Nick Powell makes it three in a row to prove his quality in Europe
Nick Powell
Wigan 1-1 Rubin
Wigan remained unbeaten in this season’s Europa League campaign after a gutsy draw against Rubin Kazan at the DW Stadium.
Nick Powell continued his European scoring streak for Wigan with a stunning goal against the Russian outfit.
The Manchester United loan star scored twice against Maribor and took his Europa League tally to three with a spectacular long-range effort to cancel out Aleksandr Prudnikov’s opener.
Key Stats:
Rubin enjoyed the greater share of possession as they faced a resilient Wigan side. Both sides had a fairly limited number of chances on goal, although the Latics will be the more frustrated of the two. With four shots on target they’ll be wondering how they only managed to hit the back of the net on one occasion.
Owen Coyle will be pleased with his team’s performance, Wigan successfully held their own against tough European opposition. They have now reached the midway point in Group D with five points from three games, second in the table, two points behind leaders Rubin.
Man of the Match:
Ben Watson was awarded the Squawka Man of the Match award after accumulating a performance score of 53 points. His form picked up considerably in the second half.
Watson made three tackles and five interceptions as Wigan blocked out Rubin’s attack for the majority of the match.
Performance Score:
Wigan started the game brightly, before Rubin took the lead in the 15th minute. From this stage, until just before half time, the Russian side were dominant as they looked to build on their opening goal.
However, the Latics bounced back with Nick Powell’s 39th minute strike, and from this point onwards the English side remained in control.
Rubin did their best to secure a win, but their efforts were in vain as Wigan remained resistant until the final whistle.
Key Observations:
Coyle will be ecstatic with his sides showing against such seasoned European opposition. Wigan took the game to Rubin and even outperformed the Russians throughout several periods of the match.
Whilst the majority of the football was played in each team’s own half, Coyle will have been pleased with the way in which Wigan attacked the Rubin defence. The Russian side were forced to make 41 clearances during the course of 90 minutes.
Furthermore, the Latics will be particularly happy with the number of chances created. Despite scoring just one goal, the team enjoyed a variety of opportunities from both inside and outside the area.
Owen Coyle will also be pleased with Man United Loanee Nick Powell. The youngster completed 16 of his 20 passes, with an 80% pass accuracy, while he also made one key pass.
Nick Powell Passes v Rubin (80% Pass Accuracy)