JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
Bristol City’s first defeat after a poor performance against Oxford
On a sunny afternoon, Bristol City faced Oxford United, who are second from bottom in the Premiership. The hosts are performing very well this season, second only to leaders Middlesbrough. Another important issue preoccupying The Robins’ fans was a potential investor from Saudi Arabia interested in taking over the club. Whether this will happen will be revealed in the coming days, as the rival is the Sheffield team, but the capital of the South West has a better bargaining chip in the form of a good location, quick access roads from London and the airport.
The match itself began with several attacks by the hosts, who tried to break through the visitors’ defence. Mehmeti stood out in this part of the game, constantly threatening Cumming’s goal. After the first quarter of an hour, the situation changed dramatically when one of Oxford’s few counterattacks proved successful. After a throw into the penalty area, Slovenian Nik Prelec scored with a beautiful shot. It was a stunning goal, as the striker showed off his impressive diving header and the goalkeeper had no chance. The hosts did not respond with any attacks after conceding the goal, but the visitors threatened again with a shot from eight metres, but this time the Bristol City goalkeeper was on hand.
The cold shower had a motivating effect on the players from Ashton Gate, who created some good chances within a few minutes, but thanks to the defenders’ selfless interventions, the scoreboard remained unchanged. Ten minutes before the end of the first half, the hosts equalised… but the linesman blew for offside and the fans were left disappointed.
The team from the university town has two Polish players – Przemysław Płacheta and Michał Helik, former players of Śląsk Wrocław and Cracovia, among others. The former, playing on the right wing, was particularly dangerous in the penalty area. In added time, our player received the ball in front of the penalty area and struck it with his left foot into the top corner, stunning the entire Ashton Gate crowd. Unfortunately, our team of journalists did not notice Jan Urban in the stands, but this player is definitely worth a closer look.
During the half-time break, the club raffled off several prizes for the audience and interviewed a fan who had flown in from as far away as Australia to see the match.
Bristol fans expected a storm of attacks in the second half, but this did not happen. What is more, after one of the actions, the visitors could have scored another goal thanks to Michał Helik’s shot, but the post saved the day.
The dynamic pace of the game carried over into the second half when Anis Mehmeti decided to take a shot from outside the penalty area. The Albanian international showed off his powerful shot, the ball bounced off the crossbar and Cumming had no chance.
After the equaliser, the team from the South West capital got down to business and created dangerous situations every few moments. The fans, who had slept through the first half, also woke up and started chanting in the second half. The referee also came under fire, as he began to officiate the match in a pedantic manner, constantly blowing the whistle for fouls in Oxford’s favour.
The Robins’ surge ultimately lasted only a few minutes, and the audience began to watch a typical battle unfolding in the middle of the pitch. The well-positioned visitors coped well with City’s offence, occasionally trying to break through their defensive lines.
The last quarter of an hour saw Bristol with a slight advantage. Oxford defended, fouled their opponents and gained time during medical breaks by reporting painful cramps. It was an effective move, bringing the visitors closer to success with every passing minute.
In the world of football, there is a saying that missed opportunities will come back to haunt you, and this was illustrated in the last minute of regular time. A ball thrown into the penalty area by Belgian Keersmaecker was cleverly passed by one of the players, completely surprising Vitka. Oxford’s third goal sent the visiting fans into ecstasy, and they sang their chants in unison.
The referee blew the final whistle and Bristol City suffered their first defeat of the season. The Premier League promotion contenders did not show their best side, displaying a poor style of play. If they want to think about further success, such matches should be easy pickings and not a struggle against a team at the bottom of the table.
If a potential investor from Saudi Arabia watched this match, he was probably not satisfied with City’s form. Their potential rival for investment, Sheffield Wednesday, won their match in Portsmouth 2-0 in style.
article written by Karol Kwiatkowski
