Lech Poznań - Górnik Zabrze 0:1

Frederiksen’s team has had a great run this spring so far. They are competing on three fronts - the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, the STS Polish Cup, and the UEFA Conference League - and they recorded six consecutive victories. Moreover, the team from Poznań remains among the leading contenders for the Polish Championship.

In the quarter-finals of the STS Polish Cup, Lech had to face Górnik Zabrze. The two sides had already met twice earlier this season, and on both occasions the team managed by Niels Frederiksen triumphed (2:1 and 1:0).

The opening minutes of the match at Bułgarska were rather uneventful. The first real goal-scoring chance came in the 12th minute when Joel Pereira delivered a cross into the penalty area. Leo Bengtsson converted it into a header, but the shot was too powerful and flew over the crossbar. A few minutes later, Mikael Ishak tried to open the scoring, but the captain also sent his effort wide of the goal. In the 25th minute, the Swede attempted once again to guide the ball into the net, but the guests managed to block the effort at the last moment. Pablo Rodríguez also tried his luck with a powerful long-range strike, though without success.

Late in the first half, Górnik woke up and launched their attack, but they were unable to beat Bartosz Mrozek on their first attempt. That did not stop the side from Zabrze. The guests took control of the game, and in the 41st minute, following a goal from Lukas Sadílek, they changed the score in their favour.

Despite persistent efforts, Lech were unable to equalise. A good opportunity arose in the 76th minute when the referee awarded the hosts a penalty kick after Joel Pereira was fouled in the box and showed Maksym Khalan a red card. The right-back stepped up to take the penalty, but unfortunately for Lech, the Portuguese player’s shot was stopped by Marcel Łubik. Just before the end of the match, Yannick Agnero attempted an overhead kick in an effort to give his team one last chance of progressing, but the ball missed the target.

In their upcoming fixtures, Lech will fight to take the top spot in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa and to secure a place in the Conference League quarter-finals.