Millwall Vs Birmingham — millwall vs birmingham: Femi Azeez inspires Lions win
millwall vs birmingham ended 3-0 as Femi Azeez scored a stunning opener — his eighth goal of the season — and created the other two strikes as Millwall beat 10-man Birmingham City at The Den. The victory moved Millwall back up to third in the table.
Match report: Millwall Vs Birmingham
Millwall took an early grip on a match played at The Den and were dominant from the start. Josh Coburn, back in the side after missing out against Pompey through illness, should have opened the scoring after a quarter-of-an-hour when he headed Camiel Neghli's cross over the crossbar from six yards. Birmingham’s brightest moment before the opener was Jay Stansfield attempting a curler into the far corner that Millwall goalkeeper Anthony Patterson turned round the post with a full-length save.
Azeez’s opener and free kicks
The hosts went ahead in the 25th minute when Zak Sturge punted the ball forward from halfway and Tristan Crama headed it back to the feet of Femi Azeez, who pinged a sweet half-volley beyond James Beadle and into the top corner. That strike was described as a peach and marked Azeez's eighth goal of the season. Five minutes later a 30-yard Azeez free kick was pushed on to the post by Beadle; the rebound flew to Crama, who kept his side-footed shot on target to make it 2-0 inside six minutes and double Millwall’s lead before half-time.
Second-half set-piece chaos
Four minutes after the restart another Azeez free kick caused real problems. The floated ball struck the back of Jhon Solis as he tried to duck under it, allowing Crama to reach the ball before it drifted out of play; Crama’s cut-back was turned in by centre-back partner Jake Cooper to make it 3-0. That third goal came from a set piece created by Azeez and was finished by Cooper, the Millwall captain.
Sending-off, appeals and referee decision
The night turned worse for Birmingham when, four minutes after Cooper's goal, Jhon Solis was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Casper De Norre and was sent off. Earlier in the match Macaulay Langstaff appeared to be hauled down by Tomoki Iwata as he tried to reach a long throw in the Birmingham area, with referee Dean Whitestone unmoved as Millwall players appealed for what looked like a penalty.
Chances, reaction and context
Millwall could have extended the scoreline as Macaulay Langstaff headed a good chance just over and Camiel Neghli raced through only to clear the crossbar. Birmingham survived late scares as Neghli and Langstaff both went close. The win ended the Blues' eight-match unbeaten run in the league; other coverage noted Birmingham had arrived in south London undefeated in nine and with three successive away wins. The victory lifted Millwall back up to third, four points behind second-placed Middlesbrough, and represented a sharp response after Saturday's shock home defeat by lowly Portsmouth.
Manager comments and outlook
Manager Chris Davies reflected on the result and the season's demands, saying: "I felt after the last game at home that we were looking a bit too far ahead of ourselves, not just internally but externally as well. I understand it from the fans' perspective, because that's what you want, to get excited for your team but we need to keep our feet on the ground and keep focussed. On our day we are a match for anyone at this level. There is certainly no ceiling on expectations for us, we're capable of anything if we continue to win games but what I will say is that we have one of the hardest run-ins with Ipswich away, Middlesbrough away, Hull away, Preston away, some really tough games coming up. Femi's goal was brilliant right enough, but we had terrific performances all over the pitch. The midfield two were excellent, [Jake] Cooper was bri"
Millwall’s performance saw Femi Azeez directly involved in all three goals — scoring the opener and creating the other two — while Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper took the chances that completed a 3-0 win over 10-man Birmingham City at The Den.
