Lech Poznań - Cracovia 0:0

Lech had already begun the new season by beating Górnik Zabrze 3:1 to lift the Polish Super Cup for the seventh time in the club's history. They then turned their attention to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, where they secured an impressive 4:1 away win over Aarhus GF in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie. Niels Frederiksen's side will soon have the chance to seal their place in the next round when they host the Danish Champions in the return leg. Before that, however, they resumed their league campaign.

The opening stages against Cracovia were evenly contested, with few clear-cut chances at either end. The guests threatened first in the 14th minute when Ajdin Hasić struck from outside the penalty area, but his effort drifted wide of Mateusz Lis' goal. Lech responded soon afterwards through Antoni Kozubal, whose powerful shot was saved by Sebastian Madejski. The resulting corner saw Patrik Wålemark deliver a promising cross into the box, where Leo Bengtsson managed to make contact, but his effort flew wide of the target. Just a minute later, Wålemark produced a superb individual run past Cracovia's defensive line before forcing another fine save from Madejski. Mikael Ishak reacted quickest to the rebound, but the Lech captain's follow-up effort flew over the crossbar. Cracovia pushed forward before halftime in search of the opening goal, but Kozubal was alert in defence and eliminated the threat.

The biggest talking point came early in the second half when Mateusz Lis was shown a red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area. Following a lengthy VAR review, however, referee Damian Sylwestrzak overturned his original decision, allowing Lech's goalkeeper to remain on the pitch. The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 72nd minute when Radosław Murawski unleashed a powerful long-range effort, only for Madejski to produce another outstanding save. In the closing stages, both Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Luis Palma tried changing the score, but neither could find a way past Cracovia's keeper.

Lech will return to Ekstraklasa action next weekend when they face the league newcomers Wieczysta Kraków. Before then, however, Frederiksen's men will host Aarhus GF at the Enea Stadium on Wednesday, looking to confirm their place in the next round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.