Korona Kielce vs Zemplín Michalovce

The match was barely two minutes old when Mariusz Stępiński smashed Korona ahead. The experienced striker let fly from outside the box — the ball cannoned off the post and nestled into the net past Lukáč in the Michalovce goal.

Three minutes later, Błanik doubled the lead. A perfectly weighted through-ball sent him clean through, and he finished calmly one-on-one with the goalkeeper (5').

Michalovce struggled to respond. Xavier Dziekoński in the Korona goal was barely tested in the opening half-hour. In the 19th minute, Błanik grabbed his second. A defensive error in the Slovak box gifted possession to the winger; his first shot was saved, but he tucked away the rebound to make it 3-0.

Korona controlled the remainder of the first half without adding to the score. Michalovce registered their first shot on target only in the closing minutes of the half, Dziekoński saving comfortably.

Head coach Jacek Zieliński swapped his entire outfield XI at half-time, introducing a completely fresh side. Rafał Mamla replaced Dziekoński in goal.

Konstantinos Sotiriou almost made it four early in the second half but hit the post. Michalovce grew into the game after the break and created more chances, but Mamla was equal to their efforts.

Igor Chmielewski eventually added the fourth in the 75th minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box and finishing calmly to round off the scoring at 4-0.

The match was effectively over inside 19 minutes. Stępiński's 2nd-minute opener from distance gave Korona immediate control, and Błanik's quickfire double — the second from a defensive error — killed any hope Michalovce had of mounting a competitive response. The 3-0 half-time scoreline allowed Zieliński to rotate his entire squad in the second period.

Dawid Błanik was the standout. Two goals inside 14 minutes (5', 19') — the first a clinical one-on-one finish, the second a poacher's rebound — showcased his sharpness in the final third.

Mariusz Stępiński opened the scoring with a stunning strike from distance in the 2nd minute, setting the tone for the afternoon.

Igor Chmielewski capped his second-half cameo with a composed finish in the 75th minute, finding the bottom corner from inside the box.

Player of the match: Dawid Błanik (Korona Kielce) — two goals in the space of 14 minutes effectively decided the contest.

Korona's 4-0 victory came from four goals from 11 shots on target across the two halves. The first-half XI created the bulk of the chances (3 goals in 19 minutes), while the second-half unit added one more. Michalovce, fifth in the Slovak Ekstraklasa last season, managed only a handful of efforts on goal — most coming after the break against a completely changed Korona defence. The clean sheet was shared between Dziekoński (first half) and Mamla (second half).

This was Korona Kielce's first pre-season friendly of summer 2026 under Jacek Zieliński, who took charge of the Ekstraklasa side last season. The comprehensive win against a Michalovce side that finished fifth in the Slovak top flight is a promising start to their preparations. Zieliński used 22 players across the 90 minutes, suggesting the squad is still being assessed before competitive fixtures begin.

Korona Kielce's next pre-season fixture is yet to be announced at the time of writing. Zemplín Michalovce continue their own summer programme ahead of the 2026/27 Slovak Ekstraklasa season.

A professional, efficient start to pre-season from Korona Kielce. The first-half display was particularly sharp — Stępiński and Błanik combined to devastating effect inside the opening 20 minutes. The wholesale half-time changes show Zieliński's focus on building squad depth, and the clean sheet will be a welcome bonus regardless of the XI on the pitch.