Metro vs Cracovia: Resumen

Cracovia stunned defending champions Lech Poznań with a shocking 4-1 victory in the opening match of the 2025-26 Ekstraklasa season at ENEA Stadion on Friday evening. On what was expected to be a celebratory night for the home side, visitors Cracovia completely flipped the script, delivering a masterclass in counter-attacking football that left the home crowd in disbelief.

The atmosphere at kickoff was electric, with Lech supporters unveiling an impressive tifo celebrating last season's championship. However, that energy quickly dissipated when Cracovia's Martin Minchev opened the scoring against the run of play in the 23rd minute. Though Mikael Ishak briefly restored parity with a well-taken header, Cracovia's clinical second-half performance, highlighted by Filip Stojilković's brace and a stunning long-range effort from Amir Al Ammari, sealed a comprehensive victory for the visitors.

This result immediately places Lech Poznań under pressure at the beginning of their title defense campaign, dropping them to 14th in the early standings, while Cracovia makes a statement of intent by climbing to 2nd position. The manner of defeat raises questions about Niels Frederiksen's tactical approach, particularly the vulnerability shown by Lech's high defensive line against Cracovia's speedy attackers.

With rainy conditions affecting play throughout the match, Cracovia adapted better to the slippery surface, capitalizing on Lech's uncharacteristic defensive errors. This Lech Poznań Cracovia match provides an early Ekstraklasa overview of what could be a more competitive season than many predicted.

"This is obviously not the start we wanted or expected. We were not clinical enough in front of goal and made too many defensive errors that Cracovia punished severely. It's a tough lesson, but it's only the first match of the season. We will analyze what went wrong and bounce back stronger next week," admitted Niels Frederiksen, Lech Poznań's visibly disappointed coach.

"I'm extremely proud of the team's performance today. To come to the champion's home and score four goals shows the character and quality we have. Our counter-attacking strategy worked perfectly, and the players executed the game plan with discipline and precision. This is just one match, though – we must stay grounded," said Luka Elsner, Cracovia's delighted coach.

"We knew we could hurt them on the counter, and that's exactly what happened. The coach prepared us perfectly for this match. Scoring twice at ENEA Stadion is special for me personally, but the three points for the team are what matter most," remarked Filip Stojilković, Cracovia's two-goal hero.

"This result is a wake-up call for Lech. Defending a title is always harder than winning it, and today showed that they might have underestimated the challenge. Cracovia's tactical discipline was impressive, but I'm more concerned about Lech's defensive fragility. Frederiksen needs to address these issues quickly before they become a pattern," analyzed former Poland international and pundit Jerzy Dudek.

Possession: Lech Poznań 63% - 37% Cracovia

Shots (on target): Lech Poznań 17 (5) - 9 (6) Cracovia

Corners: Lech Poznań 8 - 2 Cracovia

Yellow cards: Lech Poznań 2 (Milić, Douglas) - 3 Cracovia (Maigaard, Hasić, Henriksson)

Player Performance Highlights:

• Mikael Ishak (Lech): 1 goal, 4 shots, 27 touches, 79% pass completion
• Filip Stojilković (Cracovia): 2 goals, 3 shots, 19 touches, 1 key pass
• Amir Al Ammari (Cracovia): 1 goal, 2 shots, 41 touches, 3 tackles, 2 interceptions
• Bartosz Mrozek (Lech): 2 saves, 67% save percentage
• Henrich Ravas (Cracovia): 4 saves, 80% save percentage

Despite dominating possession and creating more chances, Lech Poznań Cracovia statistics show a stark contrast in efficiency. The Ekstraklasa indicators reveal that while Lech generated more opportunities, Cracovia's clinical finishing made the difference. The visitors achieved an impressive 67% shots-on-target ratio compared to Lech's 29%, highlighting the precision that separated the teams on the night.

15' - Early opportunity for Lech as Ishak's close-range header forces a spectacular save from Ravas after Bengtsson's pinpoint cross

23' GOAL! - Against the run of play, Martin Minchev gives Cracovia the lead after capitalizing on a defensive error by Milić, calmly slotting past Mrozek (0-1)

41' GOAL! - Mikael Ishak equalizes for Lech with a powerful header from Jagiełło's corner, sending ENEA Stadion into raptures (1-1)

52' GOAL! - Filip Stojilković restores Cracovia's lead with a brilliant solo effort, dribbling past two defenders before finishing into the bottom corner (1-2)

67' - Tactical change by Lech as Frederiksen switches to a 3-4-3 formation, pushing more players forward in search of an equalizer

74' GOAL! - Amir Al Ammari extends Cracovia's lead with a stunning 25-yard strike that flies into the top corner, giving Mrozek no chance (1-3)

83' GOAL! - Filip Stojilković scores his second and Cracovia's fourth, finishing a swift counter-attack orchestrated by Hasić (1-4)

The Lech Poznań Cracovia goals showcase how the match evolved from a competitive first half to Cracovia's dominance in the second period. The Ekstraklasa chronicle demonstrates how Lech's increasingly desperate attacking left spaces that Cracovia exploited ruthlessly. The match events followed a clear pattern of Lech pushing forward, then being punished on the counter.

The Lech Poznań versus Cracovia history has traditionally favored the Poznań side, particularly at ENEA Stadion where they had won 12 of the previous 20 meetings before this encounter. This result represents a significant shift in the Ekstraklasa confrontation between these traditional Polish clubs.

In their previous meeting on April 21, 2025, Lech secured a 2-1 victory, contributing to their championship-winning campaign. Overall, across 44 previous encounters, Lech had maintained dominance with 19 wins compared to Cracovia's 15 victories and 10 draws.

The historical goal difference at ENEA Stadion stood at 38-19 in Lech's favor before this match, making Cracovia's four-goal haul even more remarkable in context.

Key individual battles saw Cracovia's Filip Stojilković comprehensively outperform Lech's star striker Mikael Ishak, despite the latter's goal. In midfield, Amir Al Ammari dominated against Filip Jagiełło, controlling the tempo and adding a spectacular goal. Defensively, Gustav Henriksson effectively neutralized Lech's attacking threats after the first-half equalizer.

This result could signal a power shift in this historical rivalry, with Cracovia demonstrating they can not only compete with but comprehensively defeat the defending champions on their home turf.

After the opening matchday of the 2025-26 Ekstraklasa season:

Cracovia: 2nd position with 3 points, +3 goal difference Lech Poznań: 14th position with 0 points, -3 goal difference

While it's too early to draw definitive conclusions from the Ekstraklasa table, Cracovia's impressive start places them in an excellent position to build momentum in the early stages of the campaign. For Lech Poznań, the negative goal difference could prove significant if the title race becomes tight later in the season.

Based on this opening performance, analysts have adjusted Cracovia's pre-season projections upward, with many now considering them potential European qualification contenders. Conversely, Lech's position raises early concerns about their title defense, though the extensive nature of the Ekstraklasa season provides ample opportunity for recovery.

Lech's next three fixtures include two away matches against mid-table opponents, making their recovery path challenging. Meanwhile, Cracovia returns home for two consecutive matches where they'll look to build on this impressive start.