Bednarek’s commitment made a difference

The match against Zabrze was the 19th in a row when Filip Bednarek was positioned in Lech’s goal. 10 minutes into the game, the goalkeeper was forced to take the ball out of his own net after Szymon Włodarczyk converted a penalty kick into a goal. Before the first half had ended, the goalkeeper was unsure whether he’d reappear on the pitch in the second part of the match – all because of a direct clash with Lukas Podolski. Bednarek was given medical attention, but it wasn’t enough.

“It all happened in the heat of the battle; that’s the way life is. At halftime, the doctor saw up my knee – he used six stitches for one of the wounds, and then another two for the second wound – then gave me painkillers and sent me back on the pitch,” explained Filip.

Despite the physical discomfort, Bednarek not only managed to finish the match, but also make a positive difference in the second half – his impressive interventions were crucial in the context of stopping Górnik from scoring the second goal. The fact that Lech managed to secure all three league points was largely thanks to the Polish goalkeeper. “I had to intervene a few times, but overall, these are good types of games. Despite the tiredness – after multiple travels and accompanying emotions – the satisfaction is bigger when you manage to hang by a thread and win than if you get an easy 3:0 victory,” highlighted the goalkeeper who stopped 7 shots fired by the opponent on target.

Bednarek gave his all multiple times throughout the Sunday match, but he also recognizes the whole team’s hard work, especially the defenders who are positioned in front of him. According to Filip, there was one factor that made the difference. “It all came down to each one of us being focused. Antonio and Lubo did an amazing job, but I also want to give credit to the whole team because they all performed well. However, our defenders were always positioned perfectly and were in the right place at the right time to eliminate threats. You don’t always see it, but they do crucial work,” added Bednarek.