It would be Birmingham City who would complete a spectacular comeback, running out 2-1 victors in an entertaining contest at Ewood Park. Blackburn came back, going up in the second half before the hour mark. Birmingham roared back behind a stunning late three-goal comeback that sparked wild celebrations among the home contingent. The narrow 1-0 victory earned Birmingham their first league win of the season, sending around 7,000 away fans into raptures.
Blackburn opened the scoring five minutes after halftime when Todd Cantwell found the top corner with a glorious volley. This was the first shot they had taken all match and it totally surprised Birmingham. Despite Birmingham’s dominant performance in the first half, Cantwell’s goal shifted the momentum towards Blackburn.
Once the game started, and especially in the second half, Birmingham came out strong. In the 90th minute, Jay Stansfield was the man to take his place at the penalty spot. He buried his shot skillfully in the left corner for his second goal this season. That late goal allowed Lyndon Dykes to run out the clock on their victory. Then, just eight minutes into stoppage time, he capitalized on a defensive howler to slide in a dramatic winner, capping off a very special comeback.
Blackburn Takes Early Advantage
The game started with Birmingham dominating the ball and creating a handful of chances right off the whistle. For the first 45 Alex Cochrane sent a rocket of a diagonal drive to goal. Blackburn’s goalkeeper, Balazs Toth, acrobatically tipped it round the post for a corner. Birmingham continued to apply the heat. Ethan Laird squandered a close-range header, and Tomoki Iwata’s hopeful shot was right at keeper Cody Toth.
Birmingham was unable to finish, and Blackburn struck on their first real counterattack. Christoph Klarer’s header was actually deflected, but it still fell perfectly for Cantwell. Without the slightest pause, he smacked a miraculous volley to the bottom left corner of the net.
Following the match, Blackburn’s coach Valerien Ismael considered the match, lamenting his squad’s failure to build upon their early lead.
“It’s terrible but it’s on us. This loss is on us. We made two terrible mistakes. We have to move on and learn.” – Valerien Ismael
Birmingham Fights Back
As the clock raced towards zero, hope started to slip away for Birmingham. In the dying moments of the match, they were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Stansfield stepped up, coolly converting the penalty to bring his side level.
The long-awaited equalizer seemingly filled the home side with newfound belief, their supporters—and perhaps a random assortment of neutrals—too, harkening back to their second-half push. Yet they insisted on pushing on, intent on taking all three points home.
Just as it looked like the game would finish level, Dykes turned into the villain for Birmingham and hero for Dykes. In an astonishing twist, he slid in to score eight minutes into stoppage time, turning a seemingly lost cause into a thrilling victory.
A Historic Win for Birmingham
Birmingham’s victory not only brought their first league victory of the season, but represented a crucial lift in terms of moral. The manner of the comeback victory was as dramatic as it gets. Highlights of which sent their rowdy travelling supporters—the SBI Army—into a frenzy in the stands.
Chris Davies, manager of Birmingham, lauded his players’ character and fighting spirit in the wake of the match. To win in front of an away crowd like that… it’s everything we imagined it would be.”
“It was an excellent win. Last-minute winner, always something to cherish and savour, especially in front of 7,000 travelling fans. Fantastic win.” – Chris Davies
The win is emblematic of Birmingham’s fight to get their campaign back on track after a rough start. They have some renewed, post-COVID momentum. Now, they will look to continue that success to secure improved outcomes in the final three fixtures.
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