Last year Lech Poznan impressed and finished second in their group in the Europa Conference League. After Villarreal and before Happel Be’er Sheva and Austria Wien. In the round of 16 they knocked out Djurgården 5-0 and made it to the quarter-finals. But there it stopped after 4-6 against Fiorentina.
Therefore, the club had high expectations for this season’s games in the Europa Conference League – but then they were eliminated already in the third qualifying round, against Spartak Trnava.
– It was a really big disappointment. Now we had a good draw. We went out against a team from Slovakia, it was a disaster, says the team’s midfielder Jesper Karlström.
It looked good though. In the first of two matches, Lech Poznan led 2-0 on. But then Spartak Trnava scored a goal in the 87th minute. An important away goal for the Slovakian team who then won 3-1 at home.
– It should have been over after the first game, but we conceded a late goal and then the second game was different and everything went to hell. So now we have to bet on winning the league again, and the cup, says Karlström.
Last season Lech Poznan finished third in the Polish league. Then Karlström made 27 starts and four appearances.
This year, after five rounds, there have been three starts and two substitutions.
– It’s been a bit up and down now at the beginning of the season, but it’s starting to feel better for me, he says.
Karlström is now with the national team, which on Tuesday will qualify for the EC at home against Austria. In Saturday’s 5-0 victory against Estonia, the midfielder had to sit on the bench.
– First of all, I hope we win. Then it is clear that you always want to play and hope to start, and if you are on the bench you hope to come on. We’ll see. It has felt pretty good in training and I have played a lot before, so the coaches know what they get if I play. It’s tough competition, he says.
2023-09-11 09:09:00
#Karlström #explosion #disaster
