Bony continues his Europa League form to earn swans a point at Kuban

Kuban 1-1 Swansea

Swansea were again pegged back by a late Kuban Krasnodar goal as Ibrahima Balde’s stoppage-time equaliser denied them a win in Russia.

The opening goal of the game arrived just nine minutes in when Wilfried Bony fired home from close range after good work from Roland Lamah.

However, Kuban threw on Ibrahima Balde – as they did two weeks ago when he won the penalty to deny Swansea at the Liberty Stadium – and he sealed a draw in dramatic fashion.

Key Stats

Swansea were hugely dominant in possession in this fixture and Michael Laudrup will be left wondering how his side were unable to claim all three points. With a 62% share of the ball, it’s clear to see just how much of a monopoly the Welsh side had over Kuban.

The Swans enjoyed a greater number of chances on goal and their passing and tackling statistics further emphasise their superiority.

Man of the Match

The Ivory Coast striker has struggled to make a significant impact in the Premier League since arriving at Swansea, he appears to be having no such problems in the Europa League, however. He struck again in the competition with the opening goal at Kuzan, a fine strike after good work from Alex Pozuelo on the right flank.

He wasn’t always involved in the action but was clinical when he was. He scored from one of his three shots and completed both of his take ons successfully. His passing success should have been a lot better, however.

Performance Score

The Performance Score graph above shows Swansea outperformed Kuban from the early stages of the match. Following Wilfried Bony’s opener, the Russian outfit found themselves on the back foot as the Swans were dominant during their lead.

Swansea’s first-half performance deserved so much more, but they paid the price for a poor second-half display, while Laudrup’s decision to substitute three of his best players on the night – Bony, Lamah and Dyer – backfired.

Despite this, even Ibrahima Balde’s late equaliser was not enough to bring the two teams level in terms of performance level. Swansea seem to have asserted their dominance throughout the entire 90 minutes and it’s hard to see how they failed to secure all three points.

Key Observations

Swansea threw together an impressive 619 passes last night, as Laudrup’s men significantly outplayed Kuban. But with just one goal from 10 attempts, the Spaniard is likely to have the team working on their shooting in training.

If the Swans can turn their possession into goals, they could become a strong force in this season’s Europa League campaign. This result means the club need two points from their last two games at home to Valencia on 28 November and then away to St Gallen, while anything less than two victories by St Gallen will also see the Swans safely through.