Midfielder Semir Štilic expects to feel a sweet sense of satisfaction after setting up KKS Lech Poznan team-mate Artjoms Rudnevs for his fourth goal against Juventus, with a 1-1 draw in Poland sending the Polish champions to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 at the expense of their illustrious Group A guests.
Štilic's corner teed up Rudnevs for the opening goal after 12 minutes and the Bosnian was quick to remind the Latvian striker what that assist was worth. "Artjoms hasn't thanked me for my cross yet but I expect some sort of reward; I think a nice cake would do it," the 23-year-old joked. "But we will ensure that for our final group game we will be just as determined as we were tonight because for this club every European game is a huge deal.
"Games like this against teams like Juventus and Manchester City [FC] are vital for us because it gives us great experience and helps us build confidence for the games ahead," added Štilic. "We are proving that we are moving in the right direction. Now we are playing and matching European giants. Slowly but surely we are building the future of this club."
Lech knew avoiding defeat against the Bianconeri would almost certainly take them though to the round of 32 and though the Railwaymen conceded a Vincenzo Iaquinta equaliser on 84 minutes and faced a late Juve flurry amid heavy snow at the Miejski Stadium, the hardy Lech fans who braved the arctic weather were rewarded as their side earned a memorable 1-1 draw.
"We're delighted to get through to the next round," Rudnevs told UEFA.com after scoring his fourth goal against La Vecchia Signora, having hit a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw in Turin on Matchday 1. "It wasn't easy in the snow but that's football. Sometimes you have to play in rain, sometimes the snow, but we coped with it well. I seem to keep scoring against Juve, but I'm not complaining. They were important goals and I'm happy I scored them."
"When the draw was made nobody was gave us a prayer," said Lech goalkeeper Krzysztof Kotorowski. "Everyone was saying that if we got three points it would be a miracle, but now we have eight points and we have qualified. This was no ordinary group; it was as strong as a [UEFA] Champions League group, so I rate us quite highly in Europe now. We'll wait to celebrate until after our last game against FC Salzburg, and then we'll celebrate properly."
Conditions were so severe that at half-time the ball was changed from white to orange and Lech ground staff painted the touchlines pink. "The snow was not ideal for football but we are professionals so we can't complain about the weather not suiting us," said Lech captain Bartosz Bosacki. "The key was communicating well at the back, which was an achievement in itself because as soon as you tried to shout you got a mouthful of snow. But it was worth it. I don't know who'll we play next but we want to play one of the bigger teams because we want to keep proving that we are good enough to beat the best."
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