Cracovia - Lech Poznań 3:3

From hell to heaven and back – that’s a good description of Lech’s Sunday clash with Cracovia. In the opening match of the spring round, the team from Poznań drew 3:3 against their rival from Cracow.

The atmosphere within Lech’s squad ahead of the spring round was positive. The team from Poznań built a four-point advantage over the second team in the league table and the winter friendly games aroused optimism ahead of the second part of the season. However, the Sunday clash with Cracovia turned out to be a cold shower for Skorża’s squad. 15 minutes into the match, Lech had already conceded a goal – Michał Rakoczy beat Filip Bednarek with a bit of help from Antonio Milić who changed the path of the shot.

Lech’s reaction to the conceded goal gave the fans hope. The squad from Poznań didn’t panic; they gradually regained control of the match and quickly scored an equalizer. In the 29^th minute, Mikael Ishak recovered the ball near the sideline and sent a perfectly timed pass to Joao Amaral. The Portuguese offensive player dribbled past the defenders and beat Karol Niemczycki with a precise shot.

The second half was a continuation of Lech’s domination. Shortly after the referee resumed the game, Lech took the lead. This time Amaral set up Jakub Kamiński with a great goal-scoring opportunity and the young winger converted it into a goal. The one-goal advantage wasn’t enough for Skorża’s squad. In the 67^th minute, the Portuguese offensive player changed the score to 3:1. It seemed that nothing could take the win away from Lech anymore, but the hosts proved everyone wrong.

Two defensive mistakes, including one in injury time, created two goal-scoring chances for Cracovia which the hosts didn’t waste. However, despite losing two points, Lech remains the leader of PKO BP Ekstraklasa.

In the next league round, Lech will face Bruk-Bet Termalica at home. The match is scheduled for Saturday, February 12^th, at 8 pm.

Cracovia - Lech Poznań 3:3 (1:1)

Goals: Michał Rakoczy (18.), Jakub Myszor (77.), Filip Balaj (90.+1) - Joao Amaral (29., 67.), Jakub Kamiński (47.)

Red card: Sergiu Hanca (90.+2 – two yellow cards)

Cracovia: Karol Niemczycki - Cornel Rapa, Matej Rodin, Jakub Jugas - Otar Kakabadze (89. Filip Balaj), Sylwester Lusiusz (57. Michal Siplak), Hebo Rasmussen, Luis Rocha - Sergiu Hanca (57. Florian Loshaj), Michał Rakoczy - Pelle van Amersfoort

Lech Poznań: Filip Bednarek - Joel Pereira (84. Alan Czerwiński), Lubomir Satka, Antonio Milić, Pedro Rebocho - Jesper Karlstrom (75. Nika Kvekveskiri), Radosław Murawski - Michał Skóraś (61. Dawid Kownacki), Joao Amaral (84. Dani Ramirez), Jakub Kamiński (75. Filip Marchwiński) - Mikael Ishak.