Górnik Zabrze - Lech Poznań 2:1

The Friday league clash was Lech’s third match in a row against a team from Silesia. They previously faced GKS Katowice at home (2:0) and then travelled to Gliwice to play against Piast (0:0) a week later. The last game of the year was the biggest challenge of those three matches—Lech’s opponent Górnik Zabrze, won five out of their last six matches.

Niels Frederiksen quickly experienced first-hand Górnik’s excellent disposition. In the 4^th minute, Luka Zahović successfully avoided the offside trap and with a clever shot from up close beat Bartosz Mrozek, changing the score to 1:0 for the hosts. Less than 10 minutes later, Lech Poznań equalised thanks to Afonso Sousa who converted a great pass from Wojciech Mońka into a goal. However, the guests didn’t hold onto the score for long – not even 60 seconds later, Górnik was again up by one goal; this time, Kamil Lukoszek placed the ball in the back of the net. The intensity of the match gradually decreased and for a while, the fans gathered in Zabrze didn’t see much action. Finally, towards the end of the first half, Lech came close to equalizing but Daniel Hakans’s attempt was slightly off target whereas Mikael Ishak’s shot was blocked by Górnik’s defenders at the very last second.

Lech Poznań came back for the second half determined to turn the tables. Patrik Walemark and Ishak both tried to surprise the opponent’s keeper but their shots were imprecise. Gradually, the hosts started making it harder for Lech to come close to their goal despite being down by one man after Rafał Janicki saw a red card in the 59^th minute. In the end, the hosts held onto the 2:1 score and added three league points to their account in the last match of the year. Meanwhile, Niels Frederiksen’s squad remains at the top of the PKO BP Ekstraklasa table despite the loss, with a two-point advantage over Raków Częstochowa.