Millwall Vs Birmingham: Femi Azeez inspires 3-0 win as Lions move back up to third
millwall vs birmingham finished 3-0 at The Den as Femi Azeez volleyed the opener and created both follow-up goals, a result that lifted Millwall back to third in the Championship and ended Birmingham's eight-match unbeaten run. The victory mattered immediately: it halted Birmingham's confidence and reinforced Millwall's response after a weekend home defeat to Portsmouth.
Millwall Vs Birmingham at The Den
On Wednesday night Millwall beat 10-man Birmingham City 3-0 at The Den. The result stopped the Blues' run of not losing in the league — an eight-match unbeaten streak — and handed Millwall a jump back to third in the table, with the club sitting four points behind second-placed Middlesbrough. Birmingham had gone to south London buoyed by three successive away wins but were unable to match Millwall's intensity.
Femi Azeez's volley and set-piece influence
Femi Azeez opened the scoring with a sweet half-volley in the 25th minute, his eighth goal of the season, after Zak Sturge punted the ball forward and Tristan Crama headed it back to Azeez. That strike set the tone: five minutes later Azeez bent a 30-yard free-kick that James Beadle pushed onto the post and which rebounded for Crama to convert, giving Millwall a 2-0 half-time lead. Early in the second half another Azeez free-kick caused chaos in the box and led directly to Jake Cooper's finish. What makes this notable is Azeez's dead-ball precision; his set-piece deliveries produced two goals and turned routine situations into match-defining moments.
Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper on target
Tristan Crama was first to react to the rebound from Azeez's long free-kick to double the lead before half-time, keeping his side-footed shot on target after Beadle's save. The third goal arrived four minutes after the restart when Azeez floated a free-kick deep, Crama kept the ball alive on the byline and cut it back for centre-back and captain Jake Cooper to sweep home. Cooper's intervention completed the 3-0 scoreline and underlined the set-piece pattern that decided the contest.
Jhon Solis sent off after second yellow
Colombian midfielder Jhon Solis was shown a second yellow four minutes after Cooper's goal, having earlier been involved when Azeez's free-kick struck his back as he attempted to duck under the delivery. The dismissal left Birmingham with 10 men early in the second half and compounded the damage from Millwall's set-piece effectiveness; the red card followed a late challenge on Casper De Norre, for which referee Dean Whitestone produced the second yellow.
Key incidents: Patterson save, penalty appeal and Coburn chance
There were several notable moments beyond the goals. Millwall goalkeeper Anthony Patterson made a full-length save to turn Jay Stansfield's curling attempt around the post, denying Birmingham one of their few bright openings. Josh Coburn, back in the side after missing the Portsmouth game through illness, should have opened the scoring around the 15-minute mark when he headed Camiel Neghli's cross over from six yards. Macaulay Langstaff later appeared to be hauled down by Tomoki Iwata while chasing a long throw in Birmingham's area; Millwall players appealed for a penalty but Dean Whitestone remained unmoved. Late in the game Camiel Neghli and Langstaff both went close to adding to the margin, with Neghli racing through only to see a chance clear the crossbar.
Post-match comments warned that the club had perhaps been looking too far ahead after the previous home game, and listed a difficult upcoming schedule: Ipswich away, Middlesbrough away, Hull away and Preston away. Those remarks also praised Azeez's strike and the midfield pairing, though the comment trailed off in the available transcript. Teddy Sheringham was noted as watching from the stands during the match.
The match delivered clear cause-and-effect sequences: Azeez's technical quality and set-piece delivery created two second-half goals and turned tight situations into scoring opportunities; Solis's involvement in the aerial scramble and the subsequent second yellow reduced Birmingham to 10 men and removed any realistic route back into the game. The result leaves Millwall reinforced after a recent defeat and Birmingham needing to regroup after their eight-match unbeaten run was brought to an end.
