Pogoń Szczecin - Lech Poznań 0:1

Lech travelled to Szczecin with a three-goal advantage from the first leg of the Polish Cup semi-finals. Since Pogon had nothing to lose, they concentrated on the offensive in the opening minutes of the game. In the 5^th minute Tetteh made a mistake that could have cost Lech a goal, but Listowski fired a shot that was off target. 3 minutes later Nunes’ sent a cross into the box from the corner of the pitch and Drygas converted it into a shot that Radut, who was standing on the goal line, saved at the last moment.

Pogon’s offensive attacks resulted in the hosts’ absolute domination on the pitch. Lech struggle to regain control and their chaotic passes only made Pogon’s task easier. In the 12^th minute Kort decided for a shot from outside the box, but Buric intervened successfully. A couple of minute later Gyursco’s header missed the post by centimeters. However, the best scoring chance for Pogon came in the 30^th minute when Kedziora’s poor pass was intercepted by Kort who, if it wasn’t for Buric, could have placed the ball in the back of Lech’s net.

The guests concentrated on counterattacks hoping that Pogon would make a mistake in the defense. Radut had a good opportunity to score, but his shot from outside the box was slightly imprecise. A few minutes later the Romanian player added an assist to his account. The midfielder spotted Robak, who was left with a bit of free space around him, and sent him a well-timed pass. The Polish forward won a direct clash with one of the defenders, dribbled around the other one and beat the goalkeeper without problems. Thanks to the goal Lech was a step closer to the final.

Therefore, if Pogon was to play in the last match of the Polish Cup, they needed to score 5 goals. The hosts came out for the second half determined to score as many goals as they could. Drygas’ shot from outside the penalty area caused problems to Buric, but the goalkeeper eventually stopped the ball from falling into the back of the net. A moment later Fojut’s header was blocked by Nielsen at the last moment. Knowing that the best way to defend is to attack, Bjelica’s players attempted to shift the play to their rival’s half of the pitch.

However, whenever Lech built a good offensive action, it was from a counterattack. One of the counterattacks was finished off by Makuszewski who, left one-on-one with Rudol, eventually lost the direct clash with the defender. Nonetheless, Lech’s offensive actions were infrequent and rarely dangerous to Pogon’s defensive line. The guests had a couple of set pieces that they could convert into a second goal, but they seemed to lack precision.

Meanwhile, Pogon started playing at a slower tempo. Since Fraczczak left the pitch, the team from Szczecin was no longer as dangerous and as creative in the offensive. In the meantime, Lech’s players were saving energy for the upcoming Sunday game. In the 71^st minute Jevtic came on the pitch and it took him less than a minute to build a good scoring chance. The Swiss player rushed into the rival’s box, but he slipped before he could fire a shot and in the result, he lost the ball. That was the last offensive action worth noting and, therefore, when the referee ended the match, the players from Poznan advanced to the final of the Polish Cup.

POGOŃ SZCZECIN - LECH POZNAŃ 0:1 (0:1)

Goals: Robak (41)

Yellow cards: Rapa, Listkowski, Nunes

Pogoń: Jakub Słowik - Cornel Rapa (60. David Niepsuj), Sebastian Rudol, Jarosław Fojut, Ricardo Nunes - Marcin Listkowski, Mateusz Matras, Kamil Drygas, Adam Gyurscio - Dawid Kort (76. Sebastian Kowalczyk) - Adam Frączczak (60. Nadir Ciftci)

Lech: Jasmin Burić - Tomasz Kędziora, Jan Bednarek, Lasse Nielsen, Maciej Wilusz - Abdul Aziz Tetteh, Łukasz Trałka - Maciej Makuszewski (73. Marcin Wasielewski), Szymon Pawłowski (71. Darko Jevtić), Mihai Radut - Marcin Robak (57. Nicki Bille)

Attendance: 4676