Cardiff stun Norwich with dramatic double blow

Posted Sunday, November 03, 2024 by PA

Cardiff scored two late goals to snatch a dramatic 2-1 win at home against promotion-chasing Norwich.

Borja Sainz, the division’s top scorer, hit his 11th league goal of the season to put the visitors ahead early in the second half at the Cardiff City Stadium.

But Callum Robinson came off the bench grab an 89th-minute equaliser before Callum O’Dowda’s left-footed winner deep into stoppage time.

Victory saw Cardiff extend their unbeaten run under caretaker manager Omer Riza to six games and climb a further four places clear of the relegation zone.

The painful defeat was a first in eight games for Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side, who had looked to be moving into sixth place before slipping back to ninth.

These were two of the in-form teams in the Championship but both were hit by injuries ahead of kick-off.

Cardiff were forced into three changes with Alex Robertson injured, Perry Ng suspended and top-scorer Robinson starting on the bench due to an Achilles issue.

Norwich also showed a trio of new faces with striker Josh Sargent and midfielder Anis Ben Slimane joining an already hefty injury list.

While the Canaries dominated possession in the first half, they were unable to break down a well-organised home defence that had not conceded a goal in four of their previous five games.

Shane Duffy should have done better from a free-kick but directed his header well wide while Sainz’s long-range effort brought a first save by Jak Alnwick.

The forward then had the last of three Norwich efforts in a scramble inside Cardiff’s box from a corner late in a goalless first half before breaking the deadlock in impressive style just seven minutes after the break.

Callum Doyle intercepted David Turnbull’s overly-ambitious pass inside his own half and released Sainz in space.

Cardiff were too slow to close down the Spaniard, who picked his spot high and to the left of Alnwick.

Norwich came close to doubling their lead but Doyle and Sainz were both denied by Alnwick before Jack Stacey’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Dimitrios Goutas.

But O’Dowda turned the game late on, setting up Robinson whose effort deflected off Duffy and past the helpless George Long, who had had precious little to do for most of the game.

Cardiff suddenly had belief, surging forward through Rubin Colwill and Robinson before O’Dowda fired to the right of Long to pull off a remarkable comeback.