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10-man AGF made to pay heavy price for defensive errors against ruthless Poznan

AGF's Gift Links fights for the ball against two Polish defenders
AGF's Gift Links fights for the ball against two Polish defendersCredit: PressFocus / Sipa USA / Profimedia

Danish champions AGF are left with a mountain to climb after they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Lech Poznan in the first leg of their clash in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Both teams struggled to establish any kind of rhythm in the opening exchanges of the game as the game began at a ferocious pace in a very physical encounter with lots of man-to-man duels in midfield as both teams attempted to seize the initiative.

Both sides showed plenty of desire going forward, but despite a series of promising moves, neither side managed to create the all-important final delivery until the 29th minute when the Polish visitors grabbed the lead thanks to a superb finish from Swedish striker Mikael Ishak.

During last season, Ishak (who played in Denmark for Randers from 2014 to 2017) had a career-best year, scoring 31 goals across all competitions, and he certainly hasn’t lost his touch this season as he received the ball inside the box and wasted no time hammering the ball into the roof of the net without any chance for goalkeeper Jesper Hansen.

AGF - Lech Poznan Player Ratings
AGF - Lech Poznan Player RatingsFlashare

Eight minutes later, things went from bad to worse for the home side when goalkeeper Hansen was sent off after handling the ball illegally outside the box in a duel with Luis Palma. And the visitors certainly did not hesitate to make the most of their numerical advantage three minutes before the interval when Patrik Wålemark played a one-two with Antoni Kozubal, and breaking into the box before leaving Mads Hedenstad (who had replaced Jesper Hansen) helpless with a clinical finish. 

Ten minutes after the restart, the home side then got a lifeline, when Frederik Emmery searched down the wing and produced a wonderful delivery for Norwegian international Kristian Arnstad, who slotted the ball past Polish keeper Mateusz Lis. The goal restored hope in the home side, but six minutes later they were brought back to reality when Terry Yegbe launched a superb stinging drive from outside the box into the top left-hand corner in a likely early contender for goal of the season.

Then, after 66 minutes of play, Lech Poznan effectively put the game out of reach for the home side when very poor marking from Erik Karl and Frederik Emmery allowed Palma to serve the ball on a dish for Wålemark inside the box, and the Swedish midfielder easily slotted the ball past the reach of Hedenstad for a 4-1 lead which also turned out to be the final result.