 February 2022 | |||
| End of caretaker spell | 7 March 2022 | 7th | 7 March 2022 | |||
| Śląsk Wrocław | Sacked | 8 March 2022 | 13th | 9 March 2022 | ||
| Górnik Łęczna | Resigned | 4 April 2022 | 17th | 7 April 2022 | ||
| Radomiak Radom | Sacked | 25 April 2022 | 6th | 25 April 2022 |
- Italics for interim managers.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lech Poznań (C) | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 67 | 24 | +43 | 74 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Raków Częstochowa | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 60 | 30 | +30 | 69 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Pogoń Szczecin | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 63 | 31 | +32 | 65 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round[a] |
| 4 | Lechia Gdańsk | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 57 | |
| 5 | Piast Gliwice | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 54 | |
| 6 | Wisła Płock | 34 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 48 | |
| 7 | Radomiak Radom | 34 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 48 | |
| 8 | Górnik Zabrze | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 47 | |
| 9 | Cracovia | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 42 | −2 | 46 | |
| 10 | Legia Warsaw | 34 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 46 | 48 | −2 | 43 | |
| 11 | Warta Poznań | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 42 | |
| 12 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 40 | |
| 13 | Zagłębie Lubin | 34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 43 | 59 | −16 | 38 | |
| 14 | Stal Mielec | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 37 | |
| 15 | Śląsk Wrocław | 34 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 35 | |
| 16 | Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (R) | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 36 | 56 | −20 | 32 | Relegation to I liga |
| 17 | Wisła Kraków (R) | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 31 | |
| 18 | Górnik Łęczna (R) | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 28 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Number of wins; 7) Number of away wins; 8) Lower number of points based on yellow and red cards (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, sending-off = 3 points - including 1 point for first yellow card); 9) Fairplay ranking; 10) Draw. (Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played)[42]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Since the winners of the 2021–22 Polish Cup, Raków Częstochowa, qualified for the Europa Conference League based on league position, the second Europa Conference League first qualifying round berth was transferred to the 4th-placed team.
Positions by round
Note: The place taken by the team that played fewer matches than the opponents was underlined.[C]
| Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round | |
| Qualification for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round | |
| Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round | |
| Relegation to I liga |
Results
Results by round
Season statistics
Top goalscorers |
Top assists
|
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cracovia | Piast Gliwice | 2–4 (A) | 27 September 2021 | [49] | |
| Śląsk Wrocław | Wisła Kraków | 0–5 (A) | 23 October 2021 | [50] | |
| Piast Gliwice | Legia Warsaw | 4–1 (H) | 24 October 2021 | [51] | |
| Lechia Gdańsk | Stal Mielec | 3–2 (H) | 9 May 2022 | [52] | |
| Radomiak Radom | Wisła Kraków | 4–2 (H) | 15 May 2022 | [53] | |
Attendances
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lech Poznań | 383,514 | 41,008 | 9,111 | 22,560 | +120.7% |
| 2 | Wisła Kraków | 259,679 | 25,317 | 10,150 | 15,275 | +153.5% |
| 3 | Legia Warsaw | 246,554 | 25,702 | 10,260 | 14,503 | +58.3% |
| 4 | Górnik Zabrze | 204,726 | 23,103 | 7,438 | 12,043 | +19.9% |
| 5 | Śląsk Wrocław | 157,872 | 21,997 | 5,873 | 9,287 | +10.3% |
| 6 | Lechia Gdańsk | 149,379 | 23,574 | 5,170 | 8,787 | +78.0% |
| 9 | Pogoń Szczecin | 130,494 | 9,138 | 5,923 | 7,676 | +295.7% |
| 7 | Cracovia | 118,928 | 14,191 | 5,749 | 6,996 | +53.0% |
| 8 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 118,616 | 15,383 | 4,421 | 6,977 | +35.6% |
| 10 | Raków Częstochowa | 72,347 | 5,500 | 2,577 | 4,256 | +144.2% |
| 11 | Radomiak Radom | 65,337 | 4,491 | 0 | 4,084 | +221.6%1 |
| 12 | Piast Gliwice | 63,429 | 6,895 | 2,339 | 3,731 | +38.1% |
| 14 | Stal Mielec | 60,040 | 6,200 | 2,098 | 3,546 | +15.6% |
| 16 | Zagłębie Lubin | 53,812 | 6,072 | 1,425 | 3,165 | +6.7% |
| 13 | Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza | 49,124 | 4,564 | 2,054 | 2,890 | +132.3%1 |
| 15 | Górnik Łęczna | 48,199 | 6,006 | 2,043 | 2,834 | +117.7%1 |
| 18 | Wisła Płock | 36,363 | 3,105 | 1,000 | 2,139 | +71.9% |
| 17 | Warta Poznań | 31,518 | 4,820 | 1,088 | 1,854 | −12.8% |
| League total | 2,249,931 | 41,008 | 0 | 7,353 | +50.9% |
Source: 90minut.pl (in Polish)
Notes:
1. Team played last season in I liga.
Awards
Monthly awards
Annual awards
| Award[82] | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Raków Częstochowa | |
| Young Player of the Season | Lech Poznań | |
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Raków Częstochowa | |
| Defender of the Season | Lech Poznań | |
| Midfielder of the Season | Raków Częstochowa | |
| Forward of the Season | Lech Poznań | |
| Coach of the Season | Lech Poznań | |
| Goal of the Season | Śląsk Wrocław |
See also
Notes
- Match have been played behind closed doors without any spectators.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic some matches have been played with a limited number of spectators.
- The list of postponed matches:
- Legia Warsaw – Zagłębie Lubin (3rd round, played on 15 December 2021)[43]
- Raków Częstochowa – Radomiak Radom (4th round, played on 29 September 2021)[44]
- Raków Częstochowa – Górnik Zabrze (5th round, played on 15 December 2021)[44]
- Legia Warsaw – Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza (5th round, played on 15 March 2022)[45]
- Radomiak Radom – Piast Gliwice (17th round, played on 14 December 2021)[46]