Recap
A Point Earnt
The Dragoons third fixture of their 22/23 A Klasa campaign saw T.S. Rybitwy travel to Prądniczanka. The match saw both sides gunning for their first victory of the season.
Brian Lemmen dropped down to the bench, with Simon Calabrese starting alongside Josh Dawson at the back. Michał Nowak also returned to the starting XI, replacing the injured Jordi Badolato.
Further changes to the side saw Rob Smits and Emre Bezirkan miss the game, with Szymon Urzędowski and Rohit Chandran coming into the starting line-up.
Kick Off
Rybitwy kicked the game off and looked to go straight on the offensive. However, it was the Dragoons who came close to grabbing the first goal in the opening stages.
Chandran went down the right, but kept the ball a little too long and lost possession. Ever the battler, the Indian charged down the clearance and the ball fell kindly to Barry Chowaniec. The Polish attacker beat the Rybitwy full-back and entered the box on the right side, but Dariusz Kurnik in the visitor’s goal read the pass across and claimed the ball down low.
Chowaniec again caused issues down the flank and on this occasion, a Rybitwy defender got to his cut-back first to deny Chandran a shot on goal.
Hugo’s Healing Spray
A long-throw from Nowak led to Rybitwy breaking forward and getting their first shot on goal. Mateusz Madręcki had just re-entered the field having been on the floor previously and took advantage of the space down the Expats right. The Rybitwy winger showed miraculous powers of recovery to race down the left, but hit a tame shot straight at Muñoz.
The Expats went straight down the other end and Nkola found Chandran in the box. The mercurial attacker took a shot but saw a Rybitwy defender in the way and the ball cleared from danger.
Enrico Forabosco tried a speculative effort in the 8th minute. The Italian whacked the ball from range but Kurnik comfortably clutched the attempt.
A swift counter by Rybitwy saw Madręcki get by Nowak and put a ball across to Piotr Skrzypek. The Rybitwy man thought he’d scored, only for Muñoz to stick out a leg and divert the ball wide.
The following short corner saw Chowaniec trip an opponent on the edge of the box, earning a yellow card. The free-kick saw Muñoz punch clear and a shot from outside of the box flew wide of the target.
Close!
Chowaniec, playing in a central position won the Expats a free-kick 25 metres from goal. Enrico Forabosco stepped up and saw his free-kick bounce off of the wall and onto the top of the net.
The Italian took the resulting corner and saw his whipped cross fly past the goal with no Dragoons man able to get a touch.
A beautiful flowing move saw the Expats go close on 16 minutes. Excellent hassling by Urzędowski saw the midfield workhorse win possession on the edge of his own box. Nowak poked the ball forward into the path of Enrico Forabosco. The midfield magician spotted the run of Flavio Nkola and played the ball towards the Angolan. A supreme touch by Nkola, saw Forabosco sprint onto the ball and pass forward to Chowaniec. The Dragoons dangerman found himself through on goal and attempted to round Kurnik, but the keeper bravely dived at Chowaniec’s feet and cleanly touched the ball to save his side going behind.
Nkola With The Opener
Kurnik’s bravery appeared to be in vain however, as the Expats took the lead in the very next attack. Chowaniec worked the left-hand channel to get possession of the ball. The attacker looked up and spotted Nkola in space in the area.
The Angolan wingman took a touch to set himself and sent an unstoppable curling effort past Kurnik and into the corner of the goal for his second goal of the season.
Chances Galore!
With 21 minutes played so far, the Expats should have been two goals ahead. A pass from Nkola, saw Chowaniec break through the Rybitwy backline. The attacker had Chandran in acres of space to his right but elected to go for goal. His shot flew past Kurnik, but nestled into the top of the side netting.
Another fantastic piece of football saw Nowak excellently thread a pass through to Chandran. An even better pass from Chandran split the Rybitwy defence and found Nkola on the left-wing. The wide-man sent a cross straight to the unmarked Chowaniec, who shaped to shoot. The Pole perhaps had too much time to think and somehow sent his effort against the post from close range.
The Dragoons looked imperious and Nkola went close next. The winger sent a beautifully struck volley at goal from range. Kurnik proved to be equal to the effort, springing to his left to palm the ball wide however.
Into the 25th minute, Chowaniec again found joy down the left. On this occasion, he spotted Urzędowski in the box, but his blocked shot looped up in the air and into the grateful arms of Kurnik.
Sucker-Punch!
Rybitwy scored an unlikely equaliser 26 minutes into the encounter. Simon Calabrese flew into a sliding tackle to give the opponents a free-kick. The fiery Italian had his head in his hands at the decision, believing he had played the ball fairly.
Mateusz Włodarczyk stepped up and hit a powerful drive at goal straight through the wall. The ball took the slightest of nicks off of Dawson, hit the inside of the post and nestled into the net for 1-1.
The goal seemed to upset the Expats feng-sui as they appeared to panic on the ball. One such moment saw Calabrese overhit a pass through the Rybitwy backline. Everyone seemed to give up on the ball except for Nowak. The full-back raced onto the loose pass and found Chowaniec in space in the penalty area. The usual deadly attacker completely misread his lines, spanking the ball over the bar.
On the half hour mark, Chowaniec found Nkola free in the box. The Dragoons forward tried to get the ball under control, but a heavy touch saw it cleared away.
Hero to Zero
A second goal came for the visitors with 33 minutes of the game played. A quick counter attack saw Madręcki’s well struck shot equally well saved by Muñoz.
The following corner into the box saw the Chilean stopper palm the ball into his own net to give the visitors the lead. A harrowing moment for the Dragoons keeper, who later claimed he’d received a push.
Out of Nowhere
Regardless, the Expats found themselves even further behind with 38 minutes on the clock. With the momentum lost, the Dragoons once again became the masters of their own downfall.
Heads appeared to have gone down as the Dragoons could not keep possession. A speculative drive from range by Filip Stefańczyk flew through the air, past the despairing dive of Muñoz and into the top corner of the goal. A fabulous strike to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.
Captain Mark Szczesnowicz looked to rally the side and Ash Asani shouted words of encouragement as the Dragoons took the kick-off for the third time.
Mojo Restored?
It seemed to do the trick as the Expats looked to rediscover their mojo and looked to reduce the score.
A free-kick from Forabosco could not find a Dragoons man, but the Expats managed to recycle the ball into the box. Flavio Nkola could not take advantage of the space however, blasting a shot over the bar.
The Dragoons continued to come forward and came perilously close again just before half-time. Another corner kick caused problems for the visitors, who could not clear the danger. Calabrese hit a sweetly struck effort at goal, only for Kurnik to somehow produce a save.
A second corner saw the ball sent towards goal, but Madręcki hooked away a clearance.
The final chance of the half came from another free-kick for the Expats. Dawson timed his run excellently, but did not get the connection properly on his header. The ball landed on the top of his head and floated harmlessly over the Rybitwy goal.
Shortly after the half-time whistle blew, with the Dragoons losing the game 3-1. An unfamiliar position for the side in more recent times! Despite the scoreline, the Expats had played well, but Rybitwy had been clinical with the chances presented to them.
Second Half
The Expats kicked off the second half and looked to go straight on the offensive. Good passing saw a long ball strike a defender, falling kindly for Chowaniec. The forward put a tasty ball across goal, but could not find a Dragoons man to swallow the chance.
Frustrations grew for the Expats and both Szczesnowicz and Dawson went into the book for fouls.
Nkola found Chowaniec free on the edge of the box, but a defender blocked the attempt away. The Expats continued to press but the dark arts from Rybitwy slowed the game down.
Back and Forth
A speedy attack gave Rybitwy an excellent chance to add a fourth. With the Dragoons pushing forward for an equaliser, the visitors looked to exploit the space.
With Nowak advanced on the Expats left, Skrzypek had the freedom of the wing. The Rybitwy man pulled the ball back to Madręcki, who subsequently smashed a good chance over the bar.
Robert Ambrosie sent a cross into the Rybitwy box, which the visitors cleared. Again, with the Expats advanced Rybitwy looked to take advantage. On this occasion, Skrzypek saw a good opportunity go begging as he lashed a shot over.
With an hour played, the Dragoons came forward with their best attack of the half so far. Urzędowski fed the ball to Nkola, but strong defending saw his attempt blocked. Chandran won possession on the right and went on a trademark dazzling run and won a corner. A rare poor kick from Forabosco summed up the Dragoons afternoon and Rybitwy cleared.
The Game Changer?
Ceri Looker came onto the pitch with 63 minutes gone. The six-foot plus Englishman replaced Szymon Urzędowski.
Looker’s first involvement almost led to the Dragoons reducing the arrears. The midfielder played a sweet through-pass to find the well-timed run of Chowaniec. The Polish attacker ran through on goal at an angle, but Kurnik excellently denied the Dragoons top-scorer.
Deficit Reduced – Dragoons Back in the Game
From the resulting corner, the Dragoons finally found a way back into the game. Forabosco sent a whipped corner into the box, which Kurnik came for. The ball dropped onto the floor and Chandran reacted quickest to bury a shot into an empty net.
In the 72nd minute, two minutes after the goal, the Expats came so close to scoring an equaliser. Chandran broke the offside trap to get onto the end of a pass from Looker. The Indian whirlwind, twisted and turned to leave the defender tied in knots.
The Chicken Coop Guardian
Chandran looked up to see Nowak making a lung-busting run from left-back to get into the six-yard box. He looked favourite to score, only for that man Kurnik to bravely dive at Nowak’s feet and divert the ball for a corner.
Forabosco sent a searching ball in the box and found Dawson unmarked at the back post. The Englishman nodded down firmly, only for Kurnik to instinctively dive and push the ball away.
With fifteen minutes to play, Nkola thought he’d won a penalty after being chopped to the floor. The referee gave a free-kick on the edge of the box and Ambrosie stepped up to take. The Romanian full-back smashed the ball through the wall, but straight down the throat of Kurnik.
After being under pressure for some time, an error from Looker saw Rybitwy break on the counter. Madręcki had the beating of Nowak and raced forward. The Rybitwy man spanked a shot at goal and Muñoz came to the rescue, pushing the shot wide.
Tempers Flared
The Dragoons lost their temper with the referee with ten minutes to play. Ceri Looker played an excellent pass through to find Chowaniec. The attacker ran forward with a man to beat and with Nkola free on his left.
As the Expats forward looked to round the last man, the Rybitwy defender wildly poleaxed him to the ground. The loose ball rolled to Nkola, with the referee playing the advantage, who ballooned his shot into a new dimension.
With the official quick to show the Expats a yellow card at any opportunity, it left a sour taste to see the tackle go completely unpunished. Especially as Forabosco saw his name taken during the protestations after the action.
Fired up, the Expats courageously continued to battle against the odds.
Robert Ambrosie set off down the right flank and sent a beautiful low pass into the box. Chowaniec pulled the trigger on a shot, but brave defending saw the ball deflect wide.
Hands on Heads!
Forabosco hung the following corner under the keeper, but again the ball bobbled away. Another attempted cross seemed to land straight into the path of Dawson. The centre-back swivelled, struck at goal and wheeled away to celebrate as did most fans in attendance. But out of nowhere came Kurnik, launching himself to his left to clutch the ball in mid-air to deny the chance.
With five minutes to go, Chandran was fouled on the edge of the box in a crossing position. A game of pinball ensued as the ball ricocheted around the box, before Rybitwy smashed clear. The Dragoons’ Dawson and Calabrese felt they had been fouled but the game continued until the referee whistled for a stoppage. Calabrese complained of a stamp from an opponent and almost rolled his way to China.
Hey Good Looker
As the game entered the final minute, another unpunished foul gave Forabosco a further crossing chance.
Time stood still as the ball pinged-ponged again around the box. It appeared to glance off Nkola before falling into no man’s land on the edge of the six-yard box. Ceri Looker slid into the loose ball, sending it beyond Kurnik and into the goal to give the Dragoons a deserved equaliser.
Five minutes of injury time gave the Expats time to go for a winner. Chowaniec looked to instantly grab a fourth goal, running into the box on the left. The forward sliced his shot at goal and Kurnik denied the chance.
Rybitwy went forward and won a corner in the dying moments. The visitors looked to target Muñoz with the corner lumped towards the near post. The Dragoons custodian showed a strong hand to palm over his own bar.
A second corner came in and Muñoz showed a strong fist to clear. The Dragoons went on the counter-offensive whilst Muñoz complained to the assistant referee about a foul. Chowaniec and an opponent took it in turns to foul each other, whilst the referee miles away from play spoke to the linesman, who had obviously seen a foul on the Dragoons keeper.
X-Rated Alex
With all control of the game lost, the official decided to blow his whistle to end an ill-tempered affair. Club President Alex Băcica had a few comical words to let the referee know what he thought about his display. As this is a PG rated match report, none of the words can be mentioned!
In recent times, the 90th minute had seen heartache with conceded goals and a missed penalty. However, on this occasion the Dragoons had battled until the end to grab a point.
Whilst a disappointing score-line, the Expats produced their best display of the campaign so far. Sadly, any time the Dragoons make a mistake they are punished.
After the 3-4 reverse on the opening day against Dąbski, head-coach Ash Asani commented that opponents score easy goals, whilst the Dragoons need to work incredibly hard to score.
Hopefully, the Dragoons will be able to tighten up the defence and end the age-old issue of missing chances. The Expats had enough chances to win two matches against Rybtiwy, however come away with just a point.
Next Up!
The Dragoons remain in 11th position in the table with two points. Next week, the Expats travel to 13th placed Krakus Swoszowice Kraków in search of their first three points. Founded in 1948, Krakus currently hold the unwanted record of most goals conceded so far this season with 16.
Playing in green and red, the Dragoons next opponents have lost all three outings so far this season. An opening day reverse saw Krakus fall to a tight 3-2 defeat against Tramwaj. League leaders Iskra Krzęcin proved to be too strong coming away 7-3 victors and this weekend Wanda Kraków defeated Krakus 6-2.
We hope to see as many supporters as possible to cheers the Dragoons on.
