Rollercoaster of emotions

Wild qualifying evening! VAR drama and racism scandal

Lawrence Ati Zigi was insulted with monkey noises from the Wroclaw fan block.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Pablo PORCIUNCULA)

The second leg of the third round of the Conference League qualifiers between Slask Wroclaw and FC St. Gallen turned into a dramatic evening on Thursday. Unbelievable twists and turns, long stoppage time, dramatic VAR decisions and a racism scandal characterized the duel. 

Even die-hard soccer experts would not have expected such a turn of events. After all, St. Gallen went into the second leg in Poland with a small cushion. After the initial excitement caused by a disallowed Wroclaw goal in the 13th minute, the visitors immediately added a goal. What initially looked like a foregone conclusion was to be the prelude to a wild evening.

Within six minutes, St. Gallen squandered their comfortable lead before the break. While the Swiss side tried to clear their heads, Wrocław regained hope. But the euphoric phase was disrupted by their own fans, of all people.

Monkey sounds against the St. Gallen goalkeeper
The second half began with a scandal. St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi (with Salzburg from 2015 to 2017) was insulted by Polish fans with monkey noises. The game was interrupted for several minutes and stewards eventually had to intervene. Only then could the match continue. 

Things finally got really heated on the pitch. After St. Gallen defender Mihailo Stevanovic allegedly fouled his opponent Alex Petkov in the penalty area, referee Duje Strukan awarded a penalty. However, the VAR intervened and Strukan reversed his decision. Particularly bitter for the Poles: The referee not only rescinded the penalty, but also showed Petkov a yellow card for a foul. The striker had already been cautioned and was therefore sent off with a yellow card.

Dramatic final phase
The Polish fans were beside themselves. But the evening was not over yet. 25 minutes of stoppage time were shown, during which the dramatic finale of the evening was to take place. Wroclaw player Matias Nahuel had the ball bounced into his hand from close range in his own penalty area.

The VAR intervened again and a penalty was awarded to St. Gallen. However, this was awarded by the Swiss side - but while the home fans were cheering, the VAR intervened again. The goalkeeper had moved too early and the penalty was retaken. Willem Geubbels did not miss the second chance. Wroclaw winger Arnau Ortiz was then shown a yellow card. Only then did the game come to an end amid whistles from the Polish fans.

St. Gallen are now in the Conference League play-offs and will face Trabzonspor, who failed to qualify for the Europa League against Rapid.