Blackburn Rovers Vs Bristol City: Robins end Rovers' mini-revival

In a midweek encounter that saw a second-half surge from the hosts, blackburn rovers vs bristol city ended 1-2 as Bristol City fought back to claim victory at Ewood Park. Emil Riis and Scott Twine turned an early Yuki Ohashi opener around, while late saves and substitutions shaped a tense finish.

Blackburn Rovers Vs Bristol City timeline

Blackburn took the lead in the 6th minute when Ryoya Morishita beat Rob Atkinson and picked out Yuki Ōhashi, who rifled the ball into the back of the City goal; the finish came after Morishita sailed past Atkinson. That goal was Ohashi's second in two games and followed an injury-time winner he had scored against Preston, which had earned him a start here. Seventeen minutes in, Emil Riis levelled after Cam Pring's cross deflected kindly: Riis controlled the ball on his thigh and volleyed into the far corner from inside the area. Just after the half-hour mark, Scott Twine met Riis's cutback and volleyed into the top corner to make it 2-1, a strike noted as his ninth of the season.

First-half momentum and reactions

Gerhard Struber made five changes to the side that had lost narrowly to Swansea, bringing Emil Riis, Scott Twine, Cam Pring, Mark Sykes and Sam Morsy into the starting XI. The visitors began with quality in the first half and forced several saves: Baláz Tóth was called into action more than once to deny Riis, tipping one effort out for a corner and later diving low to his left. Tomi Horvat slid a pass to Jason Knight that resulted in a brilliant one-on-one save, and Horvat also hit the post from distance as City pressed for a lead before Twine's finish.

Saves, clearances and late drama

The second half saw Blackburn relentlessly push for an equaliser. Radek Vítek (also referenced in some accounts as Radek Vitek) produced a string of critical stops for City, including a save off Moussa Baradji with the last kick of the match. Balazs Toth (also shown as Baláz Tóth) made a top save in the 75th minute to keep out Horvat's free kick, while Vítek later denied Dion De Neve from point-blank range and kept out a late Baradji close-range effort. As the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, Blackburn continued to press but could not find the clinical edge required.

Blackburn chances and finishing issues

Blackburn created a number of second-half opportunities but struggled with finishing. The hosts had 16 attempts, six on target, and saw Mathias Jørgensen (also written as Mathias Jorgensen) head wide from a Ryan Alebiosu cross. Yuki Ohashi had an overhead attempt saved and Yuki Ohashi (alternate spelling Ōhashi) had earlier justified his start, but rushed finishing remained a problem: Yuki Ohashi later missed a chance, smashing a shot into the ground and wide from the centre of the box. Morishita's hopeful delivery and other deliveries lacked the precision needed to break down the organised City defence.

Substitutions and starting line-up

Substitutions influenced the closing stages. Max Bird came on for Tomi Horvat late in the game (listed as Horvat replaced by Bird at 90+2' in the starting XI notes). Oladapo Afolayan replaced Kristi Montgomery for Blackburn during the second half. The published starting XI for the visitors read: Vítek; Tanner, Eile, Atkinson (Borges 45’); Sykes, Morsy (Randell 58’), Knight (C), Pring; Horvat (Bird 90+2’), Twine (Burgzorg 58’); Riis (Armstrong 58’).

Managerial perspective and aftermath

Michael O'Neill suffered his first defeat as Blackburn manager after winning his opening two matches in the job-share against QPR and Preston; the early Ohashi goal had threatened a third straight win. On his brief time in charge he said: "I've been here nine days and we've played three games. At the moment we've got six points out of nine, if we keep that pattern going I'll be more than happy. " Former Sunderland and Bristol City midfielder Gary Owers, speaking as a match commentator, summarised the flow: "Quality in the first half from City, but much different story in the second half. Blackburn improved and City had to show a different side and battle and scrap for three points, but they've they've got the job done and at this stage of the season, and it might not always be about the performance, it's about the result and that is a very, very important result for City. " He also reacted to a late effort: "Great attempt by Tommy Horvath. He wraps his foot around it and I think that's going to find the top corner but the keeper makes a good diving save. "

City's win ended the hosts' mini-revival and leaves the Robins focused on their next fixture: Watford at home on Friday, February 27th, at 8pm. The match summary was prepared with AI assistance to distil radio commentary and was checked by a journalist before publication.