Lech Poznań - Shakhtar Donetsk 0:1

Following the Wednesday goalless draw against Astra Giurgiu, Lech was determined not only to finally score, but also to collect a win and boost their morales. It wasn’t going to be an easy task since Lech’s rival was the current leader of Ukrainian top division – Shakhtar Donetsk. The players from Donbass have a 14-point advantage over the 2^nd team in the league and they are going to compete in Europa League play-offs against Benfica. The training clash with Lech Poznan was their first winter sparring game.

The Ukraininan team dominated the opening minutes of the match, occupying Lech’s half for most of the time. Whenever the side from Poznan tried attacking, they had to remain cautious because their rival was equally dangerous from counterattacks. Once Kostevych was forced to intervene at the last moment when Shakhtar launched an offensive that nearly ended with a goal for the team from Ukraine. Shortly afterwards, Muhar recovered the ball in the midfield and initiative an attack that he finished off with a shot from outside the box. Unfortunately for the team from Poznan, the goalkeeper intervened successfully.

A moment later, Puchacz was given two chances to convert a corner kick into a precise pass. One of them ended with Gytkjaer heading the ball towards the net, but the Ukraininan keeper had no problems stopping the shot. The following time, Rogne converted the cross into an impressive shot that flew above the crossbar. Lech kept on pressing and managed to get a couple of good interceptions near Shakhtar’s penalty area which showed their determination to score.

However, the last minutes of the first half were dominated by the Ukrainians. Rogne managed to block Bolbat’s shot, and then van der Hart was forced to intervene twice. 2 minutes before the end of the first half, Lech nearly conceded a goal when Tete raced down the right flank, left the defenders behind and sent a great shot at the goal. Unluckily for Shakhtar, the attempt was slightly off target. On the other end of the pitch, Puchacz surprised the Ukrainian team with a shot from outside the box which caused a bit of problems to the goalkeeper.

Shortly after the referee resumed the game, Shakhtar scored. A cross from the corner of the pitch caused chaos which Krywcow used to tap the ball into the net. The goal only encouraged Shakhtar to keep on pressing. In the 56^th minute, van der Hart once again intervened impressively when a dangerous shot was coming his way. 20 minutes before the final whistle, Kostevych set up Gytkjaer with a great pass, but the Dane’s shot wasn’t as good. Shortly afterward, Puchacz came one-on-one with the goalkeeper but it was the latter who won the direct clash. In the 81st minute, Lech demanded a penalty kick when one of Shakhtar’s players touched the ball with his hand, however, the referee decided it was an accident, therefore the side from Poznan was denied a great opportunity to equalize.

Lech was clearly demotivated. They had plenty of chances to score, but lack of precision and a denied penalty kick claim affected negatively their morales. Kostevych’s attempt from outside the box didn’t hit the back of the net, neither did any of the following shots fired at Shakhtar’s goal. Hence, it was the Ukrainian side that triumphed.

Lech still has two training matches to play in Turkey – against NK Maribor and FK Voždovac which are scheduled for Tuesday. On February 8^th, Lech will resume league competition with a home clash against Raków Częstochowa.

Lech Poznań – Shakhtar Donetsk 0:1 (0:0)

Goals: Krywcow (50.)

Lech Poznań: Mickey van der Hart (69. Karol Szymański) - Jakub Kamiński, Lubomir Šatka (69. Tomasz Dejewski), Thomas Rogne (69. Djordje Crnomarković), Volodymyr Kostevych - Kamil Jóźwiak (61. Juliusz Letniowski), Karlo Muhar, Pedro Tiba, Tymoteusz Puchacz - Filip Marchwiński (69. Jakub Moder) - Christian Gytkjaer (78. Filip Szymczak)

Shakhtar Donetsk (starting line-up): Andrij Piatow – Serhij Bołbat, Serhij Krywcow, Mykoła Matwijenko, Ismaily - Alan Patrick, Taras Stepanenko – Tete, Marlos, Taison – Junior Moraes