None of the Polish teams won at home in Round 3 of the Europa League. Lech Poznań drew 1-1 with England’s Sunderland, earning its first point in the league phase, while Jagiellonia Białystok lost 3-0 to Belgium’s RSC Anderlecht.
Lech, known as “Kolejorz,” went into the match against the Premier League side after two heavy 4-0 defeats against other strong opponents. It lost by that margin both in London to Crystal Palace and at home to Bayer Leverkusen.
The match against Sunderland also started very badly for the Polish champions, who were down 1-0 in the second minute after a header by Timur Tutierow. This time, though, Lech, despite again making mistakes in defense, did not allow its opponents any more goals. In the 70th minute it equalized on a hard, low shot from inside the penalty area, right by the post, by Leo Bengtsson.
The English side created more chances in the match, but “Kolejorz” also had an opportunity to score a second goal.
– After two 4-0 defeats, this point has to make us happy. I’m pleased with the result, but also with our performance, said the hosts’ coach, Niels Frederiksen.
One point in three rounds leaves his team in 32nd place for now.
Five places higher, with three points, is Jagiellonia. Its Thursday opponent, RSC Anderlecht, from the Brussels area, was a big name on the European stage in the past, but lately it has remained in the shadow of Club Brugge and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, among others, on the domestic scene.
The Belgians had lost both of their previous Europa League matches, so it seemed that Jagiellonia, which had earlier lost 2-1 to Olympiakos in Piraeus and beaten Ararat-Armenia, last in the Europa League table, 3-1 at home, could fight for a favorable result.
Those hopes were dashed fairly quickly, however. In the 22nd minute the visitors took the lead on a goal by Mihajlo Cvetkovic, and in the second half Marten Winkler (72nd minute) and substitute Jayden Onia Seke (80th) extended the margin.
It is a painful defeat for Jagiellonia, especially given that the next opponents of the team coached by Adrian Siemieniec will be of a higher caliber, including Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyon.
In Slovenia, two Polish players faced each other. NK Celje, with defender Łukasz Bejger playing the entire match, drew 2-2 with FC Salzburg, for whom Bartosz Mazurek played from the 46th minute (he received a yellow card in stoppage time).
Juventus’s match with Rennes also ended 2-2. The Turin club has two Poles on its roster, but goalkeeper Kamil Grabara is recovering from a serious knee injury, and veteran Arkadiusz Milik, who has long struggled with health problems, was not registered for the competition. On the French side, Sebastian Szymański played from the 81st minute, while Przemysław Frankowski remained on the bench.
The leader after three rounds of the Europa League, with a perfect nine points and a goal difference of 10-2, is Benfica, Lech’s next opponent. The Lisbon club, without the injured Jakub Kamiński, won 4-1 in Cyprus against Omonia Nicosia.
Besides Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, AFC Bournemouth, Ferencvaros Budapest and Olympiakos Piraeus have each won all three of their matches so far.
Each of the 36 Europa League participants will play eight different teams in total, four at home and four away. The league phase (Round 8) ends on January 28.
The top eight teams in the combined table will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing from 9th to 24th will compete for that right in playoffs. Teams in places 25-36 will be eliminated.
The final is scheduled for May 26, 2027, in Frankfurt am Main. (PAP)
