Czarni Sosnowiec cruise past Spartak Myjava in Champions League qualifier
Czarni Sosnowiec saw off Spartak Myjava 4-2 in the second qualifying round finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League on August eighth. The Polish side took control after Spartak had opened the scoring from a penalty, and never looked back once they found their rhythm. To be fair, the hosts started brightly enough, but it was the visitors who seized the momentum and ran away with it.
A. Bogorova gave Spartak the lead in the fourteenth minute from the spot, and for a stretch it looked like they might hold on. But N. Stanovic equalised twelve minutes later, and K. Miksone restored Czarni's advantage from another penalty just four minutes after that. By then, Spartak were chasing the game rather than making it. W. Wojcik added a third in the thirty-eighth before the interval, and the visitors never needed to look over their shoulders again.
The statistics tell their own story. Spartak kept a slight edge in possession at fifty-one percent, but Czarni tested the keeper seventeen times on target compared to five. The visitors took twenty-four shots in total, while the hosts managed only seven. Chances went begging for the home side, and that is what separates a comfortable win from a close contest.
There were substitutions to manage the game, though nothing dramatic. N. Stanovic came off in the fifty-fifth for Czarni, and M. Dimitrijevic followed in the sixty-ninth. Spartak brought on O. Katowicz in the eighty-sixth and Z. Burzan with two minutes of normal time left, but the result was already settled. P. Sarapata added a fourth in the ninetieth, and that was that.
Spartak picked up two yellow cards through B. Vargova and N. Matusicova, while Czarni went the entire ninety minutes without a booking. The visitors also won more throw-ins, thirty-six to twenty-six, and claimed five corners against four. It was a straightforward night for the Polish side, who have opened talks about building on this performance as the qualifying rounds continue.