Legia Warszawa beats Zagłębie Lubin 3-1 to stay perfect in Ekstraklasa

Pre-match ceremony

Before kick-off at Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Legia Warszawa supporters marked the 82nd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. A giant flag bearing the words "Za każdy kamień twój" was unfurled, and black flares were lit to evoke the smoke over the burning city. The national anthem was sung and a minute's silence observed for the fallen insurgents.

Early setback

Zagłębie Lubin, who began their season with a 2-0 home victory over Piast Gliwice, stunned the hosts in the fourth minute. A corner kick caused chaos in the Legia penalty area; the ball ricocheted between several players before reaching Filip Kocaba near the goal line, and he headed it past goalkeeper Otto Hindrich. Legia had won their previous seven home league meetings with Zagłębie and 11 of the last 12 encounters overall, but the early goal put that record under threat.

Legia's response

Coach Marek Papszun's side, stung by the early goal, gradually asserted control. In the 25th minute, Paweł Wszołek delivered a cross from the right and Łukasz Zjawiński, a summer arrival from Polonia Warszawa, headed the equaliser. The goal was crafted when Mileta Rajović dragged two defenders towards the near post, creating space for Zjawiński to score his first official goal for Legia and his first Ekstraklasa strike since the 2020/21 season. Legia pushed for a second: Bartosz Kapustka struck the post with a long-range effort, and Rajović thought he had scored with a header from a corner, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review determined that Robert Deziel, standing in an offside position, had obstructed goalkeeper Jasmin Burić's line of sight. The score remained 1-1 at half-time.

Second-half drama

Zagłębie almost regained the lead ten minutes after the restart. Marcel Reguła broke through one-on-one with a defender, entered the box and fired a shot that cannoned off the crossbar. Legia capitalised on that let-off. In the 72nd minute, Ruben Vinagre collected a loose ball outside the penalty area, took aim and struck a shot that took a slight deflection and beat Burić at the far post. Substitute Rafał Adamski sealed the victory in stoppage time, blocking a defender to reach a low cross and tapping in from close range.

What it means

Legia, who opened their campaign with a 1-0 win at Pogoń Szczecin thanks to a late Zoran Arsenić goal, now have six points from two matches and sit top of the early PKO BP Ekstraklasa table. Zagłębie, after their opening win, suffer their first defeat. The result extends Legia's home winning streak against the Lubin side to eight matches.