Horror injury as Wolves survive
WOLVERHAMPTON: Wolves Europa League meeting with Slovan Bratislava was marred by what looked a serious injury to visiting defender Kenan Bajric.
Play was delayed by 10 minutes after Raul Jimenez, who scored in the 1-0 win, attempting an overhead kick, caught Bajric full in the face.
The immediate reaction of the players, who gestured for medical attention, suggested it had been a severe blow, and Jimenez was clearly distressed by the incident.
Bajric was eventually taken off on a stretcher, with his neck in a brace, and was applauded by both sets of fans.
Earlier, Wolves best chance had come when Ruben Neves missed a penalty seven minutes into the second half.
Against a defensive Slovan side, Wolves fans were left wondering why Jimenez, who has scored 22 out of 23 penalties since the 2012-13 season, did not take the kick.
Fielding a strong team, Wolves began well, with Adama Traore looking particularly lively on the right of a front three.
From the start, he gave the left side of the Slovan defence trouble, racing past Vernon De Marco Morlacchi in the third minute and cutting the ball back for Raul Jimenez, who could not keep his balance at the near post and skied the ball.
Slovan, managed by former West Brom player Jan Kozak, were operating in a defensive 3-51-1 formation, perhaps persuaded to play cautiously by Wolves 2-1 win in Bratislava two weeks ago.
Yet they still carried some threat, especially in the early minutes.
Their first dangerous moment came in the sixth minute, when De Marco flicked on a right-wing corner to find Bajric unmarked at the far post, only for the defender to slice the ball wide from six yards.
The pattern was set: Wolves controlling the game, Slovan trying occasionally to test them on the break.
The visitors had their goalkeeper to thank soon after Bajrics miss, as Dominik Greif did brilliantly to keep out Joao Moutinhos deflected strike from 25 yards.
Greif produced another fine stop in the 24th minute when he turned Jimenezs angled drive behind for a corner.
Wolves had the perfect chance to force Slovan out of their shell early in the second half, when they won the penalty for skipper Vasil Bozhikovs clumsy foul on Pedro Neto.
Play was delayed by nearly three minutes as Neto received treatment for the stamp on his heel, and perhaps this disturbed Neves as he was denied by Greif, flinging himself to his right to keep out the strike.
Wolves finally broke the deadlock through their most reliable attacking threat — Jimenez.
Once again, Traore found room down the right and crossed for the Mexican, who produced a brilliant leap to rise above his markers and head home. Greif was finally beaten.