Responsibility on young shoulders

With one minute to go, Pedro Tiba rushed down the right flank, dribbled past two defending players, and set up Jakub Moder with a perfect pass. The young midfielder didn’t hesitate before firing a shot at the goal. Łukasz Trałka successfully blocked the attempt but since the ball bounced off his elbow, referee Piotr Lasyk was forced to point to the white spot in the penalty area. Jakub Moder approached the ball, confident that the referee’s decision was correct and that he was going to help his team win three important league points.

“I knew that I was going to shoot. I didn’t have any doubts that it was a handball, however, it took some time for the referee to check the replays. Afterwards, it all came down to calmness,” explained the midfielder for whom the penalty was his 6^th top-tier goal.

When the hosts were awarded a penalty kick, Moder was the second-youngest player wearing the blue shirt on the pitch. It might have seemed that a more experienced footballer would convert the set piece, especially considering the stakes. However, the 21-year-old didn’t hesitate before grabbing the ball and placing it on the white spot. Most importantly, his execution was equally confident. “I didn’t feel anxious; I was confident and knew exactly where I was going to aim. The goalkeeper guessed right but the shot was too strong for him to stop the ball,” emphasised the young midfielder.

In the past campaign, Moder also scored from a penalty kick, against Śląsk Wrocław in an away clash (2:2). However, back then, there were two other players on the pitch who had priority when it came to penalty kicks. “Currently, I am the first in line when it comes to spot kicks but last season I was third, following Gytkjaer and Ramirez. The coach has observed during training sessions that I can execute penalty kicks confidently and now I need to prove myself during official games. I am hoping that next time we are given a penalty kick, I can also convert it into a goal,” said Moder.

Back in junior teams and at the beginning of his senior career, Moder rarely got to execute a spot kick, much less in a match with so much at stake. However, his hard work paid off and the results are indisputable. “I have practised penalty kicks a lot when I competed for youth teams and even during my span at Odra Opole. I never got to test myself in the league but I worked hard during training sessions and my objective was to earn a chance in an official game. I am hoping that when the next opportunity comes along, I will be able to prove myself again,” highlighted Moder.