Korona Kielce - Lech Poznań 1:2

The start of the spring round has proved extremely intense for Lech. Niels Frederiksen’s side is competing on three fronts – in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup, and the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout stage playoffs. In practice, this means that Lech is playing a match on average every three days.

The team from Poznań began 2026 with two league defeats, to Lechia Gdańsk (1:3) and Piast Gliwice (0:1). Shortly afterwards, however, they secured three consecutive victories. First, they beat Górnik Zabrze (1:0), then won their postponed fixture against Piast Gliwice (3:0), and a few days ago also triumphed against the Finnish side Kuopion Palloseura (2:0).

From the outset, Lech displayed high intensity. As early as the 9th minute, Robert Gumny fired a strong shot at Korona’s goal, but his effort went wide. Shortly afterwards, in the 17th minute, the hosts broke through the Poznań defence; however, the ball missed the target.

In the 30th minute, Lech won possession in their own half and launched an attack. Leo Bengtsson advanced towards the penalty area and, at a crucial moment, played the ball to an unmarked Ali Gholizadeh, who calmly beat Korona’s goalkeeper.

The opening goal gave a burst of fresh energy to Frederiksen’s team. Just over ten minutes later, the guests attacked again, but Michał Gurgul’s effort was stopped by Dziekoński. This did not deter Lech in their pursuit of a second goal. Just before halftime, Antonio Milić found the net following a free-kick and a cross into the box.

Korona emerged for the second half with renewed energy. In the 54th minute, the hosts pulled one back from a corner, with Stępiński scoring a header. Barely two minutes later, the same player rose again and directed the ball into the back of the net. Fortunately for Lech, the Korona striker was caught offside. Both sides continued to push for a goal and valuable points until the final whistle, but lacked the necessary quality in front of the goal.

Thanks to the victory, Lech Poznań now sit third in the table, just behind Zagłębie Lubin, and only two points behind the current leaders, Jagiellonia Białystok. Their next league fixture, against Raków Częstochowa, is scheduled for March 1st (5:30 PM). Before that, however, Frederiksen and his men will play the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout stage playoffs, against Kuopion Palloseura, on Thursday.