Ipswich Town 0-1 Cardiff City - Half-Time Saturday, 2nd Sep 2023 15:59 Aaron Ramsey’s goal has given Cardiff City a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Portman Road. George Hirst returned to the Blues starting line-up, while new signing Dane Scarlett was among the subs. Hirst, who missed last week’s game against Leeds with an adductor problem, took over from Kayden Jackson, who dropped to the bench. Town were otherwise unchanged from the team which was beaten 4-3 by the Whites last week. For Cardiff, keeper Alex Runarsson and winger Ollie Tanner were handed their first league starts, while new signing Jonathan Panzo was on the bench. Former Blues loanee Mark McGuinness started at the heart of the visitors' defence. Town were first to threaten in the fourth minute, Nathan Broadhead heading straight at Runarsson in the Cardiff goal from Harry Clarke’s cross from the right. Cardiff struck their first shot in the ninth minute Karlan Grant curling a shot wide from just outside the box after Blues skipper Sam Morsy had inadvertently stabbed it into his path when taking it away from Yakou Meite. The game had started scruffily, but the Blues started to take control, passing the ball around and keeping possession and on 13 Conor Chaplin hit a 25-yard shot which deflected off a defender and through to Runarsson. However, in the 16th minute, the Bluebirds thought they had gone in front. After Davis had turned a low cross from the left which had zipped across the six-yard box behind at the far post. From the flag-kick, Hladky was forced to impressively save Dimitrios Goutas’s header away to his right, but the loose ball fell to Grant, who smashed into the roof of the net and had just started to celebrate along with the travelling fans when the linesman raised his flag for offside. But Town quickly got back on the front foot and in the 21st minute Chaplin whipped over a low left-footed cross-shot from the right, which Runarsson saw late but got across to palm past the post as it threatened to nestle in the corner of the net. Three minutes later, Tanner brought the ball to the edge of the area as Cardiff counter-attacked but Cameron Burgess, called into the full Australia squad for the first time on Friday, slid in to take it away from him. The ball fell to the former Charlton and West Brom man but again his curling shot looped beyond the post. Grant’s shooting may have been off-target, but on the half-hour it was his pass which saw Ramsey put the Bluebirds in front. Ramsey played the ball wide to Grant in acres of space on the left from where he cut back low to the Wales international as he broke into the area from where he placed the ball to Hladky’s left and into the net. Two minutes after going behind, the Blues almost levelled. Hirst was played in down the middle but Runarsson blocked his shot, the ball looping wide of the post. Clarke, who had held a lengthy discussion with Luke Woolfenden following the goal, was booked in the 33rd minute for a late challenge on Tanner as the Cardiff forward broke on the touchline on the left. Hirst, who was a concern before the game with his adductor injury, limped off three minutes later with Ladapo taking over. Tanner was booked for a foul on Morsy before sub Ladapo began to have an impact. In the 42nd minute, the former Rotherham man struck a shot on the turn which flew not to far wide of Runarsson’s left post. Then, a minute later, Ladapo did well on the left of the box before playing inside to Chaplin, who struck his shot too close to keeper Runarsson when he will feel he should have scored. Cardiff almost went two in front in four minutes of injury time, Tanner crossed but Meite headed over from close range when the former Reading man will believe he should have scored. Town went in behind at the break at home for the second week running after a half in which both sides had had opportunities but with the visitors able to take one of theirs. The Blues had had spells on top but had never for a sustained period and had been sloppy at times, while the goal was all too easy for the Welsh side and Meite really ought to have made it 2-0 just before the break. Hirst should have made it 1-1 but soon after limped off but his replacement Ladapo made an impression after coming on and came close to scoring himself and also created a chance for Chaplin. The Blues are far from out of the game but need to show greater sharpness in and around the area in the second half. Town: Hladky, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst (Ladapo 36). Subs: Slicker, Williams, Ball, Evans, Taylor, Hutchinson, Jackson, Scarlett. Cardiff: Runarsson, Goutas, McGuinness, Ralls (c), Ramsey, Grant, Collins, Meite, Siopis, Tanner, Ng. Subs: Alnwick, Romeo, Wintle, Etete, Ugbo, Adams, Sawyers, Panzo, Colwill. Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey).
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