At the Cardiff International Sports Stadium this afternoon, Ipswich Town’s U21 team overcame a goal deficit at halftime to defeat Cardiff City 3-1. Goals came from Rio Oudnie-Morgan, Tom Taylor, and Jacob Mazionis. After being sent off on the right side of the box just two minutes in, Leon Ayinde had a chance to put the Blues ahead, but he missed wide with a shot across his face. Ayinde is a former Cork City player. On nine, Town goalie Charlie Binns was forced to send the ball behind with a fast stop at his right post by Republic of Ireland international Callum Robinson, who was making his comeback from injury and played the opening forty-five minutes. And the home team took the lead a minute later. Following Daniel O’Connor’s loss of control on the edge of his own box, the Blues were unable to clear the ball multiple times. Joel Colwill then passed to Raheem Conte and shot across Binns from the right edge of the area to the far corner of the net. On 13, Robinson again tested Binns‘ abilities. The former West Brom and Preston player was passed in on the right side of the area, but the keeper stopped his low shot with his feet. In any event, the linesman’s flag had been raised. The home team persisted in pressing the Blues, and on 22, Conte curled over from the edge of the box. The seasoned Robinson was providing the Blues plenty of difficulties.
After thirty seconds, full-back Daniel Babb, a January transfer from League of Ireland UCD to the Blues, cut inside from the right, but his effort lacked strength, and Luke Armstrong of Cardiff made the simple but emphatic save. Shortly after, Conte, who had found space, scuffed an attempt wide from just outside the area.Cardiff broke fast as the half-hour mark approached, and Luey Giles cut back from the left to Colwill, who shot over while Babb was applying pressure. On 35, following a deft passing sequence by the Bluebirds, Colwill curled a shot, narrowly missing Binns’s left post. In the 39th minute, Oudnie-Morgan came in for Matty Roberts, forcing Town to make a change. After the Blues gave up the ball in their own half while trying to pass their way out of a Cardiff attack, Jai Semenyo blasted over three minutes later. There was a good possibility the full-back would regret. Just before the half, Town’s number nine Taylor had a chance thanks to some good work from Emmanuel Okunowo, but the Blues U18 captain’s shot was saved.Just before the half-time whistle, Ayinde cut back to Oudnie-Morgan, but Armstrong was able to track down and stop his shot because the Northern Ireland U19 international’s initial touch was too heavy. The Blues were closing out what had otherwise been a poor half more brightly. The Bluebirds had enough opportunities to extend their lead at that point, therefore the 1-0 halftime result was a fair representation of the game at that point. But Town responded with two minutes of resumption. After winning a free kick 30 yards out on the right, Oudnie-Morgan fired the set piece into the box and center half. Up close, Mazionis nodded home. And Town took the lead two minutes later. The forward broke into the area, cut to his right foot, and sent a low shot past Armstrong into the net after Ayinde sent Oudnie-Morgan packing on the left. Within the first four minutes of the second half, the Blues had taken the lead, and on minute57, Oudnie-Morgan curled a spectacular effort off the crossbar to the right from the edge of the box.In the 62nd minute, Town struck the woodwork once more. Okonowo, who was once again brilliant in the Blues midfield, picked up a stray pass and drove the ball forward. From there, he fired a low 20-yard attempt that went past Armstrong but struck the foot of the post.After their quick-fire double immediately after the half, the Blues had been in control. However, on minute sixty-three, Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, a substitute for Cardiff, got space on the right side of the box but saw both his first and second attempts, the latter from an extremely tight angle, blocked. On 71, Jesse Nwabueze took Matt Ward’s place for the Blues after Morgan Wigley was booked for a foul on Oudnie-Morgan. Taylor then struck Armstrong with a low shot that was too close but came from the edge of the box.After receiving treatment on the field, Ayinde hobbled off in the 76th minute, forcing Town to make another substitution. Chuks Uzor-Greey replaced Ayinde.The Blues took a 2-1 lead two minutes following the substitution. An over-the-top looping pass found its way to Oudnie-Morgan, who was battling with two defenders when it fell to Taylor, who deflected it and stabbed home.Colwill and Giles exchanged passes in the penultimate minute of play, and Colwill broke into the left side of the box, but his shot scuffed through to Binns.After the Blues scored two goals just after the half to turn the game around, that was the final action before the referee called an exciting match.While Taylor battled hard up front and took his chance when it presented itself, Oudnie-Morgan played a crucial role during that crucial part of the game. He came close to scoring one goal and setting up another shortly after entering the game off the bench.The Blues, led by coaches David Wright and John McGreal, improved in the second period and earned their triumph after finishing second in the first.In ten days, the U21s will ?play their next game at University College London against Watford.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply