Recap
A Disappointing Day
The Dragoons faced a stern test in Sportowiec Modlniczka and ultimately suffered their second defeat of the season, falling 2-1 in a spirited but frustrating contest. Sportowiec, unbeaten at the top of the league, showcased their clinical edge, making the most of their opportunities while denying the Dragoons any meaningful breakthrough until late in the game.
Hugo Cruz made three changes to the side that convincingly defeated Zieleńczanka II Zielonki last weekend.
The Portuguese named an unchanged back five, with the first two changes coming into midfield. Enrico Forabosco returned to action to replace Szymon Urzędowski and Fernando Gámez also came into the first XI for Emre Çolakoğlu.
Into the attack, the only change saw Martin Voženílek restored to the lineup in place of Blazej Święcicki.
Kick Off
Sportowiec started quicker but the Dragoons survived a couple of early scares and began to settle into the game. Unfortunately, the Expats struggled to keep the ball in the final third as the league leaders slowly began to gain control.
Sportowiec Take The Lead
Despite being a fairly open game, Sportowiec ruthlessly drew first blood in the 28th minute. A loose pass forward by Forabosco saw the visitors capitalise and get the ball into the Expats’ area. Shoddy defending saw Kuba Drobny turned inside the box and a pass across the face of the goal, left Sebastian Sarkowicz with an easy tap-in for 1-0.
Rohit Chandran led the Dragoons’ charge as the home side attempted to level the game. The Indian whirlwind carried the ball forward to get the Expats into attacking areas. However, all too often the team found the final pass lacking and failed to seriously trouble the Sportowiec backline.
Down the other end of the pitch, the visitors chased the Dragoons down and looked to break quickly. Drobny had to be alert on one such occasion in the 38th minute, making a vital block to stop a goalscoring chance.
A Final Flourish
The Dragoons managed their first attempt on target in injury time. However, Enrico Forabosco’s 30-metre drive failed to seriously test Piotr Wójtowicz in the visitors’ goal.
Shortly after, the half ended with the Expats trailing at the break. The Dragoons had struggled to dominate the ball and looked susceptible to the speedy counter-attacks from their opponents. All too often, the Expats moved the ball too slowly and struggled to get numbers high into the Sportowiec half.
Second Half
After the interval, the Dragoons looked to regroup and started the half quickly. The first action saw Forabosco put a great pass down the right flank to find the run of Martin Voženílek. The Czech winger pulled a pass back inside the box, but could not find a Dragoons shirt. However, quick thinking from Fernando Gámez saw the Spaniard intercept a poor pass inside the Sportowiec area instantly winning possession back. The Canarian King attempted a first-time shot but could only find the side netting.
Obyrtacz To The Rescue
Despite starting the half brightly, the Expats almost gifted the visitors a second goal in the 50th minute. Gámez’s loose pass saw the Expats caught high up the pitch and Krzysztof Seweryn’s exquisite through ball set (NAME) on goal with Drobny trailing in his wake. The forward attempted to round Marcin Obyrtacz but the keeper stood strong to make an excellent stop with his legs. The danger did not pass immediately as Sportowiec regained the ball but a poor shot inside the box cleared the Expats’ bar – a real let-off!
Sportowiec began to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and found success with passes down the Expats’ right side. The Dragoons found themselves stretched and Obyrtacz had to be alert to stop Seweryn’s fierce low drive.
Dragoons Punished
The Expats failed to heed the warning signs as Sportowiec struck again in the 58th minute to make it 2-0. A throw-in into the Expats’ box saw Drobny turned far too easily and a pass across the six-yard box saw Maciej Sawicki allowed to run unmarked between the statuesque Calabrese and Leuci to pass the ball into the net to double the visitors’ lead. A poor goal to concede from the Dragoons’ perspective and too many similarities to the first!
Now two goals down, Hugo Cruz responded with a double substitution to bring fresh legs onto the field. The Dutch duo of Brian Lemmen and Rob Smits entered to replace Drobny and Forabosco.
Despite the changes, Sportowiec continued their relentless attack on the Dragoons’ goal. The visitors looked like they would score with every attack and should have added a third on the hour mark. On this occasion, a shot from inside the box smashed the post as Sportowiec carved the defence wide open.
Broken Barry
Four minutes later, Barry Chowaniec chased the ball in an attempt to keep it in play. The Polish attacker went down innocuously causing a break in play. It would be the last action for the stricken striker who sadly faces an injury lay-off after suffering a broken leg. Our best wishes go to Barry for a speedy recovery!
Last Throw Of The Dice
Hugo Cruz wrung the changes as the clock wore down. Vałdzis Fuhaš, Emre Çolakoğlu, Szymon Urzędowski, Josh Dawson and Jan Kołodziejski all entered the pitch in a last throw of the dice. The changes saw the Expats begin to stop the flow of Sportowiec attacks and slowly wrestle control of the game.
In the 73rd minute, the Dragoons came close to reducing the deficit with four of the substitutes involved. Dawson cut out a pass forward and instantly found Kołodziejski out wide. Despite losing his footing, the winger kept possession and laid the ball into the path of Smits. The Dutchmeester showed excellent vision and put a great through-pass behind the defence to pick out the run of Fuhaš. The striker took the ball into his stride but failed to trouble the target with a low shot.
The game became frantic as the Expats turned up the tempo and began to get numbers forward. However, more often than not, the Dragoons lacked the final ball to turn the screw on the league leaders who defended manfully.
Dragoons Hit Back
With just five minutes of the game left, the Expats defended a counter with Roman Bilovol’s lunging interception landing at the feet of Smits. The midfield metronome immediately spied Chandran free on the left and slipped the ball into the Indian’s path. The playmaker ran into the box and laid a pass across the goal to find Kołodziejski free in the box. The winger took a touch to set himself and struck excellently into the top corner of the net to give the Dragoons hope!
The Dragoons pressed forward with momentum on their side, and in a dramatic finish, Sportowiec saw two players sent off in stoppage time for second bookings.
However, despite the numerical advantage, the Dragoons lacked the composure to carve out a clear scoring chance, and Sportowiec held firm to secure a deserved win. With defeat confirmed, the Expats dropped to seventh position and are nine points behind Sportowiec who remain top.
Summary
The Dragoons were left to rue costly lapses in concentration at the back as a well-drilled Sportowiec side took full advantage. The Expats lacked the impetus to take the game to the visitors in the first half and a second-half onslaught threatened to take the game away from the Dragoons. After the substitutes, the Dragoons showed energy and determination, with the fresh legs giving the team a fighting chance. However, it was not enough as Sportowiec showed defensive solidity to hold on to their lead.
As a last word, we’d like to give a massive thank you to our friends at Four Music Club who kindly joined us as Match Day sponsors for the game.
Coach’s Corner
Hugo Cruz had this to say in his summary of the game:
“We started the game well and knew the opposition wanted to play a certain way meaning that we would have less possession. We let them hit it long into the wings where we were prepared to win the ball back. The players showed some confidence on the ball and we made a couple of nice transitions without causing any danger.
After that, we started to lose our confidence and Sportowiec assumed more control of the game. When we do not attack and circulate the ball with confidence, the team doesn’t have the opportunity to push up. It caused the opposition to grab a foothold in the game and put us under pressure.
We dropped too much, lacked the confidence to play our game with the ball and it cost us the first goal, meaning that we could not arrest control of the game until the last 5 minutes when it seemed we were gaining confidence again. We tried to be a bit more ambitious in the second half but seemed uninspired and failed to score on the occasions when we got close to their goal.
Wringing The Changes
After this, we completely lost all control of the half for a long period and I needed to make changes to give us a chance. Nevertheless, the opposition only scored once and all of the substitutions had a fighting mentality which allowed us to gain momentum and keep the match open.
The subs added the right energy to the game and we started to explore the space between the defence and midfield. After the red cards, we kept trying and kept believing until the end and that was great to see.
Credit to Sportowiec, they showed their quality and showed an excellent settled team dynamic. On the other hand, we showed that we need to train more together so that we can build confidence and gain the correct dynamic needed to beat the top teams. We need to play more consistently for 90 mins to achieve our aims and that comes with time. We now have another week of training and with the correct attitude, the potential this team has will soon show”.
Next Up
The Expats travel to the bottom-placed side Orzeł Iwanowice next weekend. Orzeł have found life tough going and remain pointless so far this season after 8 games. They have scored 6 goals and conceded 31, the highest in the league.
