Legia's Marek Saganowski (C) taken down by Lazio's Ogenyi Onazi (L) and Lorik Cana (P) during the Europa League group stage match in Rome, 19.09.2013. Photo: PAP/Bartłomiej Zborowski
Both teams went into the match missing their best strikers: Miroslav Klose, the Polish-born striker who plays for Germany, took the evening off before the Rome derby this Sunday, while Legia striker Georgian Vladimir Dvalishvili suffered an injury during training in Rome before the match.
The first minutes of the game were mostly played in the centre of the pitch, with both teams having a difficult time getting into their opposition’s half. The stalemate prompted Legia midfielder Dominik Furman to attempt a goal from 20 metres, with the ball flying over the crossbar.
Minutes later two corners outside the Legia box put the pressure on the visiting team, with Warsaw’s Portuguese Cypriot defender Dossa Junior managing to deflect the first attempt on goal. A header by Lazio defender Abdoulya Konko also missed the goal.
The closest Legia got to scoring a goal came in the 22nd minute, after a tense stand-off between winger Miroslav Radovic and Federico Marchetti saw the Serbian pass the ball to midfielder Jakub Kosecki who managed to strike a volley, only to be thwarted by Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.
Until the end of the first half, Legia’s defender duo of Dossa Junior and Jakub Rzezniczak hampered Lazio’s attempts on goal, with the Warsaw goalkeeper Wojciech Skaba not having much on his plate until half-time.
The tables turned in the second half, with Lazio upping their game from the outset. In the 53rd minute Lazio winger Keita Balde managed to sneak past Legia’s defence, crossing the ball to Hernanes who managed to jump higher than defender Tomasz Brzyski to header the ball to the back of the net.
However, Legia didn’t manage a counterattack until the 74th minute, with a header from Kosecki putting the ball above the crossbar after a difficult cross from substitute Michal Kucharczyk.
Four minutes later Dossa Junior tried the same trick, but Legia visibly had no more aces up its sleeve to try and rescue their impending loss against the home favourites.
Legia play their next round of the Europa League Group J stage on 3 October in Warsaw against Apollon Limassol, although without any fans after a UEFA decision to ban spectators from attending.
The UEFA penalty comes after Legia fans’ behaviour during a qualifier match for the Champions League against Steaua Bucharest in August. Thursday’s match also did not go unscathed, with Legia ‘ultras’ clashing with police before the game. (jb)
Source: PAP/TVP Sport