Game of the season in Ząbki! A semi-final rollercoaster with a happy ending! PFL semi-final recap: Warsaw Eagles – Lowlanders Białystok

Game of the season? Of the decade? Perhaps even the greatest game in the entire history of American football in Poland. On Saturday afternoon, fans in Ząbki witnessed a spectacle that will live long in the memory! After an all-out battle and an emotional rollercoaster, we beat Lowlanders Białystok and book our place in Polish Bowl XXI. Here is our semi-final recap.

More than three hours of football, two overtimes, over 75 points scored between the two teams, controversy, drama and spectacular plays. On Saturday afternoon, the fans at MOSiR Stadium in Ząbki and those watching the broadcast saw a game we will surely keep coming back to and talking about for many years.

The Eagles opened the game with the kickoff. The visitors started their first drive from around their own 25-yard line and from the very start went for quick, accurate passes to Eryk Mąkowski. From the first seconds it was clear that Brett Pullman would be very well in sync with his receivers that day. The Bison quarterback did not hold on to the ball for long. He was decisive, sure of what he wanted to do, and found his receivers very quickly. After a few completions to Jeremi Zaro and Eryk Mąkowski, Pullman spotted Mąkowski wide open, he ran into the end zone, and Lowlanders opened the scoring. After we got the ball back, Krzysztof Nosow produced a decent return to around the 30-yard line. On our first drive we relied on Jan Szwej's runs and attempted a deep pass. Unable to move the chains, we had to give the ball back to the visitors, who safely saw out the first quarter.

Photo: Eryk Tumaszyk (opens in a new tab)

The start of the second quarter brought another very quick blow from the visitors. Starting the play from around the 11-yard line, Brett Pullman threw a quick, accurate pass to the left for Bernardo Horevitch. He secured the ball at the edge of the end zone and the Białystok side went two scores up. Probably nobody who follows the PFL week in, week out expected that scenario. We had to respond quickly, but on our next drive, despite Kornel Witkowski's strong efforts, we could not get into the black-and-yellows' half. The visitors stuck to their standard game – very quick, accurate balls to the outside. With every passing minute our defence read the visitors' intentions better, which forced them to punt the ball back to us. Only on the following drive did we get back within touching distance. First Jakub Sema made a catch for a few yards, and then Kornel Witkowski brilliantly broke free from the defence, caught a pass from Vidal Woodruff wide open and raced into the end zone. Filip Twardowski converted the extra point.

Stung by conceding a touchdown, Lowlanders went straight back on the attack. With just one catch, Bernardo Horevitch took the Białystok offence into our half. The quarterback himself also tried his luck with solo runs. Yards came very easily for them, but at one point Dawid Magrean showed great awareness and read the play superbly, making an interception that allowed our offence to take the field late in the second quarter. The interception fired up the offence, which managed to score just before half-time. Jakub Sema shone again, catching the ball with four Lowlanders defenders around him. Krzysztof Nosow took it into the end zone, hauling in a pass from Vidal Woodruff on the right side of the end zone. Filip Twardowski added the extra point and we went into the locker room level.

We started the third quarter rather nervously, as we decided to go for it on fourth down around the 43-yard line in our own half. The play was quickly stopped and we handed the black-and-yellows a big gift. Our visitors did not wait long and quickly took advantage. First Bernardo Horevitch caught a short pass, then Brett Pullman himself broke through the middle of the defence and had a clear run to the end zone. Przemysław Odzimek stopped him just in time, around the 2-yard line. From the 1-yard line, Lowlanders simply drove into the end zone with everything they had. The ball came out of Pullman's hands and it looked as though we had recovered it, but the officials ruled that the player had already crossed into the end zone, and the Białystok side could celebrate another touchdown.

With play constantly in that part of the field, the clock was running down very fast. We had to get a move on to make up the deficit. Kornel Witkowski and Bruno Waszkiewicz again impressed with great catches, and the former, with the play close to Lowlanders' end zone, cut sharply inside and caught the ball in the end zone. We finished the third quarter level at 21:21.

Check out the key moments of the game on our Instagram (opens in a new tab)

Brett Pullman opened the final quarter of regulation in sensational fashion. The Bison quarterback opted for a solo run, wrong-footing our defence. He got good blocks from his teammates, broke five tackles and ran into the end zone himself. Once again we had to fight back. Krzysztof Nosow caught a superb pass from Vidal Woodruff, but the play was brought back because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. We had a lot of ground to make up. Bruno Waszkiewicz nearly picked up the first down, but on fourth down Damian Wesołowski broke up the key pass. Our defence stopped Lowlanders' next drive and, with four minutes left in regulation, we set off on another attempt to draw level. Mateusz Ozimek impressed with strong runs to earn first downs, then Aleksander Dąda caught a great pass, and Krzysztof Nosow put the icing on the cake, breaking free down the left and catching the pass in the end zone. With 12 seconds left, the Bison still attempted a 50-yard field goal, but it was no good. The result would have to be settled in overtime.

The Eagles opened overtime, and the first touchdown came from Aleksander Dąda, catching a pass from Vidal Woodruff. Filip Twardowski added the extra point, and Lowlanders also had to score 7 points to keep their hopes of victory alive. They managed it. Bernardo Horevitch caught a pass from Pullman, Sebastian Jagielski added the extra point, the scoreboard read 35:35, and the game went on.

In the second overtime, Lowlanders had the ball first and we managed to stop them. Everything was now down to our offence. If we scored any points at all on our possession, the game would be over. And so it was. Krzysztof Nosow caught a 10-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff, sealing the game and sending us into Polish Bowl XXI. No conversion attempt was needed. The touchdown alone was enough to settle it.

SEMI-FINAL | Warsaw Eagles – Lowlanders Białystok 41:35 (0:7, 14:7, 7:7, 7:7, 7:7 OT1, 6:0 OT2)

Q1

0:7 – 5-yard pass from Brett Pullman to Eryk Mąkowski / Sebastian Jagielski +1

Q2

0:14 – 11-yard pass from Brett Pullman to Bernardo Horevitch / Sebastian Jagielski +1
7:14 – 65-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Kornel Witkowski / Filip Twardowski +1
14:14 – 5-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Krzysztof Nosow / Filip Twardowski +1

Q3

14:21 – 1-yard run by Brett Pullman / Sebastian Jagielski +1
21:21 – 12-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Kornel Witkowski / Filip Twardowski +1

Q4

21:28 – 31-yard run by Brett Pullman / Sebastian Jagielski +1
28:28 – 19-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Krzysztof Nosow / Filip Twardowski +1

OT1

35:28 – 9-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Aleksander Dąda / Filip Twardowski +1
35:35 – 20-yard pass from Brett Pullman to Bernardo Horevitch / Sebastian Jagielski +1

OT2

41:35 – 10-yard pass from Vidal Woodruff to Krzysztof Nosow

For the third year in a row, we will have the chance to be crowned Polish champions. The semi-final clash in Ząbki will undoubtedly go down in the history of American football in Poland. It has been a long time since we saw so much drama, such great plays, such spectacular touchdowns and tension right up to the final seconds. Now it is time for a two-week break, to heal the knocks, analyse our mistakes, and on 26 July in Wrocław we will fight for another gold! Our opponents will be the team we played in our first game of the 2026 season. We will play for the trophy against the young, ambitious and energetic Panthers Wrocław.

The final will take place on Sunday, 26 July at 14:00 at the Olympic Stadium in Wrocław. Tickets are available HERE (opens in a new tab).