Huddersfield Town secured their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup. They accomplished the thrilling landslide to Wembley by defeating Sunderland in an edge-of-your-seat penalty shoot-out victory, 6-5. The game played out on Saturday at the Stadium of Light. Undoubtedly both teams played hard, eager to earn their place in the Round of 16 in the tournament.
In a bold tactical move, Huddersfield supremo made ten changes to the side that had beaten Stevenage for fun just two weeks prior. It’s notable that Sunderland’s head coach, Regis Le Bris, overhauled his entire starting line-up. Among many others, he loaded up both with relative newcomers, like Mukiele, Arthur Masuaku, and Guiu.
It was Sunderland who hit the ground running, scoring within nine minutes of the start to take the lead. His defensive mistake was punished by Leo Castledine, who guided a volley past the keeper with remarkable precision. Huddersfield began the match very much on the back foot but soon responded. Murray Wallace was uniquely poised as the only player still present who’d played in their previous game against Stevenage. Former Sunderland player Lynden Gooch captained the Terriers and added attacking intent and experience to the side.
As the match went on, Sunderland still had other chances to double their lead. In the second half, Patrick Roberts swung in a delicious cross that was just about dealt with by Huddersfield’s central pairing. Harrison Jones then delivered a curling cross, looking to double Sunderland’s advantage. Sean Roughan met the resulting corner with a powerful, clean connection header to craft that moment. Guiu almost went ahead himself but had his goal-bound shot thwarted by the Huddersfield defenders.
The match continued to be a nail biter as both teams could not score again. Regular time ended with both teams scoreless as the full-time whistle blew. This created the backdrop for a thrilling penalty shoot-out to find the victor. The first five penalty takers from both teams made their kicks, increasing the drama for everyone who stepped up next.
Kasumu from Huddersfield finished with aplomb. At the other end, Aleksic’s effort for Sunderland was superbly tipped around the post by Town keeper Lee Nicholls, making it the crucial moment in the shoot-out. Their victory was really thanks to Nicholls’s excellent save to hand the Terriers the advantage. They took their chance and turned their last penalty to win the match.
By virtue of this victory, Huddersfield Town moves on to take on Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup third round. So catch up with us on Sky Sports Football this Wednesday evening for the live draw of the Fourth Round! Fans will experience the magic as they look forward to whomever their club is matched up against.
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