Lech Poznań-Red Bull Salzburg 2:0. Grand Opening.

October 1st, 2010 | by: tomasz | Comments(9)

Anyone bet that Lech would be the top of the table after two rounds in the Europa League? Just be honest. I certainly didn’t bet on Lech as I expected four points not from two games, but from all six games. The Kolejorz players rose to the occassion and defeated the Austrian champions to open the new stadium at Bułgarska.

Lech Poznań-Red Bull Salzburg 2:0 (Arboleda 47′, Peszko 80′)
Lech: Buric – Wojtkowiak (53′ Kiełb), Bosacki, Arboleda, Henriquez – Injac (86′ Drygas), Krivets – Kikut, Stilic, Peszko – Rudnevs (82′ Wichniarek)

On Monday, fans had to wait as many as 8 hours to get the tickets for the game. Some who joined the queue at 8 a.m. weren’t lucky enough to see the game live. However, those who spent their hard earned money to get the tickets certainly don’t regret it now. Lech is clearly playing above their potential in the Europa league. They were to lose against Dnipro, but they managed not to concede a single goal in the duel against the Ukrainians. They were to be demolished by Juventus, but scored an incredible three goals in an away game. Lech was also an inferior opponent to Red Bull in the first half, but came back in the second to win the game and let the streets of Poznań party all night. The Kolejorz players started the game very shaky; Henriquez misplaced his first three or four passes and Krivets was losing possession after possession in the middle of the field. Red Bull was a better oranized team and they contolled the game allowing Lech only a couple of counters. Rudnevs and Peszko were alone upfront and didn’t receive enough support from Stilic and Krivets. It was hard for Lech players to even exchange four or five passes in a row. Luckily, Red Bull confirmed that while they’re quite mature tactically, they lack the finishing touch in front of goal. After the first half it seemed that the most we can get from the game is a draw. Everything changed when ‘Maniek’ Arboleda headed the ball into the Austrian net in the 47th minute. I’ve been watching Polish teams for a long time now and I know that they play 100% better when they score the first goal. It wasn’t anything different this time around. Maybe Red Bull had more possession, but they had no idea how to create goalscoring opportunities near the Poznań goal. Lech’s counters were much more dangerous with Peszko, Rudnevs, Stilic and the newcomer Kiełb finally having enough space to operate upfront. Lech showed their potential in the 80th minute; Kiełb got the ball in the middle, passed it quickly to Stilic who made a pinpoint pass to Peszko who didn’t hesitate to put the ball in the net. The game was finished at this point, the celebration started in the stands. That’s the Lech that I want to watch.

Each single player had a role to play in this win. However, I’d like to single out four of them:
Artjoms Rudnevs: the guy is an animal. Extreme force that not a lot of defenders can cope with. Lech’s best player in the first half when most Kolejorz players were on shaky legs.
Sławomir Peszko: tried to take defenders on, used his speed, but didn’t know how to finish his moves. Much better when he has more space, as in the second half. Needs to be more accurate.
Semir Stilic: was he even on the pitch in the first half? Has a unique ability to disappear and then reappear on the pitch. Two assists in the second half say it all.
Jacek Kiełb: had to replace the injured Wojtkowiak without even warming up. Managed to put in a number of impressive dribbles. Has no fear and is extremely ambitious. The future of Lech.

This game must have convinced you to watch Lech regularly in the Europa League. I’m not sure whether they’d be able to repeat their initial performances or get more than one or two points from their remaining games. I’m sure, however, that the games will be extremely entertaining for the Polish fans. Till next Thursday.

PS: Sławomir Peszko in front of Polsat Futbol cameras after the game: After recent media reports, which were very exaggerated, I’d like to say that everyone has a right to make a mistake. My goal is to play in the Euro 2012 and I’ll do everything to play for the national team. Thank you.

How soon will Smuda react?