Julius Ertlthaler after #WISRCZ: At this stadium, you never know what will happen until the very last minute
Damian Urbaniec
Julius Ertlthaler on his first Ekstraklasa goal, his new deal with Wisła, the emotions at Reymonta and preparations for the match against Lech Poznań.
You recently extended your contract with Wisła Kraków, and today you added your first goal of the season. How do you view these recent developments in your career?
I think everything happened at the perfect time. I’m very happy to be staying at this fantastic club for years to come. I’m also pleased I managed to score my first goal of the season.
How did Wisła play today from your perspective? Which parts of the match do you rate most highly, and what should the team still work on?
I think we started very well and controlled the match until more or less the moment we scored the first goal. After that, we stopped playing football, lost the ball too often and let Raków back into the game.
We need to eliminate that and learn to close out matches like this sooner, for example by scoring a second goal. But at this stadium, you never know what will happen until the very last minute.
Against both Śląsk and today, Wisła created danger with passes into the penalty area. How much attention do you devote in training to perfecting these kinds of moves?
Of course, we’re working on it a lot. We practise set pieces and different ways of scoring goals. We also knew we’d have our chances when transitioning from defence to attack.
That was also one of the things we worked on this week.
You’re heading to Poznań to face Lech. Wisła are still waiting for their first away win of the season. How are you approaching this challenge?
I think it’s time to get three points away from home. We know we have a tough match ahead of us, because Lech are a very good team, as everyone in this league knows very well. But we’re not afraid of this opponent. We’ll give everything we’ve got to take points back from Poznań.
Looking at the match as a whole, you get the impression that Wisła had it under control, but at some point gave the initiative to Raków. How do you explain this change in the game?
I think we played a really good match. We controlled what was happening on the pitch and scored the first goal. But then we lost control and, honestly, I don't know exactly why.
We gave the ball away too much and stopped playing the way we know we can. W matches like these, we have to aim to score a second goal so we can decide the outcome earlier.
But we showed that we can keep fighting and scoring goals right to the very end. With the support of our fans, we're capable of doing that.
Today's goal was your first in the Ekstraklasa. What emotions are you feeling after achieving this personal milestone?
Of course, it's a very special moment for me personally. But the team and earning three points always come first. That's my priority.
The closing minutes of the match brought the fans a lot of excitement, and victory came almost at the very last moment. How will you remember the atmosphere in the stadium during those minutes?
It was spectacular. I think everyone who was at the stadium today felt that energy right through to the very end. We're very happy we could give our fans such a joyful moment.
W the near future, you have two demanding matches ahead: first against Lech Poznań, followed by the Kraków derby against Cracovia. How do you plan to prepare for these challenges?
Above all, we're not thinking about Cracovia yet, because we know we have a tough away match first.
We want to earn our first three points away from home, just as we intend to fight for victory in every match. W this week, we'll focus exclusively on Lech Poznań, and we'll only start thinking about Cracovia after the match in Poznań.
You received a brilliant pass from Julian in the build-up to the goal. Were passes in behind Raków's defense part of a tactical plan prepared beforehand, or did the situation result from a spontaneous decision on the pitch?
No, it wasn't a coincidence. We knew we could create chances, especially during transitions from defense to attack.
The coach reminded us of this again at halftime. We were supposed to focus on quick transitions into attack, and that plan worked perfectly for our first goal.
Julius Ertlthaler after #WISRCZ: At this stadium, you never know what will happen until the very last minute