PAP/Valdemar Disca/Pictured: Marcin Cipolla
The Champions League has moved away from Rakov. In the first match of the fourth qualifying round for the elite matches, Czestochowa lost 0:1 to FC Copenhagen. He scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute.
After many years, the Polish champion found himself in the decisive round in the struggle for the group stage of the Champions League. Raków’s rival was Danish champions FC Copenhagen, with pole vaulter Kamil Grabara between the posts.
Skirmishes took place at Sosnowiec. The players were greeted on the field not only by the Champions League anthem, but also by torrential rain and a quarter-hour storm.
Czestochowa residents had their own plan for this match. He would force the opponent to commit a foul in his own half and, after gaining possession, would look for Fabian Piasecki. This is what it looked like in the seventh minute. The Raków striker struck from distance, and Grabara defended with minor problems.
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Moments later, the guests unexpectedly came forward. Mohamed Elyounoussi played from the left side of the penalty area. The ball bounced by mistake from Bogdan Rakovitan, who was standing a few meters in front of the goal, and fell into the net at the near post. Vladan Kovacevic is still trying to salvage the situation, but he can’t do much.
After scoring the goal, the Danish champions did not intend to open, but rather waited for Rakov. In the 22nd minute, Czestochowa had to make the first castling. Jean Carlos Silva suffered a muscle injury, the driving force for the hosts in the first stage.
Three minutes later, Kevin Dicks was out of touch with Grabara. Piański reached the ball three meters before the goal. A shot from an acute angle flew just over the crossbar.
In the next minutes, the Polish champions were banging their heads against the wall. In the 41st minute, Sosnowic’s fans were elated for a moment. Milan Rondic headed the ball in from the right and Giannis Papanicolaou put it into the net. After VAR analysis, it was found that the home team player in extra time had been slightly offside previously and the referee disallowed the goal.
Changing his position, Rakov first went over to the offensive. The hosts put a lot of pressure on the guests. However, it was FC Copenhagen in the 51st minute who could increase the score. Ronnie Bardji’s shot from a narrow angle was saved by Vladan Kovacevich. After a while, Papanicola made a mistake, as Victor Claesson’s long-range shot was just wide of the goal.
Rakov managed to equalize in the 58th minute, when Diane Sorisko’s technical kick missed the bottom line. Seven minutes later, the ball fell to Sonny Keitel’s feet – a ten-meter shot went right over the goal.
Copenhagen responded to the Polish champion in the 69th minute, when Mohamed El-Younesi scored from the penalty area. The ball bounced off Gustav Bergren. Vladan Kovacevic stayed alert and blocked the shot.
In the 80th minute, Dawood Schwarga made three substitutions. The Polish champions had the advantage and were looking for a draw. The guests managed to defend themselves and took a modest lead until the end without any major problems.
The Polish champions still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League group stage, but for the return leg in Copenhagen (Wednesday 30 August, 9pm) they should play better up front than on Tuesday night in Sosnowiec.
Rakov Czestochowa – FC Copenhagen 0:1 (0:1)
0:1 – Bogdan Rakovitan (Sam) 9′
Compositions:
Rakov Czestochowa: Vladan Kovacevich – Bogdan Rakovitan, Adnan Kovacevich, Milan Rondic (80′ Srjan Plavsic) – Fran Tudor, Giannis Papanicolaou, Gustav Bergren, Jean Carlos Silva (22′ Dejan Sorescu) – Vladislav Kocherhin (80′ Ben Lederman), Fabian Piasecki (80 ). Lukasz Zvolenski), Marcin Cipolla (60′ Sonny Keitel).
FC Copenhagen: Kamil Grabara – Elias Gellert, Denis Favreau, Kevin Dicks, Berger Melling – Victor Clayson (Lucas Lerager 64), Rasmus Falk (86 Oscar Hoglund), Diogo Goncalves (80′ Nikolay Poilsen) – Ronnie Bardji (64′ Uri Oscarsson). – Jordan Larson, Mohamed El-Younossi (80′ Christian Sorensen).
Yellow cards: Gellert Oskarsson (Copenhagen).
Judge: Irfan Belito (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
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