BRATISLAVA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovan Bratislava football club managed to withstand the attack of Swiss champions Young Boys, the clear favorite of the second qualifying round, to manage a 0-0 draw in their first-leg match on Wednesday.
With only a handful of scoring opportunities on both sides, the match at the Tehelne Pole stadium in Bratislava turned into a strategic battle.
Slovan keeper Adrian Chovan produced several solid saves, for example, pushing Michel Aebisher's top corner attempt from the 19th minute away.
The limited number of 1,000 home fans to hold their breath in the second half when Chovan misjudged a long ball coming from the left wing, hesitated for a fraction of a second too long and missed the subsequent sliding tackle, leaving his goal wide open. The visitors, however, left his blunder unpunished as Slovan's defense managed to fill in for their promptly returning goalie.
The home team's first and only shot on goal came in the 76th minute when substitute striker Ezekiel Henty from Nigeria sent a nice cross-shot from the top right corner of the box, forcing the Young Boys keeper David von Ballmoos to make a tough save.
"It was a tough match against a skilled opponent. We kept a cool head and played at our maximum on defense," said the Slovak champions' coach Vladimir Weiss.
"We managed to keep up with the pace of a tough team. We had a couple of semi-solid chances, as well as our opponent; therefore, I think the tie is well-deserved," he said.
"We wanted to win, but we have to be content with the draw, considering how the match unfolded," he added. Enditem