The Bluebirds face a massive challenge to find a way of progressing to the play-off fins after being outclassed by Fulham in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Second half goals from Josh Onomah and Neeskens Kebano gave Fulham the victory in a game which overall they dominated and Cardiff failed to really lay a glove on them.
It was a tightly contested first half in which City had started the better team. They looked strong up until the first drinks break but failed to capitalise. Robert Glatzel came very close to giving Cardiff the lead but following Leandro Bacuna’s effort, which was pushed out by Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak, Michael Hector did excellently to prevent Glatzel from tapping in. Glatzel also had an effort saved following some nice build-up play.
However, following the break Fulham started to get a hold of the game and dominate possession. Alex Smithies had to react quickly to save from Onomah’s effort at the back post. Tom Cairney also game close, firing against the post from range.
Fulham continued to dominate the ball in the second, with City hardly touching the ball. Fulham took the lead in the 49th minute through Onomah, who turned away from Marlon Pack with ease and then strolled past Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson before finishing past Smithies. It was very poor defending, especially by Pack.
Cardiff struggled to threaten in attack and weren’t able to get the ball off their opponents who just passed the ball around them comfortably. There was a slight improvement following the substitutions in the 70th minute, with Josh Murphy, Will Vaulks and Danny Ward coming on for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Junior Hoilett and Glatzel but the players looked tired and struggled to find the energy which was required.
Former Bluebird Bobby Decordova-Reid came close for Fulham, firing just over the bar, before Kebano doubled the lead in stoppage time. The decision to award the free-kick was very debatable, with Cairney running into Morrison. The referee thought that Morrison had blocked Cairney intentionally therefore he gave the free-kick.
There was another time in the game where Lee Tomlin was similarly blocked but the referee didn’t award a foul. That was a clear example of the consistency which referee’s in the Football League lack. Manager Neil Harris was understandably very annoyed about that decision and felt that his side had been let down the the referee.
As for the free-kick, it was a brilliant strike by Kebano. He managed to get it over the wall with enough dip that it went into the corner, leaving Smithies with no chance. There was only a couple of minutes left when the goal was scored which makes it very frustrating for the Bluebirds and what Harris described as a ‘real kick in the nuts’.
It is going to be very tough to come back from this. It would’ve been challenging if it was one goal but two is going to take a huge effort. But, Cardiff have defied the odds to make the play-offs so no one can write them off yet. There is still hope, however slim that hope is.
Looking at the performance, it was very disappointing during the second half, with the energy levels lower than normal. That could be down to fatigue from all the games that they have played since the restart. Fulham deserved the victory and we will have to be much better in the second leg.
The second leg is on Thursday at Craven Cottage with kick-off at 19:45.
In the other semi-final, Swansea took on Brentford at the Liberty Stadium with Swansea surprisingly coming out on top. Andre Ayew scored the winner with a very good finish. He had earlier missed a penalty after a foul on Rhian Brewster.
The goal came following a red card for Rico Henry which was never a sending off. He was sent off for a slide tackle on Connor Roberts where he won the ball. It was a strong challenge but his studs weren’t that high and he got enough of the ball for it not to even be a foul. However, since the game the red card has been overturned and he will be able to play in the second leg which takes place on Wednesday at Griffin Park. It is still in the balance and it is certainly not over yet.
One thing is certain and that is there will be plenty of excitement to come and there is a lot to look forward to.
Cardiff City Daily 