World News – GB – Birmingham 2-1 Huddersfield: Lukas Jutkiewicz scores Blues winner against Terriers

Soccer

City of Birmingham
vs. Huddersfield Town Sky Bet Championship

7:45 p.m., Wednesday October 28, 2020

St Andrew Stadium

Report and highlights of Sky Bet Championship clash at St Andrew’s as Lukas Jutkiewicz scores late winner for Birmingham after Isaac Mbenza struck for Huddersfield to nullify Gary Gardner’s initial goal

Substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz hit a last-minute winner for Birmingham as they ended their scoring drought in a 2-1 win over Huddersfield at St Andrew’s

Sub Isaac Mbenza appeared to have saved a point for Huddersfield after equalizing in the 85th minute after Gary Gardner ended Birmingham’s 322-minute scoreless spell

Mbenza’s stunning 85th-minute free-kick rewarded a dominant second-half performance for Carlos Corberan’s side until Jutkiewicz gave the Blues their first win in seven matches

Scott Hogan and George Friend came close twice, while Jeremie Bela hit the post for the home side

The winner of Jutkiewicz was the Blues’ first in open play in 2020-2021, with all of their previous set-pieces goals

After a slow start to the game for both teams, the Blues created four quick chances in as many minutes

A low free kick from Ivan Sanchez hit Gardner at the far post, but the midfielder kicked badly into a crowded area and Huddersfield cleared

Seconds later, Hogan ran a few yards wide from 25 yards before the striker passed off after a mistake from Christopher Schindler was grabbed by Sanchez

The Blues stayed in the ascendancy and Friend cut inside before taking a low shot on goalkeeper Ben Hamer at his near post

Huddersfield produced his first attempt in the 24th minute when Fraizer Campbell’s shot from the 25-yard turn flew over the bar

A free kick from Bela, this time floated high in the box, was greeted by a powerful header from Gardner at the far post which buckled on Hamer, who had no chance of saving

The Blues continued to threaten and a curling free kick from Bela hit the base of the post before Friend’s follow-up was cleared by former Wolves teammate Richard Stearman

Huddersfield’s only other chance in the first half came when Josh Koroma took a wide header from a tight angle after goalkeeper Neil Etheridge missed Juninho Bacuna’s free kick

Huddersfield had the first chance of the second half when Koroma grabbed a bad header, cut inside and unleashed a fierce shot that crashed off the bar, with Adama Diakhaby unable to hit the rebound target

Mbenza landed a brilliant free kick in the top corner to equalize just outside the box

But Jutkiewicz, who missed two games after testing positive for Covid-19, secured the Blues victory when he hit the rebound after his other substitute Jonathan Leko hit the bar with an incline practice

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Birmingham’s Aitor Karanka: « We deserved this 100% victory because if you had only seen the last 30 minutes you would think I was wrong, but if you had seen the first half we could have been winning 2-0 or 3-0 We were comfortable – we scored a goal and we had another two or three clear chances, then in the second half we defended and organized

« Even after we conceded the goal the attitude and mentality was amazing and we came back again which was really important to us »

Carlos Corberan from Huddersfield: « It was hard to take, especially after the second half and we did our best. I think we needed the second half but the team didn’t not started the game the way we should have In the first half we got the ball but we didn’t create the chances we should have

« We didn’t handle a free kick well and they scored a goal We knew they would focus on counter attacks and set pieces – that was how we expected them to be. ‘they play But it was difficult to take after the second half where we played We will have to analyze how we played in the first half because we played very well but we should have created more chances We did not do enough « 

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© 2020 Sky France

Huddersfield, AFC City, Birmingham City FC, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Aitor Karanka, EFL Championship