Lechia Gdańsk defeats Stal Mielec 7-1 behind Artur Szach hat-trick in round nine

Opening exchanges in Gdańsk

Lechia Gdańsk hosted Stal Mielec at the Polsat Plus Arena for matchday nine of the Betclic 1. Liga. The home team aimed to extend their winning streak in home fixtures, while Stal Mielec began the match with an assertive approach in the opening minutes. The early pressure from the visitors did not yield direct chances on goal. Lechia capitalized on their first structured attack of the afternoon in the 12th minute. Beskorwanyj stripped the ball in the middle of the pitch and directed a quick pass to Albanian attacker Kevin Dodaj. Dodaj carried the ball at speed into the penalty box before locating Tomasz Wójtowicz. Wójtowicz redirected the pass to Artur Szach, who created space in tight coverage against the Stal defense and finished with a low shot past goalkeeper Piotr Chrapusta.

First half parity and stoppage goal

Stal Mielec responded by seeking an equalizer and held 55 percent of ball possession during the opening period. Their persistence produced a goal in the 28th minute from a set-piece routine. Maciej Domański crossed a corner kick into the Lechia penalty area, leading to a contest for the ball involving Michael Wyparło. Stal attacker Simeon Oure reacted to the loose ball after Lechia failed to clear the danger, placing a powerful strike past goalkeeper Axel Holewiński. The concluding stages of the first half featured chances at both ends of the pitch. Odolak forced Lechia backwards with a dangerous long-range strike, while Krystian Getinger executed a sliding block to deny a shot from Wójtowicz. Lechia broke the tie immediately before the half-time whistle. Szach won the ball in midfield, dribbled past Getinger and Matynia, and slipped a through ball into open space for right back Samuel Kopasek. Kopasek entered the penalty area and drove a shot inside Chrapusta's near post.

Szach extends the advantage

The second half began with Lechia Gdańsk immediately consolidating their control over the match. In the 48th minute, Szach took possession outside the penalty area and struck an effort from more than 20 meters into the top corner of the net to make the score 3-1. Stal Mielec struggled to manage defensive coverage inside their own third, allowing Lechia to dictate tempo. Approximately fifteen minutes after his second strike, Szach received the ball in the penalty area, dribbled past the opposing defenders in an individual action, and scored his third goal to seal a hat-trick. Szach concluded the afternoon with three individual goals and the assist on Kopasek's first-half strike.

Second half scoring run

Lechia maintained their offensive momentum and added three more goals in the final half hour of play. Less than five minutes after Szach's third goal, Kevin Dodaj received space outside the penalty area and placed a precise strike into the top corner of the net for Lechia's fifth goal. Romanian striker Vladislav Blanuta scored the sixth goal shortly afterwards. Blanuta noticed Chrapusta off his line and executed a chip from outside the penalty area over the goalkeeper. Stal Mielec was unable to construct further attacking chances as regulation time expired. The match referee added one minute of stoppage time, which allowed second-half substitute Bakary Sonko to score Lechia's seventh goal and set the final result at 7-1.