Lechia Gdansk hosted Korona Kielce at the Stadium Energa on Sunday 14th May at 15:30.
Lechia went into the game in 4th place in the championship group of the Lotto Ekstraklasa with league leaders Jagiellonia Bialystok, having already played in this round (round 33) on Saturday, only 4 points ahead. Every game at this stage of the season is a ‘must win’ but Lechia needed to make the most of the home advantage and keep the pressure on the rest of the teams competing for the championship.
The Match
It was a warm and sunny afternoon in Gdansk as the teams took to the pitch to the roar of the 15,349 Lechia fans.
Before the match got under way there was a minutes silence to show respect for former Lechia midfielder Jerzy Czubala who sadly passed away recently at the age of 84.
In the 5th minute a great cross from Rafal Wolski found the head of Mario Maloca but he put it over the bar. After 12 minutes Grezegorz Kuswik had a clear chance in front of the Korona goal but he he couldn’t control the ball. In the 17th minute Lukas Haraslin unfortunately found the side netting with a decent shot. Korona had a good chance in the 23rd minute from Maciej Gorski but it was nothing that Dusan Kuciak couldn’t handle. Lechia Gdansk had further chances to take the lead before half time but lacked quality in front of goal.
Half Time 0:0
The second half started the same way as much of the first half, slow and lacking energy. Lechia really needed something to inject some energy into their game.
In the 49th minute a solo run from Rafal Wolski was interrupted when he was taken down by Mateusz Mozdzen who received a yellow card for his actions. This seemed to spark something in Lechia as the energy levels started increased and they started playing with pace. In the 52nd minute a counter attack from Korona resulted in a decent shot from Mateusz Mozdzen which was dealt with by Lechia keeper, Dusan Kuciak. In the 55th minute Lechia’s 12th man really came to life, the stadium erupted and the team reacted creating numerous chances but Lechia still couldn’t beat Korona’s keeper Milan Borjan.
Flávio Paixao had the best opportunity after a great corner from Rafal Wolski found his head near the post, all he had to do was guide it in but somehow he headed it down and the ball bounced off the field and over the bar!
Despite many chances Lechia Gdansk couldn’t find a way to score against Korona and the match ended in a goalless draw.
Full Time 0:0.
This is the first time Lechia have dropped points in the championship. They now sit in 4th place, 3 points behind both Poznan and Bialystock and 2 points behind Warsaw.
Man of the match
My man of the match goes to Milan Borjan (Korona Goalkeeper).
Next Match of Lechia Gdansk
Lechia host league leaders Jagiellonia Bialystok on Wednesday 17th May at 18:00. This will be a crucial game in Lechia’s challenge for the title.
Post Match
Coach Nowak made the following comments in his post match press conference:
‘We played this match and we were too nervous in our affairs much too imprecisely. We lacked patience and creativity, which resulted in the fact that the last administration were mostly inaccurate – said Nowak. – Perhaps this nervousness came from our position in the table. Well, we play on and think about the next matches. Certainly we need to work over the pace of the game, because it was too choppy’
