Lech Poznań - FC Midtjylland 3:2

Lech Poznań players have already had the chance to test their form against two Polish top-division rivals – Zagłębie Lubin (3:1) and Lechia Gdańsk (0:1). Although in the latter game, the score wasn’t satisfactory, for Maciej Skorża’s squad it isn’t about results as much as it is about putting to life all the elements they practise during training sessions. “We had a lot of goal-scoring opportunities which we should have converted into actual goals. Of course, it’s better if we win sparring games even though there are no points at stake. It’s something we should work on. However, a lot of the stuff we practised during training sessions we managed to make use of during the clash with Lechia. There were a lot of positive highlights, but of course, I’d rather see my team triumph. It might be down to tiredness, but we shouldn’t use it as an excuse. We have to keep on working hard so that it’s easier for us down the line when the league season kicks off. I have to admit, that I felt much better in this recent match, and the closer to the first league game, the better we will all feel,” explained Artur Sobiech, one of Lech’s most recent signings.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lech Poznań welcomed FC Midtjylland on their homegrown. The Danish vice-champions have been training in Opalenica ahead of the upcoming season. The sparring game against Lech Poznań was an important one for the Danes as it’s one of the last tests ahead of their Champions League qualifier clash with Celtic FC which will take place on July 20^th.

The hosts started the match well and shortly after the first whistle, they already caused problems to Midtjylland’s defensive line. Joao Amaral tried surprising the rival’s goalkeeper but his strong shot from outside the penalty area was slightly off target. A few moments later, the Portuguese midfielder had another good goal-scoring opportunity – this time, he received a well-timed pass into the box from Mikael Ishak, however, Amaral’s shot wasn’t clean and, hence, the keeper didn’t have problems stopping it. Gradually as the match progressed, the guests were in possession of the ball more often. Still, it was Lech that scored first. Nearly 30 minutes into the match, Jakub Kamiński was fouled inside the box by Henrik Dalsgaard and Ishak converted the penalty kick into the first goal.

The start of the second half resembled the first 45 minutes – Lech Poznań was very focused on the offence, however, without much success as Michał Skóraś’ two shots were both off target. The Danish side equalised in the 61^st minute when Daniel Høegh converted his teammate’s precise cross into a goal. After that, it was Lech that successfully placed the ball in the back of the net. First, Antoni Kozubal fired a shot at the goal which Karlo Muhar slightly redirected and was therefore put in the match report as the goal scorer. Then the Croatian midfielder set up Mateusz Skrzypczak with a good through ball and the latter sent a well-timed pass to Filip Marchwiński who confidently redirected the ball into the goal. In the 88^th minute, Midtjylland’s captain Rasmus Nicolaisen set the final score to 3:2 for the hosts.

Lech Poznań’s next sparring game is scheduled for July 9^th, 4 pm – that’s when they will face second-division Arka Gdynia in their last test ahead of the start of the season.

Lech Poznań - FC Midtjylland 3:2 (1:0)

Goals: Ishak (30.- penalty), Muhar (74.), Marchwiński (81.) - Høegh (61.), Nicolaisen (88.)
Cards: Pione Sisto (yellow card), Nicolas Madsen (red card)

Lech Poznań: Filip Bednarek (46. Mickey van der Hart) - Joel Pereira (62. Alan Czerwiński), Jesper Karlström (70. Karlo Muhar), Jakub Kamiński (70. Filip Borowski), Mikael Ishak (62. Artur Sobiech), Dani Ramirez (77. Filip Wilak), Antonio Milić, Bartosz Salamon (70. Mateusz Skrzypczak), Michał Skóraś (72. Filip Marchwiński), Joao Amaral (62. Aron Johannsson), Pedro Tiba (72. Antoni Kozubal)