In a crazy second leg, St. Gallen lost 2:3 away at Slask Wroclaw. After the 2:0 in the first leg, this result was enough for the team from eastern Switzerland to progress.
In the end, 25 minutes (!) of stoppage time were added to the match clock. On the one hand, this was due to racist insults from the stands against St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi, which led to a lengthy interruption. But they were also due to multiple interventions by the video referee. He intervened three times in the second half. The first time was a quarter of an hour before the end of normal time, when referee Duje Strukan awarded a penalty after a clumsy intervention by St. Gallen's Mihailo Stevanovic in his own penalty area. After consulting the video images, the Croatian referee not only revoked the penalty decision, but also showed Alex Petkov a yellow card for a foul - a harsh decision.
At this point, the score was 3:1, as St. Gallen had given away a lead they thought was safe within seven minutes before the break. First of all, Petr Schwarz pushed the ball over the goal line after a cross. Then Piotr Samiec-Talar flicked the ball beautifully into the net from 20 meters. Finally, it was the 1.92 m tall Petkov who was able to nod in completely free after a free kick from half field, turning the course of the game on its head.
Before the equalizer, coach Enrico Maassen's team had everything under control and could have decided the duel early on after Bastien Toma's early goal. However, Chadrac Akolo and Christian Witzig twice missed good opportunities to increase the score for St. Gallen.
But back to the VAR: Deep into stoppage time of the second half, it intervened again after Isaac Schmidt played the ball into the arm of a Polish defender. Rafal Leszczynski saved Christian Witzig's attempt - but the goalkeeper was in front of the line when the St. Gallen player shot, which is why the VAR intervened again and the penalty had to be retaken. Willem Geubbels finally converted with a bit of luck and set the final point in a crazy game in which the Poles were down to eight players after three sending-offs.
In the play-off for the Conference League group stage, St. Gallen will face Turkish side Trabzonspor, who lost to Rapid Vienna one level higher.
Slask Wroclaw - St. Gallen 3:2 (3:1)
SR Strukan (CRO). - Goals: 21. Toma 0:1. 41. Schwarz 1:1. 43. Samiec-Talar 2:1. 45. Petkov 3:1. 108. Geubbels (penalty) 3:2.
St. Gallen: Ati Zigi; Stanic (61. Schmidt), Diaby, Ambrosius, Okoroji; Görtler (61. Stevanovic), Quintillà, Toma, Witzig (114. Konietzke); Geubbels (109. Milosevic), Akolo (114. Cissé).
Comments: 77th yellow card for Petkov. 102nd yellow card for Nahuel. 112th yellow card Ortiz (all Slask Wroclaw).
SDA
