Hosts finish fourth at the Enea Lech Cup

After Saturday's matches, the hosts knew that Champions League clashes with KRC Genk, Atalanta BC, and Manchester City would decide the final standings. The team coached by Łukasz Schalotte and Radosław Cegielski earned their place among this prestigious group thanks to excellent performances on the first day of the tournament, but the past years have already proven that Sunday games could bring unexpected events.

And indeed, this year, the Sunday matches brought Lech players plenty of exhilarating emotions, plot twists, surprises and… from their perspective, a fair bit of frustration. Despite not losing a single match in the Champions League group, they were not able to compete for the title. The reason was simple - all their matches ended in draws, each with its own dramatic storyline. In the first fixture, against Genk, the Lech youngsters had to claw their way back from a 0:3 score, but a brilliant finish, sparked by a goal from Wojciech Janowicz and a brace from Fabian Ciskowski, earned them a 3:3 draw.

Comebacks and spectacular braces defined the Champions League stage for Lech. Atalanta BC took the lead twice in the next match, but both times the hosts’ captain, Maciej Lasecki, got his team back on level terms. Lech couldn’t manage to take the lead themselves, which meant only one thing - to reach the grand final of the Enea Lech Cup, they would have to defeat the extremely strong Manchester City side - a team that knows how to succeed when playing in Poznań.

Once again, the story repeated itself: the Citizens took the lead three times. Their goals came from the impressive attacking duo of Abi-Junior Arowolo and Michael Mellor. Meanwhile, Ciskowski and the goalkeeper, Jan Grzelak, both made sure that Lech stayed in the game. The keeper tried his luck from distance, capitalising on a moment of lost concentration from his counterpart from the British Isles, and he celebrated two goals. However, his efforts and those of his teammates were not enough; three draws put them in third place in a very demanding group and got them a spot in the bronze-medal match.

The team from Poznań had already faced Genk twice this weekend, drawing 2:2 on both occasions. It was clear that the third encounter would finally produce a winner. Backed by lively support from the stands at Morasko over both days, the hosts pushed forward from the start, but it was the guests from Genk who celebrated the first two goals. The players led by Schalotte and Cegielski had their chances and battled bravely, but they went into the break whilst in a tough spot. They started the second half in the best possible way, scoring a goal through their trademark high pressing - Borys Klupś found the net to make it 2:1.

In the following stages, the hosts were unlucky: first, the crossbar denied them, and then the post. Meanwhile, the guests had better fortune, extending their lead to 4:1. Hence, for the second year in a row, Lech finished the Enea Lech Cup ranked fourth. One thing, however, is certain – the U-10 Lech squad showed some excellent football this weekend, demonstrating huge ambition, character, and commitment. They fully deserved the applause they received!

Lech Poznań’s Champions League results

Lech Poznań - KRC Genk 3:2 (Janowicz, Ciskowski x2)
Lech Poznań - Atalanta BC 2:2 (Lasecki x2)
Lech Poznań - Manchester City 3:3 (Grzelak x2, Ciskowski)

Match for 3rd place

Lech Poznań - KRC Genk 1:4 (Klupś)

Group-stage matches were played in a 1 x 15-minute format, while the placement matches consisted of 2 x 10 minutes.