A confident win against Maribor

Lech’s first team is currently training in Belek, Turkey where they are preparing for the second part of the season. Last week, they played their first friendly match, against LASK Linz. The Austrian side, having been preparing for the spring round longer than their Polish opponent, beat Mariusz Rumak’s team 3:0. The following practice matches have been scheduled closer to the end of Lech’s training camp.

As a result of playing two friendly games on the same day, the coaching staff decided to create two starting line-ups, and in the one facing Maribor, we saw a few Academy talents. Bartosz Tomaszewski was positioned alongside the experienced Antonio Milic, whereas the offensive line was reinforced by Maksymilian Dziuba and Kornel Lisman.

However, a different homegrown talent played the main role in the first half of the game. The 21-year-old striker Filip Szymczak found the back of the net for the first time in the 10^th minute. Filip Marchwiński was the one who initiated the offensive attempt and Adriel Ba Loua set up Szymczak with a beautiful cross that the striker effortlessly converted into the first goal.

Nearly 15 minutes later, the score changed again, thanks to Szymczak. Nika Kvekveskiri fired a shot from outside the box and although his attempt didn’t end up in the net, Szymczak’s follow-up shot did. Adriel Ba Loua also came close to scoring however, his effort was blocked. Meanwhile, Maribor looked for a way to change the score in their favour using set pieces executed by their biggest star – Josip Illicic. However, Lech’s defence was flawless in the first half, hence when the referee announced the break, they had a two-goal advantage over their opponent.

Mariusz Rumak’s team did not slow down in the second half and Lisman was one of the key figures in the offensive efforts. The winger had a few successful dribbles, one of which put him one-on-one with Maribor’s keeper. Although in this situation, the score didn’t change, it seemed inevitable that Lech scored once again. Finally, in the 54^th minute, Elias Andersson sent a cross into the box from a corner kick and Antonio Milić’s header was impossible to stop. Despite a three-goal advantage, Rumak’s players seemed hungry for more.

Gradually, a few other Academy players appeared on the pitch. Igor Draszczyk came in as a substitute for Ba Loua and in the 70^th minute, Sammy Dudek and Michał Gurgul made an appearance too. Moreover, the coaching staff gave a chance to Kamil Jakóbczyk and Partyk Olejnik. Despite having multiple youngsters on the pitch, Lech stayed in control of the match and held onto the three-goal advantage.

Lech Poznań - NK Maribor 3:0 (2:0)

Goals: Szymczak (10., 24.), Milić (54.)

Lech Poznań: Filip Bednarek - Alan Czerwiński, Bartosz Tomaszewski, Antonio Milić, Elias Andersson (71. Michał Gurgul) - Nika Kvekveskiri, Filip Marchwiński (83. Patryk Olejnik), Maksymilian Dziuba (71. Sammy Dudek) - Kornel Lisman (83. Kamil Jakóbczyk), Filip Szymczak, Adriel Ba Loua (46. Igor Draszczyk)