At the center of the storm sat Marek, the lead anchor, whose job was part journalist, part air-traffic controller.

"It's the Multi-Liga," the producer replied, grinning. "See you in fifteen minutes for the late kick-offs."

In a small apartment in Warsaw, a fan named Kuba sat with his betting slip and three different scarves. He didn't care about tactical nuances tonight. He wanted the "Goal!" graphic to flash across the screen like a pulse. When the Multi-Liga host shouted, "Switching to Cyprus!" Kuba leaned in. A 94th-minute header from a defender he’d never heard of kept his parlay alive.