Middlesbrough extended their lead in third place as they produced one of the most comfortable football scores of the weekend in the Championship. Marcus Forss and Cameron Archer scored in the first half, and Riley McGree added a goal in the closing seconds to give Michael Carrick’s team its fifth win in six games and keep them in first place for a playoff spot. Sabri Lamouchi, the Bluebirds’ manager who took over for the fired Mark Hudson three weeks ago, is still without a win after his team was defeated despite having equalized through Sory Kaba in the 25th minute. Prior to this, the Frenchman presided over 1-0 defeats to Hull and Luton, and it might already be stated that he is under pressure as his winless team, which has gone 14 games in all competitions without a victory, searches hard for some motivation.
The first goal was the result of a deft Middlesbrough passing play that came in the 17th minute. Finn midfielder Forss had the opportunity to blast his shot into the roof of the Cardiff goal thanks to the collaboration of striker Archer and midfielder McGree. At that point, the Bluebirds’ future looked bleak, but against the odds, they managed to claw their way back into the game in the 25th minute. Tommy Smith, the right-back, gave the ball to Callum Robinson, and Boro was solely to blame for that. The Guinean international Kaba, who Cardiff bought from Danish club FC Midtjylland last month, expertly rolled the ball into the goal after the Cardiff striker advanced down the left flank and delivered a low cross.
Callum O’Dowda recklessly lost possession of the ball in midfield seven minutes before halftime, and Hayden Hackney’s through ball to Archer allowed the Villa loanee to get through Ryan Allsop in the Cardiff goal and retake the lead for the visitors. After the break, the home team performed better, pressing Carrick’s team back with a faster pace, although they still lacked a real goal threat. The fact that Cedric Kipre, a defender for the Boro, missed a chance to beat Zach Steffan with a header straight from a corner did not help Cardiff’s cause. Chuba Akpom’s close-range attempt to convert a Ryan Giles cross struck a post in the last moments, which should have ensured victory. Middlesbrough’s threat in the dying seconds came on the counter-attack.
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