Millwall Vs Birmingham — Azeez inspires 3-0 win at The Den
In a decisive showing at The Den, millwall vs birmingham finished 3-0 as Femi Azeez scored, created two further goals and helped Millwall climb back up the Championship table. The result matters because it ended Birmingham's unbeaten run and lifted Millwall to third, closing in on the automatic places.
Millwall Vs Birmingham at The Den — Azeez's volley and set-piece influence
Femi Azeez opened the scoring with a volley that was his eighth goal of the season, rifling a half-volley beyond goalkeeper James Beadle into the top corner. The move began when Zak Sturge punted the ball forward from halfway and Tristan Crama headed it back to Azeez's feet; the strike came in the 25th minute as the hosts built early pressure at The Den on Wednesday night.
Crama and Cooper convert rebounds and cut-back for second and third
Azeez's 30-yard free kick was pushed onto the post by James Beadle and the rebound was seized by Tristan Crama, who side-footed the chance on target to make it two before half-time. Four minutes after the restart another Azeez free kick caused chaos when his floated delivery struck the back of Jhon Solis as Solis tried to duck under it; Crama reached the ball and his cut-back was turned in by centre-back partner Jake Cooper, who is also the club captain.
Red card for Jhon Solis and the end of Birmingham's unbeaten run
Birmingham were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Jhon Solis was shown a second yellow card. The dismissal followed a late challenge on Casper De Norre and came four minutes after Cooper's goal; the sending off was described in the match details as Solis receiving a second yellow. The win ended the Blues' eight-match unbeaten run in the league, and earlier context noted Birmingham had travelled to south London undefeated in nine and on the back of three successive away wins.
Key moments: Coburn, Neghli, Langstaff and an unawarded penalty shout
Millwall forced a number of openings. Josh Coburn, back in the side after missing the Portsmouth game through illness, should have opened the scoring after about a quarter of an hour but headed Camiel Neghli's cross over the crossbar from six yards. Anthony Patterson pulled off a full-length save to turn Jay Stansfield's curling effort around the post. Macaulay Langstaff appeared to be hauled down by Tomoki Iwata as he tried to reach a long throw in the Birmingham area, but referee Dean Whitestone remained unmoved despite Millwall players appealing for what looked like a penalty. Late in the game Neghli and Langstaff both went close to increasing the score.
Aftermath: response to Portsmouth defeat and league implications
The victory was a response to Millwall's recent home defeat by Portsmouth at the weekend; other details framed the Portsmouth loss as a shock and as having occurred on Saturday. The three goals from Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper lifted the Lions back up to third in the Championship and put them just four points behind second-placed Middlesbrough.
Post-match remarks and fixture concerns (speaker unclear in the provided context)
A post-match comment in the provided material said the team had been looking too far ahead after the last home game and needed to keep their feet on the ground and stay focused. The comment added that "on our day we are a match for anyone at this level, " that there was "no ceiling on expectations" if the team continued to win, and warned of a difficult run of fixtures naming Ipswich away, Middlesbrough away, Hull away and Preston away. The remarks praised Femi's goal as "brilliant, " noted "terrific performances all over the pitch, " said the midfield two were excellent, and included an unfinished line referencing [Jake] Cooper that was truncated in the available text (quote truncated and speaker unclear in the provided context).
Other match details in the record include that Millwall were responding to a home defeat by lowly Portsmouth and that Teddy Sheringham was in the stand watching; the text noted Sheringham began his career at the club and was in the team the last time Millwall were in the top flight, which the material described as two years before the Premier League was formed.
