Poland The Cup

The Cup final was played in Czestochowa and in it Legia (Warszawa) destroyed Lech (Poznan) 5-0. To a point, it was expected victory.

Lech had miserable season – they finished 10th in the championship, but they were traditionally not much anyway. Yet, their squad was stronger – as names – than Szombierki (Bytom), having few national team players – Mowlik, Chojnacki. A Cup final should have been mobilizing call, but apparently was not.

Legia, unlike Lech, was in good form at the end of the season,when the Cup final was played and easily won their 6th Cup. They were the better team anyway:

Lead by 1974 hero Marek Kusto, having current top players like Janas, and young talent like Okonski and Majewski, Legia was the superior squad and in better form. For the club, the victory was great success – it was the first trophy they won since 1973. The 1970s was not good for Legia – and for the clubs from the Polish capital in general – since Poland never had dominant big club, the capital was in disadvantage: industrial cities were able to take star players, because the big plants provided more money. Legia finally built a talented team, but like Widzew, it was perhaps not at its peak yet. May be the political situation in the country benefited Legia as well – it is difficult to evaluate, yet, the industrial cities, particularly ship-building and mining ones, were striking, money were blocked, and football was the last thing on the minds of both workers and establishment. Legia was in a better position, since the club was not attached to industry. But this is immaterial at the end: Legia won a trophy after many bleak years. Very comfortably too, suggesting that the team was rising and better things may come yet.