LFL: POZNAN
We created enough chances to win this game but all in all I’m happy enough with a draw as an away point anywhere is always welcome. This was a marked improvement on our recent league form so let’s hope we can carry some of it into the Leeds match.
BEFORE
Given our current league position, the only way is up. The alternative direction doesn't really bear thinking about but I'm not one of the doom and gloom merchants actually. Tonight's match will hopefully put some soothing balm on our wounds and I think we'll definitely get a result. There will no doubt be a number of changes from last time out and perhaps we'll finally see Brobbey back in action at some point. I think that Danso's red card won't bar him from this game, though I could be wrong. After Alderete's nightmare on Sunday will he be given a chance to redeem himself?
I'll be in Sunderland for the game and will be watching it at some central pub depending on where me and my laptop can get a decent spot. Match prediction: 2-1 to us.
I got the team-news on the bus to the town and there were six changes from the Bournemouth farrago with O’Nien, Methalie, Ahoka, Angulo, Diarra and Fofana coming in for Alderete, Reinildo, Sadiki, Rigg, Le Fee and Hume, all of whom were among the subs. Sadly, Brobbey wasn’t on the bench. I got to the Peacock about an hour before kick-off and there weren’t many in yet but a lot of the tables were reserved so I went in the pool-room. One of the barmen was very helpful when I had problems getting the wifi connection. We were in our pink away strip but I would’ve preferred the red and white. As we kicked off, a few others in my room were watching the game but in the main bar the tables were all full. In the stadium the home fans were doing the Poznan – of course.
THE MATCH
We went ahead after about ninety seconds and it was their goalie Lis’s error as he passed it out too short and Angulo intercepted it before putting a great cross onto Tutierov’s head. He hit it powerfully into the right of their net and a big cheer filled the pub. One or two more of them and everyone will love Angulo. Poznan went straight on the counter-attack and our midfield was looking porous. Diarra had a good chance to make it two in the seventh minute but his low shot was easily stopped by Lis. We were certainly having a go and I could feel another goal coming before long. In the tenth Rodriguez was given too much space in our box but luckily his flick went just wide of the post. We won the first corner in the twelfth and when Xhaka took it on our right, Lis tipped it out for a corner on the other side. That one came to nothing. A few minutes later Hakans had a very good chance to equalize but as he broke ahead he put his shot wide of our right post. Poznan soon won their first corner and Roefs plucked it comfortably. It was a very open game and either side looked like they could score. Fofana hit the post and Xhaka’s powerful follow-up was blocked. It had been an encouraging first quarter and a great improvement on our last outing.
A strong low shot from Methalie was put out for another corner by Lis and that culminated in Danso blasting an effort well over the top. The ball was mainly in the Lech half and we were looking sound in defence when we had to contain the odd attack so as the half-hour mark passed things were going ominously well. Thirteen shots with eight on target; not bad. In the thirty-sixth we were awarded a free-kick near the right angle of their box but we squandered it. Danso got the first yellow of the game for a foul on the halfway line as Poznan broke. Mukiele had a decent snap shot that went into the side-netting and another goal before the break would probably seal it for us if we kept up our momentum. There was only one minute of added-time and we continued to pass the ball around well till the whistle went. This had been much better than of late but one goal for Poznan could put a very different complexion on things.
There were no changes for either side as we kicked off again. We were pressing very high and Poznan were playing dangerously at the back by passing it around too much. Fofana went for goal but his shot was too high and not long afterwards Walemark showed his threat when he ran at pace and put in a low shot that was narrowly wide of our right post. Next thing Diarra let fly but his effort was wider than it had looked at first. It was like it had been earlier in the first period as each side threatened the other. Our players will be knackered after this. Lis did well to tip over a good shot from Mukiele and he had to be on his toes again to keep out the corner. We could see Regis sorting out a few subs and just after the hour-mark we swapped Mukiele, Diarra, Angulo and Xhaka for Hume, Le Fee, Sadiki and Rigg. Poznan also brought a couple of players on one of whom, Bengtsson, went close to equalizing with his first touch.
Time was going fast and soon we were into the final quarter. I hoped that we’d keep pressing forward as I couldn’t handle the tension of us sitting back and trying to hang on to the lead. In the seventieth Poznan equalized and it was Bengtsson again, who hit a low shot through a sea of players following a corner. They nearly got another just afterwards but Roefs made a great stop to keep them out. Those final twenty minutes suddenly looked like an eternity. We weren’t sitting back, though, and Fofana shot well wide from a pass by Le Fee when Enzo might have done better to have a crack himself. Ten minutes on the clock and both sides were still hard at it. In the eighty-second we all thought Rigg had scored a brilliant winner but it had gone just over and got a bit tangled in the net. A couple of minutes later Methalie went for glory as he burst into their box but his shot went wide. We kept on going for that winner and in the dying minutes we had them pinned back. We won a corner right at the end of regular time and it went for a corner at the other side. Lis punched that one away and then Poznan were awarded a free-kick. Three minutes of added-time had been announced and it soon ended 1-1.
