Match bet
Everything was going to plan for Mjällby, but it fell apart in just 20 minutes. It is not as if the hosts did anything drastic, such as sitting back like Thomas Tuchel's England in the World Cup semi-final, but they were still missing something.
Probably experience of international matches — not friendlies, but competitive fixtures. Let us recall that Mjällby won the Swedish championship for the first time. But this is also the club's first appearance not only in the Champions League, but in any European competition. Karl Marius Aksum's team pressed well across the width of the pitch, with the left flank particularly active, and it resulted in a penalty awarded and converted against the visitors around the hour mark. Thereafter, the Slovak side saw more of the ball, but the yellow-and-blacks continued to attack.
Having lost some balance in transition when dropping back, Mjällby conceded those two goals. They failed to deal with the pacey Suleiman Camara, who equalised and set up Manasse Kyianga's 94th-minute winner. The 24-year-old Gambian substitute also made his mark on both the left and right. He will clearly be one of Slovan Bratislava's leaders in the autumn if the club can reach the league phase. Perhaps Yaya Touré will also save him for the second half in the return leg.
In any case, things will now be considerably easier for Slovan Bratislava. With players like these, they will have plenty of opportunities on the counter-attack, because Mjällby will simply have to go forward if they want to reach the next round. The hosts only need to avoid defeat, and they will do so through their experience. There will be goals too: Mjällby's goalkeeper does not look impenetrable.