The Derby of Poland
In the world of Polish fan culture, the ultras of Lech Poznan have a friendly relationship with some other teams, including Cracovia and Arka Gdynia, but definitely not with those of Legia Warsaw. Not many visiting supporters made the trip to Poznan for the derby of Poland, partly for their own safety, but those who did made plenty of noise. That defiance was not matched by their team on the pitch, however.
Lech Poznan 3 Legia Warsaw 0.
For most of this encounter, the Railwaymen of Lech were well on top. They scored from two headers in the first half with midfielder Darko Jevtic often involved in the action. That dominance meant they went into the interval well in control. After the break Legia gave their fans some hope by having more of the play as the home side backed off a little. But on 65 minutes Maciej Makuszewski neatly added a third to put the result beyond doubt.
In the second half, it seemed Legia would get a consolation goal when the referee awarded a penalty. But in the midst of the home players’ protests he referred the decision for review. And to complete the visitors’ woe, he annulled the penalty decision. That added to the delight of the home contingent, who had witnessed a solid display on the field from the men in blue.
The display off the field was jut as awesome, as the home ultras produced endless multi-coloured flares throughout the match. In fact, there was so much pyrotechnics that the game was twice delayed to allow the smoke to clear. The away fans were also allowed their fireworks, but their loyal support wasa not matched by their teams’ weak performance.
The outcome kept Lech close to the top while Legia dropped to eighth and with not much chance, based on this performance, of retaining their league title. Back in Warsaw the fans, while berating their players, were probably stocking up on the fireworks for the next derby.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
