Manchester City v Legia Warsaw friendly 1980/81

CITY 1 LEGIA WARSAW 5

Friendly

12th August 1980

attendance 10,000

scorers
City Reeves(90)
Legia Warsaw Adamczyk(7 & 56), Janes(17), Okonski(64), Kusto(84)

KEVIN REEVES SCORES CITY’S ONLY GOAL OF THE GAME

FROM THE PRESS BOX

PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 13TH AUGUST 1980
Manchester City will not meet a better team than Legia Warsaw this season.
That’s the only consoling thought from last night’s 5-1 mauling at the hands of the brilliant Polish cup winners.
Kaziu Deyna’s old buddies looked the most accomplished club team to come this side of the Iron Curtain in years.
They made mugs of the makeshift blues with a display of devastating pace and superior skill.

And while it enchanted 10,000 City fans, they still left mystified at what all the fuss had been about concerning their own team’s recent performances.
I can tell them. But this certainly wasn’t the team that took Portugal and Holland by storm with three wins nd a draw on the two week European tour, aimed at gringing players to a peak of perfection.
And coach Malcolm Allison vows this set-back will be out of the system before Southampton are faced in the opening League match at the Dell on Saturday.
City’s scratchy and thoroughly disappointing display, compared to recent performances was the last thing Allison wanted with the new campaign so close.

… While there were touches of inspiration from Dennis Tueart in his first full game, Dave Bennett did not impress quite as much and could have to wait for his chance at League level.
Paul Sugrue and Kevin Reeves, too, provided glimpses of a possible First Division understanding, but too often, the Blues were lacking in the vital midfield area.
At the same time, they underestimated the Poles, who played a typically English game with thrilling ling-ball tactics that constantly ripped City apart at the back.