Two years ago, Legia beat Midtjylland in a Conference League qualifier after penalties. On Thursday night, Thomasberg was all happy to claim his revenge against Legia when Adrian Przyborek scored the winning goal three minutes from the end of extra time after a counter-attack to push Pogoń Szczecin into the 1/8 finals of the Polish Cup.
"It was nice to return to Legia's stadium. This time, there were no penalty kicks. Two years ago, I lost here as coach of Midtjylland. We are through to the next round and can still dream of triumphing in this competition. Extra time could have gone either way," said Thomasberg, who was sacked at FC Midtjylland at the end of August and replaced Robert Kolendowicz at the end of September.
Pogoń are still unbeaten after Thomasberg's arrival. In four matches, the 'Portowcy' have recorded three wins and a draw as they won against Piast Gliwice (2-1) and Cracovia (2-1) and drew against Lech Poznan 2-2.
"In all these matches, we showed character. The reserves once again gave us the upper hand in the final minutes," emphasised the coach.
There is a lot of pressure on Pogoń, as they have lost two consecutive Polish Cup finals in the previous two seasons. During the previous years, they came up short against Wisła Kraków 1-2 and Legia 3-4. On Thursday, Thomasberg's new outfit took a vital step towards qualifying for another Cup final when they beat Legia.
"I know the history. A domestic cup final is always a prestigious match. I have a lot of respect for Legia as a team and a club. However, it was not about Legia, the most important thing is that we are among the 16 teams still fighting for the trophy", said Thomasberg.
In Thursday's match against Legia, Pogoń captain Kamil Grosicki scored the first goal in the 58th minute, but the 37-year-old winger was taken off later in the match by Thomasberg and replaced with Adrian Przyborek, who scored the winning goal in the 117th minute.
"I am happy with Grosicki's attitude, but I have to save players to reduce the risk of injury. I asked him how he was feeling. Kamil replied that he could play for a few more minutes. Przyborek scored a goal, so it was a good decision," said the Danish coach.
Pogon are now unbeaten for four games. Thomasberg now may enjoy an impressive streak of 22 matches without defeat and hopes to continue his impressive statistics.
"When you win matches, you gain confidence. I am happy with the start of my work at Pogon. I have adequate and professional support. The footballers show a great work ethic. I think this all adds up to a good start. We need to continue this. The most important thing is to keep going in this direction," he declared.
Pogoń are in ninth place in the Ekstraklasa after 13 rounds, and are nine points behind leaders Górnik Zabrze. They will face Wisła Płock on away turf on Monday.
"I am focusing on improving our game. We will try to get as many points as possible. The competition in the league is very strong, and the level is even. We face another challenge on Monday, but we will approach it with confidence. The Ekstraklasa has four representatives in the European cups. Several teams are in the fight for the title," Thomasberg concluded.
