Leeds Claims Victory with Late Stach Free Kick

Anton Stach ripped up the script at the City Ground.

With 88 minutes gone and Nottingham Forest pushing for a winner that never came, the Leeds midfielder stepped up to a free kick on the corner of the box and drilled a low effort inside Matz Sels’ near post. One clean strike, one ruthless finish, and Leeds walked away with a 1-0 win to open their Premier League campaign.

Their first league victory at Forest since 1972. And it felt every bit like daylight robbery.

Forest wasteful, Leeds ruthless

Oliver Glasner’s side came into the season talking about a top-half push. On this evidence, the storyline hasn’t changed from last year: plenty of promise, no end product.

Forest started slowly but grew into the game and should have been out of sight long before Stach’s late sting. On 16 minutes, Ola Aina hurled a long throw into the area, Igor Jesus climbed highest and powered a header towards goal, only for James Trafford to spring across and claw it away.

Moments later, the home crowd held its breath for a different reason. Aina flew into a challenge on James Justin, and a VAR check for serious foul play followed. Forest survived. So did Aina.

The hosts thought they had their breakthrough midway through the half when Harry Wilson slid the ball home, only to see the flag go up. The offside call was clear, but the pattern was set: Forest probing, Forest threatening, Forest failing to land the punch.

The pressure built just before the break. James McAtee whipped in a superb cross, Nikola Milenkovic met it with a deft glancing header and beat Trafford – but not the woodwork. The ball smacked the post, bounced back into the danger area, and Jesus could not sort his feet in time to bury the rebound.

Leeds, by contrast, offered little beyond defensive resilience. Daniel Farke’s men had come through a relegation scare last season and looked more interested in solidity than spectacle. For long stretches, they were hanging on.

One-way traffic, no finish

Forest came out after the interval with the same plan: get the ball wide, load the box, attack the deliveries. Aina again found Jesus with a cross, this time from open play, but the forward’s header thudded down into the turf and looped over from close range. Another chance gone, another groan from the stands.

Glasner turned to his bench. On came Chris Wood, the former Leeds striker, and he almost punished his old club. Murillo split the defence with a clever through ball, Wood burst clear, but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Trafford watched it skid past, relieved.

Leeds finally flickered at the other end. A rare spell of territory produced a dangerous delivery into the area and Tarik Muharemovic rose to meet it, forcing Sels into a full-stretch, flying save. For the first time, Forest’s back line looked rattled.

Still, most of the danger came in white shirts flooding the Leeds box. Milenkovic rose again, this time sending a looping effort towards the top corner. Trafford, already busy, got the faintest of touches to tip it onto the crossbar. Forest’s frustration deepened. The sense of inevitability did not.

Then came the twist.

Stach silences the City Ground

With time running out and the game drifting towards a goalless draw, Leeds earned a free kick on the corner of the Forest penalty area. The angle looked awkward, the wall well set, Sels alert.

Stach didn’t bother with the obvious. Instead of going up and over, he went low and hard, skimming the ball towards the near post. Sels reacted late, the ball skipped under his hand and inside the upright, and the away end exploded.

Leeds players sprinted to the corner, Farke punched the air, and the City Ground fell silent apart from a pocket of delirious Yorkshire voices. Smash-and-grab complete.

For Forest, the story is painfully familiar: no new signings in the starting XI, a host of missed chances, and nothing to show for long spells of dominance. For Leeds, it is the opposite: a gritty, opportunistic win, a clean sheet, and a psychological edge before the sides meet again in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

One game into the season, two clubs already pulling in different emotional directions. Forest wondering how they lost. Leeds wondering how far a ruthless streak like this can take them.