Southampton Vs Qpr: Matsuki nets first Championship goals in 5-0 St Mary’s rout

Southampton produced a dominant night at St Mary’s, beating Queens Park Rangers 5-0 in a result that keeps the Saints on a hot run and is significant for their play-off ambitions. The southampton vs qpr fixture featured Finn Azaz’s early strike, Kuryu Matsuki’s first Championship goals and a full sweep of finishing that lifted Southampton up the table.

Southampton Vs Qpr: Matsuki’s first Championship goals

Kuryu Matsuki reached a personal milestone by scoring his first goals in the Championship, heading home on the stroke of half-time and then converting a rebound shortly after the restart. Matsuki later said it was a “great moment” for him, expressing happiness at netting and gratitude for the confidence the manager gave him, while also stressing the need for more points and goals going forward. His two strikes were pivotal in turning a strong first-half performance into a resounding victory.

Finn Azaz’s early strike and Oliver Langford’s decisions

Finn Azaz opened the scoring in the opening stages, taking a touch after being found on the edge of the box by Ryan Manning and curling a low, powerful right-footed shot into the far corner. The timing of that goal is unclear in the provided context — one record cites the ninth minute while another notes it came after 10 minutes. Early in the match both teams had penalty claims dismissed by referee Oliver Langford: Amadou Mbengue went down after getting past Manning, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis appealed when he appeared to be pulled back in the box by former Saint Ronnie Edwards, but nothing was given for either incident.

Tactical play and Leo Scienza’s sixth Championship goal

Azaz was involved again in the move that led to the fourth goal, playing the pass that put Leo Scienza through before the winger cut in from the left and curled home for what was noted as his sixth Championship goal of the season. Scienza’s strike arrived in the 59th minute and underlined how the home side broke QPR down on the flanks and in transition, with quick recovery of possession and incisive final balls producing clear chances.

Setbacks for QPR: Nicolas Madsen injury and defensive errors

QPR suffered physical and defensive blows. Nicolas Madsen pulled up sprinting after a cleared corner, holding the back of his right leg, and was substituted before going down the tunnel. A floated free-kick from Manning just over five minutes before half-time found Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but his header struck the post and rolled away. After the break, Joe Walsh saved a Scienza effort but palmed the ball into Matsuki’s path, from which Matsuki steered it into the far corner with his left foot. Later, a poor QPR clearance from a Scienza cross fell to James Bree, who fired in from outside the box with a shot that took a slight deflection and completed the scoring roughly 20 minutes from full time; that finish was also described as a stunning strike.

Table movement, form and manager reaction

The victory marked Southampton’s fourth win in five Championship matches and lifted Tonda Eckert’s side from 11th to seventh in the table, putting them four points behind Wrexham; QPR sit 13th. Reflecting on the performance, Tonda Eckert told Radio Solent he “loved that we were sharp from the off. ” The win reinforced the club’s push towards the play-off places by combining a clean sheet with multiple goal sources across the front and midfield.

Matsuki’s comments and club membership offer

Matsuki said he was very happy to score his first Championship goal and added that he enjoyed the football and wanted more goals and assists, while emphasising the team must still collect more points. The club has a limited-time membership promotion offering half-price Saints Memberships at £15 for adults and £7. 50 for juniors, a commercial detail the club is promoting alongside the on-field momentum.

The result at St Mary’s — a comprehensive 5-0 win over Queens Park Rangers — leaves Southampton with clear momentum: what makes this notable is the combination of individual milestones, multi-player contributions and a defensive shutout that together moved them notably closer to the play-off conversation.