Recap
Eleven Heaven For Dragoons
An away fixture saw the Dragoons travel to WKS Wawel in the penultimate game before the winter break.
The Dragoons opened the scoring in the very first attack of the game in only the 2nd minute. A corner kick into the box could not be cleared by Wawel. Brian Lemmen’s initial shot came back off of a defender only to fall as far as Alexey Zelenkin. The Belarussian swung his left foot at the ball from the edge of the box, resulting with the shot whistling beyond Filip Dziedzic and into the corner of the net. A good start for the Expats!
It was almost 2-0 in the 6th minute. A long-throw into the box from Michał Nowak found the head of Zelenkin. The ball arrowed at goal only for Dziedzic to spring to his right and make a flying save. Nkola looked to put the rebound into the net, but fouled the goalkeeper in the process and a free-kick given against the Angolan.
The Dragoons continued to get forward, but found it difficult to break down the Wawel defensive line.
The next chance of note fell to Josh Dawson from a corner kick. The full-back headed at goal but the ball landed comfortably into the hands of Dziedzic.
In the 14th minute, Wawel looked to go on the attack and had their first attempt at goal. Bartosz Kidoń found space and blasted a fierce volley at goal, but could not trouble the target.
Good work from Nowak from left back, almost produced a second goal for the Dragoons. The Pole pulled the ball back from the byline into the path of the unmarked Adrian Paliś in the box. The striker misread his lines however, and horribly skewed his shot wide of the goal.
Disaster Averted!
The Dragoons nearly gifted Wawel an unlikely equaliser in the 20th minute. Brian Lemmen’s back pass to Muñoz went straight to an Wawel attacker just inside of the Expat’s box. The Dragoons custodian flew off his line quickly to block the forthcoming shot with his legs, however the danger had not gone.
Wawel worked the ball onto the right side and a foul from Nkola gave the home side a crossing opportunity from just outside of the box. The resulting free-kick saw the ball take a deflection across the face of the Dragoons goal. Krzysiek Musiał went to clear the ball and a miss-kick fortunately fell kindly by the post for Muñoz to collect.
The Expats continued to try and get forward to grab a second, but found it tough going. Paliś had an effort deflect off of a defender and roll kindly into the arms of Dziedzic.
A free kick in the 27th minute gave the Dragoons another opportunity to score. In the absence of Enrico Forabosco, Flavio Nkola stepped up to take the kick. The Angolan sent a strong effort at goal, but saw the ball clear the cross bar.
Dragoons Toil in the Final Third
A well worked move saw Paliś prowling inside the Wawel box. Filip Dziedzic came out quickly however, blocking the forward’s cross along the 6 metre area.
Straight down the other end and Kidoń hit a wind assisted cross into the Dragoons box. The ball looked to be making its way into the top corner, but Muñoz back-peddled to clutch it under his own bar.
The end to end action did not end there as the Dragoons went straight on the attack. Flavio Nkola picked out the rampaging run of Dawson from right back. The Englishman broke forward and hit a rasping effort, that just cleared the target.
In the 42nd minute, a clever quick free-kick from Gonçalo Rodrigues found Krzysiek Musiał in acres of space in the Wawel box. The midfielder dallied in possession however and a Wawel man got back to make a tackle.
The final action of the half came in the 45th minute. Wawel worked the ball forward but a shot from the edge of the box made for an easy save for Muñoz.
Straight after the attempt the referee’s whistle brought the half to an end. The Dragoons had found it tough to break down the Wawel defence and had also been wasteful in possession.
Second Half
Martin Voženílek replaced the injured Jamie Beattie at the break, taking the field on the right flank.
The Dragoons came out of the traps the quickest in the second period. Flavio Nkola made space for himself on the edge of the box, but smacked his shot over the bar.
Mark Szczesnowicz entered the field for Musiał and was immediately involved. Like those before him however, the Australian could not find the target with his effort.
Penalty Kick!
Into the 64th minute, Flavio Nkola darted down the right flank into the box. The Angolan weaved his way in order to make a shooting opportunity, but saw his legs swiped from under him. The referee pointed to the spot to give the chance for the Dragoons to score a second. Michał Nowak stepped up confidently and sent Dziedzic the wrong way to make the score 2-0.
It took until the 72nd minute for the next chance of the game. A long-throw from Nowak found the head of Josh Dawson, but again the ball flew wide off the mark.
Filippo de Felice entered the field for his second Dragoons appearance, replacing Adrian Paliś. The Italian came close to grabbing a goal almost immediately. The forward turned just inside the left side of the box and drove a fierce effort into the side netting.
The Dragoons had begun to turn the screw and another substitute had a chance at grabbing a goal. Emre Çolakoğlu found space on the edge of the box, but did not connect with the shot properly, making an easy save for Dziedzic.
Moments after in the 79th minute, de Felice picked out Nkola on the edge of the box. The winger created a shooting chance for himself, but hit his attempt straight at Dziedzic, who saved with his legs.
A great run and bit of skill from Szczesnowicz down the left saw the midfielder put a teasing ball into the box. Josh Dawson stretched in an attempt to make contact, but saw the ball flash just past him and go out of play.
Fortune Favours the Brave
In the 84th minute, the Dragoons managed to notch a third goal to wrap up their victory. A Nowak long-throw fell to de Felice. The striker came forward, made space for himself on the edge of the box and sent a fizzing effort at goal. Filip Dziedzic got down but made a meal of his attempt to make a save. The ball squirmed from his grasp and rolled into the net to give de Felice his first goal for the Expats.
A dull and uneventful encounter soon came to an end with the Expats extending their winning run to eleven games. The Dragoons did not get out of first gear as they eased to victory against a stubborn Wawel side.
The Expats take to their travels once again next week in the final game before the winter break. The Dragoons face off against 10th place Bieżanowianka II and will look to extend their impressive winning streak. The Dragoons opponents slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Pychowianka this weekend and have won twice, drawn twice and lost six times so far this season.
Whilst the Dragoons have faced Bieżanowianka’s first team in the Puchar Polski, they have never came up against the second side. Ash Asani will be looking for maximum points to further extend the Expats lead at the top of the table.
