Górnik Zabrze beat Lech Poznań 2-1 to claim first place in Ekstraklasa

First-half battle in Zabrze

Saturday's match between Górnik Zabrze and defending Ekstraklasa champions Lech Poznań kicked off at 17:30 in Zabrze. Górnik entered the fixture trailing the league leaders by a single point, aiming to reverse a 3-1 defeat to Lech in the Polish Super Cup in July. The opening exchanges remained tightly contested. In the third minute, Górnik captain Erik Janża sent a free kick toward Rafał Janicki, but goalkeeper Mateusz Lis intercepted the ball. Lech responded three minutes later when Patrik Walemark struck a long free kick into the defensive wall. Górnik winger Maksym Chłań proved active on the left flank, creating an opening for Janis Antiste in the 20th minute and later forcing Lis into a diving save with a 30-meter free kick in the 27th minute.

Sayyadmanesh opens the scoring

Lech gradually asserted control as the first half developed. Iranian forward Allahyar Sayyadmanesh tested Górnik goalkeeper Philipp Schulze with a rising shot that the goalkeeper tipped over the crossbar with his fingertips. The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute. Walemark delivered a cross into the penalty area, prompting Schulze to punch the ball away from Lech striker Mikael Ishak. The loose ball fell to Sayyadmanesh, who directed a header over three defenders and the stranded goalkeeper to make it 1-0 before celebrating with a Naruto mask.

We now have a slightly different team. New players have joined us. The match was even, and Lech showed where they are strong. We have to watch out for that, but on Saturday we play at home. The squad is ready.

Prekop delivers quick second-half brace

Lech continued to press after the interval, seeking a second goal to secure the contest. Sayyadmanesh attempted to double his tally following another cross from Walemark, but Górnik defender Michal Sacek made a key clearance. On the hour mark, Górnik manager Michal Gasparik made three substitutions, replacing Antiste, Paulo Bernardo, and Peter Federico with Erik Prekop, Sondre Liseth, and Yvan Ikia Dimi. Lech manager Niels Frederiksen countered by substituting Sayyadmanesh and Radosław Murawski in the 64th minute, followed by Ishak and Bryan Fiabema Rodriguez in the 72nd minute.

Górnik broke through Lech's defense by executing two short corner routines in four minutes. In the 76th minute, Kacper Urbański received the short pass on the wing and crossed into the penalty box, where Prekop placed a shot past Lis to equalize. In the 80th minute, Górnik repeated the routine from the opposite side as Janża delivered the cross, enabling Prekop to score his second goal and give Górnik a 2-1 lead.

Górnik take top spot in Ekstraklasa

Lech pushed forward in the final 10 minutes to recover, but defender Michał Gurgul missed a late opportunity to draw level. The victory ended Lech's five-match winning streak in the league and gave Górnik 18 points from eight rounds, moving them two points clear of Lech at the top of the table. Earlier on Saturday, the eighth round of Ekstraklasa fixtures began in Wrocław, where Śląsk Wrocław suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Korona Kielce after Simon Gustafson scored a stoppage-time winner.