Lech Poznań held to goalless draw by Cracovia in flat Ekstraklasa season opener

Lech Poznań began their title defence in the 100th season of the Polish top flight with a goalless stalemate against Cracovia, a result that contrasted sharply with their recent high-scoring form. The champions entered the match after a 3-1 Superpuchar Polski win over Górnik Zabrze and a 4-1 away victory at Aarhus GF in Champions League qualifying, yet could not break down a disciplined Cracovia side that arrived with a clear defensive plan.

A game of few chances

Head coach Niels Frederiksen made three changes from the Aarhus win: Robert Gumny replaced Joel Pereira at right-back, Filip Jagiełło came in for Radosław Murawski in midfield, and Leo Bengtsson started on the left instead of Luis Palma. The reshuffled attack struggled. Lech held possession but generated little threat, with their best first-half moment arriving in the 23rd minute when Sebastian Madejski parried a fierce Bengtsson strike and Mikael Ishak blazed the rebound wide.

Cracovia, set up by coach Bartosz Grzelak in a compact 4-4-2 block, conceded space but few clear openings. They carried threat on the break and almost took the lead in the 31st minute when Antoni Kozubal threw himself in front of an Ajdin Hasić shot from 12 metres to block what looked like a certain goal.

VAR overturns red card for Lis

The flashpoint came in the 54th minute. Referee Damian Sylwestrzak showed Lech goalkeeper Mateusz Lis a straight red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area. After a VAR review, the decision was reversed: replays showed Lis had gathered the ball on the line, meaning the handball was legal and play restarted without sanction.

Both sides still could have snatched victory late. In the 90th minute, Cracovia produced their only shot on target when Gustav Henriksson headed from five metres, forcing Lis into a straightforward catch. At the other end, Madejski tipped over a fierce Radosław Murawski drive from distance.

Grzelak's unbeaten yet winless run continues

Grzelak took charge of Cracovia in late April 2026 and preserved their top-flight status, but has yet to record a league win. His record now stands at six draws from six Ekstraklasa matches: five at the end of the previous campaign plus this stalemate in Poznań. He fielded no summer signings in his starting eleven against Lech, relying on players who completed pre-season under his supervision.

For Lech, the performance drew unflattering comparisons with the opening round of the 2025-26 season, when Cracovia won 4-1 at the same stadium. That defeat was part of a shaky start under Frederiksen, who admitted afterwards that excessive rotation had hurt the side. This time the changes were limited to three, but the attacking fluency seen against Aarhus vanished.

What's next

Lech travel to newly promoted Wieczysta Kraków for their next fixture, a club making its first-ever home appearance in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. Cracovia host Pogoń Szczecin. Both matches fall in round two of the league's centenary season.