Shakhtyor Soligorsk - Lech Poznań 1:1

The first half began with a great goal-scoring opportunity for the hosts. In the 2^nd minute, Burko finished off a beautiful team offensive action with a shot that was just slightly off target. Onwards, Lech started dominating the match and Kostevych was the first one who attempted to surprise the Belarussian keeper but his shot was blocked by Shakhtyor’s captain Klimovich.

In the 20^th minute, Gytkjaer had a chance to change the score but his attempt from a volley was redirected and hit the post. Shortly afterward, Makuszewski played a key role in two great offensive actions. First, the crossed the ball to Kostevych with impressive precision but the latter was well-marked and couldn’t fire a shot on target. Meanwhile, in the 32^nd minute, Makuszewski received the ball just outside the box but his shot was off target.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Shakhtyor’s players took control of the match. Canas, a former footballer of Jagiellonia Bialystok, fired a shot at Lech’s goal 5 minutes before halftime, but his attempt was far off target. The score remained unchanged and the first part of the game ended with a goalless draw.

Shakhtyor kicked off the second half with a goal. In the 53^rd minute, Lech’s defensive line made an error and Bakaj received a good pass from the midfield. The footballer fired a shot that Buric failed to stop and the ball slipped through his fingers and rolled into the back of the net. The Belarussian team was determined to keep on scoring. They also created scoring chances from set pieces. For instance, after one of corner kicks, Selyava fired a shot at Lech’s goal but luckily for the Polish team, their defensive line blocked the attempt.

Lech gradually regained control of the game. In the 74^th minute, Makuszewski initiated a counterattack and sent a pass to Tiba who was racing towards the goal. The Portuguese hit the ball flying above Shakhtyor’s goal. A couple of minutes later, Cywka fired a shot from the 25^th meter but his attempt also wasn’t good enough to beat the Belarussian keeper.

Lech had to wait a long time before they got another scoring chance. Finally, in the 89^th minute, Tiba and Amaral led a counterattack and the latter finish off the offensive action with a precise shot into the back of the net. The second leg will be played in a week’s time, at 8:45 PM, in Poznan.

Shakhtyor Soligorsk – Lech Poznań 1:1 (0:0)

Goals: Elis Bakaj (53.) - Joao Amaral (89.)

Shakhtyor Soligorsk: Andrei Klimovich - Igor Burko, Pavel Rybak, Maksim Bordachev, Sergei Matveichik - Julius Szoke, Aleksandr Selyava, Roger Canas - Yuri Kovalev, Elis Bakaj (72. Denis Laptyev), Max Ebong (46. Sergey Balanovich)

Lech Poznań: Jasmin Burić - Vernon De Marco, Rafał Janicki, Thomas Rogne - Maciej Makuszewski, Tomasz Cywka (90. Łukasz Trałka), Pedro Tiba, Volodymyr Kostevych - Mihai Radut (76. Maciej Gajos), Christian Gytkjaer, Darko Jevtić (70. João Amaral)