Watford secured a 2-1 victory against Queen’s Park Rangers (QPR) in a thrilling match that showcased both teams’ contrasting performances. That win was highlighted by a breathtaking double from Luca Kjerrumgaard, who netted both of Watford’s goals. The match took place at Vicarage Road on Saturday, with Watford’s manager, Paulo Pezzolano, expressing satisfaction with the team’s second-half performance.
The game opened under very different circumstances. Norwich City’s Imran Louza paid the price early, getting a straight red card for his high challenge on QPR’s Jonathan Varane. Unfortunately, this incident would steal away Louza’s personal moment, as it was in fact his milestone of 100 appearances for the club. Even after being reduced to ten men, Watford stood their ground and finished victorious.
Tactical Struggles in the First Half
The lack of tactical awareness and a clear lack of intensity from both sides at times made for an uneventful first half of the match. Both teams did a poor job of taking advantage of their chances, resulting in an ugly performance. To their credit, Pezzolano admitted that the first 45 minutes was unacceptable, but the team made huge adjustments to reignite things after the break.
“The second half was very good when we created danger.” – Paulo Pezzolano
Late in the first half, Kjerrumgaard began to show why she was one of the key players on the field. In the 19th minute, Imran Louza, despite his earlier red card, demonstrated his skill by delivering an inch-perfect cross to Kjerrumgaard. The young striker’s powerful header opened the scoring for Watford early on.
The young Dane wasn’t done there, scoring a second half goal that continued to showcase his talent. Kayembe ignited a fantastic counterattack by releasing Nestory Irankunda on the left wing. With an extraordinarily accurate cross, Irankunda set up Kjerrumgaard for his second goal of the match.
QPR Struggles to Find Rhythm
For QPR, the game threw up problems that resulted in a disappointed coach Julien Stephan. He added that his team’s performance couldn’t have been more contrasting from one half to the next.
“The second half was very good when we created danger.” – Paulo Pezzolano
At halftime, Stephan was upset as QPR was not playing up to par. But you could see the team’s frustration as they pressed for an equalizer in the second half. Ilias Chair tried to find a way to spark a comeback but was met with steadfast resistance from Watford’s back line.
QPR pressed and pressed for a second, but they struggled to find the back of the net again. Kieran Morgan showed his class, delivering an unstoppable screamer later in the match. In the 62nd minute, Sam Field almost got one back with a powerful header. He got shown up by Watford’s resilient back line who wouldn’t let him anywhere near that one.
Promising Future for Watford
In assessing Kjerrumgaard’s performance, Pezzolano had much praise for him, calling him a potential linchpin for the team in the future.
“I’m very happy for Luca. We know that he is going to be a top striker – a very good player.” – Paulo Pezzolano
The win would prove to be a monumental boost in Watford’s confidence. It further emphasized the club’s depth and resilience, in spite of Louza’s red card curveball. Players such as Kevin Keben and Kwadwo Baah were presented opportunities to make the lead even more comfortable but couldn’t find the finish.
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