Lech Poznań - FC Thun 7:0

After beating KÍ Klaksvík 6:0 in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Niels Frederiksen’s side progressed to the next and final stage of the qualifiers, where they were drawn against Swiss Champions FC Thun, who have reached the group stage of the competition in the past.

Both teams set a high tempo from the opening minutes. The guests created the first goal-scoring opportunity - a corner awarded to Thun caused chaos in Mateusz Lis’s penalty area. The Swiss offensive players managed to get to the ball and tried to find the net, but Lech defended successfully.

Frederiksen's players created their first clear chance in the 10th minute. Patrik Wålemark won possession, beat his defender and raced towards the penalty area before placing the ball in the net. Just a few minutes later, Mateusz Skrzypczak tried to increase Lech’s advantage from a set piece, but the centre-back’s header went wide. A quick free-kick routine involving Antoni Kozubal and Pablo Rodríguez in the 20th minute led to Lech’s second goal. After receiving the ball from Kozubal, the Spaniard immediately played it through to Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, who had made a run into space. The Iranian rushed into the penalty area and beat the Swiss Champions’ goalkeeper to make it 2:0. Thun immediately looked for a way to bounce back, but Lis made two excellent saves one after another. Following the second of those efforts, Lech counterattacked. Michał Gurgul, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Luis Palma combined efforts brilliantly down the left flank before the full-back played the ball to Wålemark. The Swede kept his composure once more and calmly slotted the ball between the posts to make it 3:0. Before halftime, Lech found a way to beat the Swiss defence twice more. Joel Pereira played the ball from outside the penalty area, Kozubal received the pass and immediately set up Skrzypczak, who extended his side’s lead. The fifth goal came from Radosław Murawski, who received a great pass from Rodríguez, and beat the Swiss keeper with a precise shot. Lech went into the break with a five-goal advantage.

The second half mirrored the first 45 minutes, as Frederiksen’s players continued to impress with their quality and clinical finishing. They gave their opponents very little space while continuing to create chances at the other end. It did not take long for a sixth goal to arrive. In the 47th minute, Sayyadmanesh played the ball to Daniel Håkans, who accelerated past the defenders and found the net. With less than 30 minutes remaining, the Swiss side appeared to have finally beaten Lis and scored. However, Lech’s players immediately appealed for an offside, which was confirmed by a VAR review. The final goal arrived in the 79th minute, when Robert Gumny converted a pass from Gurgul to make it 7:0.

Lech are now within touching distance of the Europa League league phase; the Polish Champions must seal the deal in the second leg. The match will be played on Thursday, August 27th (8:00 PM) at the Visana Stadion in Thun.