Euro Dream Slips Away From 10 Man Slask

The match started at a lightening pace, and was markedly more open that some had expected. Śląsk keeper Rafał Gikiewicz was called into action on more than one occasion in the first ten minutes, but stood strong to keep Sevilla's attacks at bay. It wasn't one way traffic however, as Paixao also came close for Śląsk with a couple of headed attempts.

It was evident from the open exchanges that Śląsk had the belief that they could score an away goal, and they did just that on 15 minutes. Some great wing play by Waldemar Sobota gave him just enough space to whip in a cross near the goal-line, which has directed into the bottom right hand corner by the head of Paixao. That sparked wild celebrations from the small band of traveling WKS fans, not to mention the thousands of supporters watching the game here in Poland.  

Sevilla fought back and created a stream of chances to equalise, but again Gikiewicz was at hand to thwart their attempts. Sevilla still looked dodgy at the back however, and a crucial moment came in the 30th minute, when poor defending helped put Śląsk's Sebino Plaku clean through on goal. The Albanian striker was apprehensive however, and his brief moment of hesitation allowed the goalkeeper to smother his effort. Paixao then tried to fire in the rebound, but his shot was also parried away. 

On 36 minutes Ivan Rakitić struck for Sevilla to bring his side back on level terms. The Croatian midfielder curled a free kick into the penalty area looking for a flick-on, but Gikiewicz's vision was blocked by Kazmierczak, who couldn't clear the danger, and the ball agonizingly snuck inside the right hand post.

Despite the setback of losing the lead, Śląsk rallied back superbly and created some chances either side of the break. Paixao headed just over the bar following a Mila free kick, while Mila himself tested Sevilla keeper Beto with a long range shot. Then in the 51st minute, WKS came exasperatingly close to taking the lead for the 2nd time. Mila combined well with Plaku to penetrate Sevilla's defence, and the captain cut the ball back for Sobota to strike at goal. Sobota's shot was palmed away by Beto, but looked destined to be smashed in by the nearby Paixao. Beto showed tremendous reflexes however, and managed to get up and flick the ball away from the Portuguese striker's boot. 

The game's definitive moment came three minutes later, when Dudu was given his marching orders by the referee. A swift counter attack by the home side left the WKS back line exposed, and Dudu elected to slide in to prevent Gameiro from running through on goal. Dudu failed to get the ball however, and took down the French Striker just as he was about to steam through into the penalty area. The referee showed no hesitation in sending Dudu off, who was unfortunately the last man between Gameiro and the goalkeeper. 

The reduction to ten men gave the home side a much needed lift and put WKS under severe pressure. Śląsk defended bravely but eventually lost their lead in the 66th minute, when Chelsea Loanee Marko Marin executed a superb shot with the outside of his right foot.

Sevilla then added a third in the 85th minute, punishing the tired legs of WKS' ten men. A neat flick-on from a Rakitić corner found an unmarked Gameiro at the backpost, who headed in from close range.

Another cruel blow was to come 4 minutes later, when Marko Marin scored his second to put Sevilla well and truly in the driving seat. The silky German international wound his way into the box, rounded Gikiewicz and made no mistake with his finish.

The end result was hard on Śląsk, who deserved more for their efforts on the night. With a three goal deficit to make up against a classy La Liga side, not to mention the suspensions to key players, it will be a steep uphill task to for Śląsk to make the Europa League group stages. The away goal will give the players a ray of hope however, and WKS are far from ready to give up the battle just yet.