What a run of bad luck for the Polish champions. It's unbelievable!

The Polish champions' opponents are Belgrade's Crvena Zvezda. In the first leg of the two-legged tie, played in Poznań, Lech lost 3-1.

However, the Poznań team is looking to put on a good show in match number two. The Polish champions started the match on the hot Serbian pitch with promise. Unfortunately, Kolejorz lost another player after just five minutes. Another one, as the Polish team is facing a flurry of injuries at the start of the 2025/26 season.

This time, it was Robert Gumny. The former Polish international, deployed in an unusual position as a right winger, was fouled by an opponent, and as it turned out, this challenge – worthy of a yellow card – ultimately prevented the Kolejorz player from continuing.

Coach Niels Frederiksen has been without Daniel Hakans and Patrik Walemark for several weeks now, and the injury list continues to grow. Filip Jagiełło and Ali Gholizadeh are also missing, as are Alex Douglas and Radosław Murawski. With such deficiencies, it's difficult to be optimistic about Kolejorz.

Ultimately, the Polish champions managed a 1-1 draw in Belgrade. Captain Mikael Ishak secured the draw for the visitors late in the game. However, the Swede was left with a grudge, as the Polish team said goodbye to their Champions League dreams – at least until the 2025/26 season.

Lech Poznań's Six Tries: Poland's Difficult Road to the UEFA Champions League

The two-legged tie with Red Star Belgrade in the third qualifying round of the Champions League was another, already the sixth attempt to break through the gates of the most prestigious competition in the UEFA stable.

Kolejorz, looking back at the history of the Champions League (i.e. since the 1992/93 season), entered the qualifying round for the first time in the premiere edition, after changing its name from the European Champion Clubs' Cup (1956-92).

The first opponent to defeat Lech was Sweden's IFK Göteborg in the second round. Then came the 1993/94 season, where they lost at the same stage to Spartak Moscow. The next attempt came in the 21st century, with the 2010/11 campaign.

In the third round, Sparta Prague proved superior. Then came the 2015/16 season and their loss (also in the third round) to Swiss side FC Basel. And then the penultimate one – including the one still ongoing – in 2022/23, an embarrassing defeat in the first round of qualifying against Azerbaijani side Karabakh.

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