SL Benfica - Lech Poznań 3:1

Niels Frederiksen’s side might be left disappointed with their Europa League campaign thus far. After three matches in the league phase, Lech have collected just one point, thanks to a 1:1 draw with Sunderland. Their first two fixtures did not go to plan as they suffered back-to-back defeats: 0:4 away to Crystal Palace and 0:4 at home against Bayer Leverkusen.

Fully aware of how important this match was in the race to reach the next stage of the competition, Lech took to the pitch with high hopes and plenty of intensity. Despite that, Benfica opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute - Schjelderup’s effort was followed up by Rafa Silva, who found the net. The hosts didn't stop there; they kept launching attacks on Lech's goal. Benfica came close to scoring a second before the break when their Norwegian winger fired a shot on target, but Terry Yegbe intervened well - the Ghanaian defender got a touch on the ball, diverting it onto the crossbar before it fell safely into Mateusz Lis’s hands.

The pattern of play remained the same after the break. Benfica continued to control the game and push Lech back whilst looking for further goals to seal a win. However, Lech managed to move the game into the rival's penalty area and create a few scoring chances, including Patrik Wålemark's dangerous header; however, Trubin intervened confidently and denied Lech a goal. The hosts responded quickly, but Prestianni’s shot went wide of Lis’s goal. Pablo Rodríguez then tried his luck, but the Portuguese goalkeeper stopped the Spaniard’s effort.

Soon after, Benfica built another offensive move. The 20-year-old Prestianni ran into the penalty area, passed Lech's defenders and doubled his side’s lead. In the 70th minute, however, the hosts made a costly mistake while playing the ball out from their own penalty area, allowing Leo Bengtsson to pounce. The Swede made no mistake with his finish and changed the score to 2:1.

Benfica were determined to find another goal and put the result beyond doubt, but Lech continued to battle for possession and refused to let the hosts dominate them. Only in the closing minutes did play shift back towards the guests’ half. Benfica managed four shots at Mateusz Lis’s goal, but none found the net. The decisive moment came in the 90th minute, when Lech lost possession in the opposition half, and Benfica broke forward on the counterattack, making no mistake to seal a 3:1 victory.

Before the international break, Lech have one more league fixture to play. On Sunday, November 8th, they will host Zagłębie Lubin at Bułgarska Street. Their next Europa League league-phase match is scheduled for the final week of November.