Lech Poznan-Deportivo La Coruna 1-1. Quality Entertainment.

It was another entertaining Uefa Cup evening with Lech Poznan. After a closely fought battle Kolejorz earned a draw against Deportivo La Coruna. If it wasn’t for the lack of quality and composure in front of the goal Lech would have won this game.

Lech Poznan-Deportivo La Coruna 1:1 (Rengifo 4′- Colotto 2′)
Lech: Ivan Turina – Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Manuel Arboleda, Zlatko Tanevski, Ivan Djurdjevic – Slawomir Peszko (79-Robert Lewandowski), Tomasz Bandrowski, Rafal Murawski, Semir Stilic, Jakub Wilk – Hernan Rengifo

Last time when a Polish team had so many memorable games in Uefa Cup was in 2002 (Wisla Krakow) and 2003 (Groclin Grodzisk). Lech is following their tracks, even though it’s rather unlikely that they’ll continue to take part in the competition after the winter break. They’re just not up there with the teams that use every possible chance to score and have the ability to win unwinnable games. Just have a look at Lech’s group games: vs Nancy (they were winning until the 80th minute), vs CSKA Moscow (stupid goals conceded and a chance to earn a draw in the dying minutes) and finally vs Deportivo, where Lech controlled the second half and created numerous opportunities to score. But let’s start from the beginning. Lech couldn’t find their style for the first thirty minutes of the game. They conceded a goal after a first corner for Depor when Ivan Turina was too slow to react after Colotto‘s shot. After that, it was the Spanish team that controlled the game; they showed all the qualities expected from them: good possession play, technical abilities and tactical organization. However, in the last minutes of the first half we learnt that even Deportivo can be threatened, you just have to play a fast, attacking football. Suddenly, the Spanish defenders started to lose their heads. Murawski, Stilic and Peszko brought the ball forward much quicker. But it was Manuel Arboleda’s run that proved decisive for Lech. After a great one-two with Stilic the Colombian defender (how come he doesn’t play for their national team remains a mystery) created an opportunity that Rengifo (called a Reindeer in Poznan and a Turtle in his homeland) couldn’t waste. Then there was another good shot by Rengifo and the first half ended with a feeling that this game is definitely winnable. The second half was, in my opinion, Lech’s best performance in this year’s cup run. Very rarely you can see a Polish team playing one touch football and creating scoring chances easily. Unfortunately, the Poznan heroes lacked the finishing touch. The best chances came from Wilk, Stilic (twice) and Arboleda, but Aranzubia showed why exactly he’s considered one of the best Spanish keepers. It also wasn’t Lech’s day as far as long range shots were concerned. Deportivo got what they wanted, Lech could only get a standing ovation from their fans. To advance the Polish team has to beat Feyenoord away and wait for a good result in Deportivo-Nancy game (a Spanish win preferably).

How did the national team players do on Thursday? Grzegorz Wojtkowiak is maturing with every game, this time he wasn’t a player that would cost you a heart attack. Rafal Murawski once again showed his qualities as both a defensive and offensive midfielder, winning the ball as well as playing it forward with ease. Tomasz Bandrowski, as always, concentrated on not losing the possession and covering for Manu Arboleda when he ran forward. Slawomir Peszko, once he had enough space, threatened the Deportivo defense with dynamic runs on the wing. Robert Lewandowski wasn’t “in the game” during the ten minutes he spent on the pitch. Bartosz Bosacki spent the whole game on the bench, something he must have grown accustomed to lately.

Other news: Dariusz Dudka wants to leave Auxerre only after half a year in France. He doesn’t like the status of a player who’s only used as a cover for other players. I wonder what did Dudka expect. After all, his versatility is one of his main strengths and, possibly, was one of the reasons he was brought to Auxerre in the first place. Moreover, he doesn’t sit on the bench in every single game, he was given his chance to impress. From what I heard, he didn’t exactly become one of the stars of the French league. There is no point complaining now, Dudka should work hard to gain some respect in France, not through interviews but performances. A speculated transfer to FC Moscow would be a very bad choice in my opinion.