Europa Conference League: Lech Poznan thrash Djurgardens to bag historic European quarter-final
- Seb Sternik
- 16 March 2023
Lech Poznan became the first Polish club in 27 years to bag a spot in a European quarter-final following their Europa Conference League victory over Swedish side Djurgardens.
Lech, who arrived for the second-leg with a 2-0 lead in the bank, completed the job in style as three late goals sealed a 5-0 aggregate win.
Djurgardens didn't help their chances as Marcus Danielsson got himself sent off in the 44th minute for tripping.
The Polish champions took the initiative after the break as Filip Marchwinski found the back of the net in the 77th minute.
Nika Kvekveskiri and Michal Skoras ensured a 3-0 win on the night with two goals in stoppage time.
The result means Lech are through to their first ever continental quarter-final.
What's more, they become the first Polish club since the turn of the century to reach the last-eight stage of a major European competition - not counting the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
The last Polish side to compete in a quarter-final was Legia Warsaw almost three decades ago.
Legia finished second in their group during the 1995/96 Champions League season - a group which included Spartak Moscow, Rosenborg and Blackburn Rovers.
However, the Warsaw outfit ended up bowing out in the last-eight stage following a defeat to Greek side Panathinaikos.
Lech will be hoping to go one step further and become the first Polish side since 1991 to make the semi-final.
Legia were the last team to achieve that when they lost to Manchester United in the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup.
