Wichniarek gives Lech the edge

Artur Wichniarek scored the only goal as KKS Lech Poznań overcame FC İnter Bakı in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie in Baku.

Wichniarek, making his second competitive debut for the club he left in 1997/98, tucked away what proved to be the winner two minutes into the second half after being set up by Semir Stilić's delivery from the left. The goal was just reward for a positive performance from the Polish titleholders, who welcome their counterparts from Azerbaijan for the second leg on 21 July.

Lech's Sergei Krivets squandered an excellent chance to give his team the perfect start on four minutes, being denied by Giorgi Lomaia with just the goalkeeper to beat, and soon after Sławomir Peszko shot wide after seizing on a mistake by the hosts' captain Volodimir Levin. In a busy opening for the İnter Bakı No1 Lomaia then kept out Peszko's effort, before the home side fashioned their first attempt of note through Robertas Poškus' wayward header.

Save for two long-range shots from Petar Zlatinov, Kakhaber Tskhadadze's İnter Bakı were struggling to create anything of note, frustration which heightened when the experienced Wichniarek gave Lech the lead on 47 minutes. The visitors had further chances to increase their advantage through Wichniarek and Marcin Kikut, only for Lomaia to deny Jacek Zielinski's side on both occasions. Having been reprieved, Poškus was thwarted by Lech's underemployed goalkeeper Krzysztof Kotorowski with 20 minutes remaining as İnter Bakı failed to make the most of a rare chance to level ahead of next week's decider in Poland.