FOOTBALL Live

Sunday March 9, 2008 Finished

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Middlesbrough

Cardiff City

  • Whittingham 9’
  • Johnson 22’
  1. Cardiff cruise past Boro

    Cardiff cruise past Boro

    Championship side Cardiff City produced another FA Cup shock with a 2-0 quarter final win at Premier League Middlesbrough. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Middlesbrough
    • Cardiff City
    • 90+3' Game over at a now-empty Riverside!! Cardiff are going to Wembley and they made it look so easy! Middlesbrough just did not turn up.
    • 90+1' Three minutes of added time to play.
    • 90' A surreal atmosphere - it's like an exhibition game. Cardiff are cruising into the semis.
    • 87' Another woeful attempt, this time from Downing. Miles over.
    • 85' A wild shot by David Wheater goes high and wide. Rubbish.
    • 84' Thompson goes close with a header! If anything Cardiff look like extending their lead.
    • 82' A familiar face comes on in the shape of Trevor Sinclair, who replaces Paul Parry.
    • 80' Boro fans are already leaving in droves. They have been dire and their Wembley dream is surely over.
    • 77' Steven Thompson replaces Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who looks set to put one over his old club.
    • 75' A decent spell of possession from Boro, but there is no urgency and no invention. Cardiff look totally secure.
    • 72' Cardiff are just toying with the hosts. Another Premier League side are staring defeat square in the face. Remarkable.
    • 69' Over midway through the second half and Boro have shown almost no sign of getting back into this. They need a UEFA-Cup style miracle.
    • 66' Cardiff have men over on the break as Parry comes forward. Hasselbaink is offside so Parry goes for goal... but it is a poor effort, well wide.
    • 65' Parry and Huth get involved in a little silliness, and each is rewarded for their petulance with a booking.
    • 63' More defensive chaos from Boro as another Whittingham cross whips past the face of goal and is cleared by Mido in the end.
    • 61' Hasselbaink handballs to give his old club a dangerous free-kick. Downing goes close but curls it about a foot too high and a foot too wide. Good effort though.
    • 59' Another change from Gareth Southgate. Off goes the ineffective Gary O'Neil, and he is replaced by Adam Johnson.
    • 57' Clipped over the top towards Downing but he fails to bring the ball down with his chest. Cue a shot of a self-satisfied looking Peter Ridsdale in the crowd. Damn. I knew there was a reason to hate them...
    • 55' Whittingham pulls back for McPhail who has time to wind up his shot at the edge of the box... did that hit a Boro hand? Referee Dean says no!
    • 54' Boro survive a scramble in their box and attempt to come away on the break. They have nobody up and the ball is soon back with Cardiff.
    • 51' With his salt-and-pepper hair, Kevin McNaughton probably likes to think he looks like George Clooney. He doesn't, but he is a much better defender.
    • 49' The new man Mido chases a ball down the left flank but loses out to Loovens and ends up conceding a goal kick.
    • 46' The second half is under way. Alves is obviously lacking match sharpness, but is there any guarantee that Mido will be any better?
    • 46' Middlesbrough have made a half-time change, one big, fat, unfit striker for another. Mido is on for Afonso Alves.
    • - As you might expect, the guy in the crowd holding a big daffodil is smiling. Cardiff have battered Middlesbrough, who are booed off.
    • 45+2' Downing takes a corner from the Boro left and McNaughton is there to head clear. That's half-time.
    • 45' Parry is released down the right channel but has little support. He never gets his cross away, losing possession.
    • 43' A rare foray into enemy territory for Boro, but David Jones's side are back in numbers and well organised.
    • 40' Another chance for Johnson!! Whittingham curls in a free-kick from the right and the defender is first to it again, but his header is weak.
    • 38' The Cardiff fans are still singing away but the game has gone rather flat - which will suit the visitors fine. Gareth Southgate is famous for his 'Iain Duncan Smith' crack about Sven - he'll need some Churchillian language to get Boro back into this.
    • 35' Another corner for Cardiff, who are bossing this. Headed unconvincingly away and then O'Neil makes a second clearance to touch.
    • 32' A long Capaldi throw is missed byt the first defender and bounces across the face of goal before being cleared to McPhail... and the less said about his attempt at an acrobatic volley the better.
    • 30' Ooohhh.... That is a yellow and a half. Gary O'Neil slides in hard and late on Loovens and there really is no excuse for that. Pure frustration.
    • 27' Good save Enckelman to deny Alves from 20 yards, then the Brazilian slips as he is preparing to pull the trigger!
    • 24' Rochemback was booked in the aftermath of that goal - we can only assume it was for dissent of some kind.
    • 22' GOOOAALLL!!!! IT'S TWO!!!! AMAZING!!! Whittingham swings a free-kick in left-footed and Roger Johnson pops up at the back post to send a diving header past Schwarzer into the far corner!
    • 19' As giantkillings go, this would measure fairly low on the Richter scale after yesterday, but it would ensure Portsmouth are the only top-flight team in the semi-finals.
    • 16' Rochemback takes a Boro free-kick from around halfway but overhits it and presents Enckelman with an easy catch.
    • 14' Cardiff win a corner and have Boro on the ropes here. It is played in dangerously again by Capaldi and headed away for another corner.
    • 13' The ever-boisterous Cardiff contingent sing 'Que Sera Sera' - they would probably rather be going to the Millennium Stadium than Wembley but they won't mind.
    • 11' Capaldi crosses from the left and finds Hasselbaink, who sends a diving header just wide!! What a start by Cardiff.
    • 9' GOAL!!! What a strike by Peter Whittingham!! He uses tremendous feet to escape four challenges and curls into the far corner from the edge of the box!! Middlesbrough claim a handball by McPhail but to no avail.
    • 5' Hasselbaink flicks on for Parry but Wheater is there to clear... referee Mike Dean gives a goal kick.
    • 3' Luke Young cuts back on the right side and delivers an inswinging cross with his left foot. It is too deep and goes out for a goal kick.
    • 1' We're under way! There are still empty seats at the Riverside but it is about as full as you are likely to see it. Boro smell FA Cup glory and have been installed as the second favourites behind Portsmouth.
    • - Well, it's up for grabs now, and both Middlesbrough and Cardiff have Wembley in their sights. Boro have Robert Huth and Fabio Rochemback fit - both start - while Cardiff are without Joe Ledley.

  • Summary

    • 61' Hasselbaink handballs to give his old club a dangerous free-kick. Downing goes close but curls it about a foot too high and a foot too wide. Good effort though.
    • 55' Whittingham pulls back for McPhail who has time to wind up his shot at the edge of the box... did that hit a Boro hand? Referee Dean says no!
    • 40' Another chance for Johnson!! Whittingham curls in a free-kick from the right and the defender is first to it again, but his header is weak.
    • 32' A long Capaldi throw is missed byt the first defender and bounces across the face of goal before being cleared to McPhail... and the less said about his attempt at an acrobatic volley the better.
    • 27' Good save Enckelman to deny Alves from 20 yards, then the Brazilian slips as he is preparing to pull the trigger!
    • 22' GOOOAALLL!!!! IT'S TWO!!!! AMAZING!!! Whittingham swings a free-kick in left-footed and Roger Johnson pops up at the back post to send a diving header past Schwarzer into the far corner!
    • 11' Capaldi crosses from the left and finds Hasselbaink, who sends a diving header just wide!! What a start by Cardiff.
    • 9' GOAL!!! What a strike by Peter Whittingham!! He uses tremendous feet to escape four challenges and curls into the far corner from the edge of the box!! Middlesbrough claim a handball by McPhail but to no avail.
    • - Well, it's up for grabs now, and both Middlesbrough and Cardiff have Wembley in their sights. Boro have Robert Huth and Fabio Rochemback fit - both start - while Cardiff are without Joe Ledley.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Mike Dean

  • Middlesbrough

    Manager: Gareth Southgate

    Captain: Julio Arca

    On the Field

    • Schwarzer
    • Young
    • Huth Yellow Card
    • Wheater
    • Pogatetz
    • O'Neil Yellow Card Substitution Out (59′)
    • Rochemback Yellow Card
    • Arca
    • Downing
    • Alves Substitution Out (45′)
    • Tuncay

    Subs

    • Boateng
    • Mido Substitution In (45′)
    • Turnbull
    • Johnson Substitution In (59′)
    • Grounds

    Injured

    • Taylor

    Suspended

    • Aliadière

  • Cardiff City

    Manager: Dave Jones

    Captain: Stephen McPhail

    On the Field

    • Enckelman
    • McNaughton Substitution Out (88′)
    • Loovens
    • Johnson Goal
    • Capaldi
    • Whittingham Goal
    • Rae
    • McPhail
    • Ramsey
    • Parry Yellow Card Substitution Out (82′)
    • Hasselbaink Substitution Out (77′)

    Subs

    • Sinclair Substitution In (82′)
    • Purse
    • Oakes
    • Thompson Substitution In (77′)
    • Blake Substitution In (88′)

    Injured

    • Fowler
    • Feeney

    Suspended

    None