Dundee United 3 - 2 Slask Wroclaw: United pipped on away goals rule

DUNDEE United failed to step into the footfalls of their tangerine shirted predecessors last night as Slask Wroclaw scored the number of away goals required to secure a place in qualifying round three of the Europa League.

Initially it looked as though United might emulate the deeds of Jim McLean's team and score seven times against their old foes from Poland. Judging by the start they made, they were odds on to do this by half-time.

In the event, though, it proved a lot tighter than the last time these sides clashed at Tannadice, just over 30 years ago, and rather more captivating. This, though, is of no consequence to United supporters, who endured another dose of European agony. Two goals in the opening four minutes from Keith Watson and David Goodwillie handed United a dream start. But Slask's challenge had been far from extinguished.

Rok Elsner's header brought the visitors back into the game, and, though a Jon Daly penalty had handed United the initiative once more, a wonder strike from Sebastian Dudek, with only 15 minutes left, floored them again. A late effort from Daly, which skimmed the bar, simply added to the desolation felt by the home side at the end.

A significant portion of the crowd had come in support of the away side. The streets outside Tannadice swarmed with Poles and police in what was a high-octane start to the competitive football season in Scotland. The Polish fans were in good spirits as they looked forward to the prospect of their side defending a 1-0 lead from last week. This sanguine outlook lasted roughly four minutes.

By this stage United had not only wiped out the deficit, but edged ahead themselves. Their first strike, after four minutes, silenced the 2,000 away fans, and was sourced from a David Goodwillie overhead kick which had been deflected wide for a corner kick. Willo Flood took the award and Scott Severin's knock back saw the ball fall perfectly into Keith Watson's path. The right-back's shot rifled past goalkeeper Marian Kelemen, and assorted outfield players.

It took only another two minutes for United to turn the tie on its head. Johnny Russell flicked on a long ball before Jon Daly's own touch saw Goodwillie take advantage of a flat-footed away defence. He took a touch and drew the 'keeper, before sliding the ball into the corner of the net with a measured shot which underlined why he is so valued by his club. He slid to his knees in the corner as United exulted in the kind of start not even the most optimistic fan could have imagined.

The pessimists, however, might have feared what was coming next. A 2-0 lead in a second leg in Europe brought back memories from a not-too-distant past, when such an advantage was surrendered against the Finnish part-timers of MyPa-47.

Such fears were realised in the 15th minute as this fascinating tie took another turn, lurching back in the away side's favour. Slask had begun to steady themselves after the shaky opening spell. Although manager Orest Lenczyk had promised not to use a complicated journey to Dundee as an excuse, he must have pondered whether this eight hour odyssey - which included a stop-off in Germany - had had an effect on his players.

However, they shook themselves from their initial torpor and began to test United, snatching a goal that changed the complexion of the tie on the quarter hour mark. Skipper Sebastian Mila sent a corner into the six yard box and Rok Elsner had a surprisingly simple task of sending his header into the net. It threatened to be a hugely significant strike and, as Peter Houston no doubt noted bitterly, Slask had not even been required to work for it. United were, however, aided by a rush of blood from Keleman, who came dashing from his goal after the 40 minute mark to attempt to intercept a Dusan Pernis kick-out, but instead managed to obstruct Goodwillie as he aimed to round the 'keeper. The referee correctly booked Keleman, since it was hard to argue that Goodwilie had been robbed of a goal-scoring opportunity - although given his earlier strike, he might have presented a convincing case. United were content with the award of a penalty in any case, and Jon Daly's strike was a textbook example of how to take a penalty. He rifled the ball past a static Keleman.

United had the momentum. However, they were dogged by the thought that one slip in defence could again see them relinquish their hold on the tie. This understandable hesitancy hampered their efforts to claim a decisive further goal, although John Rankin went close with a thunderous shot which slipped by the far post. Yet there was little that could be done about the goal which provided the tie with its final and, for United, devastating twist. There seemed little trouble afoot when Sebastian Dudek took control of the ball 25 yards from goal. However, a swing of his right foot was all it took to leave United reeling.

Dundee United: Pernis, Dillon, Severin, Kenneth, Dixon, Russell, Flood, Watson, Rankin, Goodwillie, Daly. Subs: Banks, Swanson, Douglas, Armstrong, Mackay-Steven, Allan, Dow.

Slask Wroclaw: Kelemen, Socha, Elsner, Pietrasiak, Spahic, Dudek, Sztylka, Mila, Gancarczyk, Celeban, Cwielong. Subs: Zukowski, Sobota, Szewczuk, Cetnarski, Voskamp, Pawelec, Wasiluk.