Middlesbrough overcame an early deficit, beating Millwall 3–1 at The Den.
Goalscorers: BORO: 38' Lukas Engel, 58' Isaiah Jones, 90+5' Marcus Forss. MIL: 10' Joe Bryan
Shots (On Goal): MIL: 15(5) BORO: 13(6)
Possession: MIL: 59% BORO: 41%
Man of the Match: Ryan Longman
Two first names, one beautiful goal
Take a bow, Joe Bryan.
The Lions left back scored a delicious goal in the 10th minute to give the Lions a 1–0 lead at The Den and Bryan showed real quality with his right-footed shot into the corner of ‘Boro’s net. Ryan Longman made a run down the right side into the ‘Boro penalty area and played a nice cross to the opposite side of the box. The cross just missed the outstretched leg of Zian Flemming but landed perfectly for Bryan to hammer his shot into the back of the net.
The goal was set up by lovely interplay down the right side and Bryan’s finish was enough to get The Den going after the match was delayed due to traffic issues for ‘Boro.
Two first names, one terrible decision
After a strong start to the contest Joe Bryan made the worst decision in the 58th minute, directly resulting in Middlesbrough’s second goal at The Den.
Bryan was looking to clear the ball amidst a ‘Boro counterattack but his header fell directly to Isaiah Jones in Millwall’s penalty area. Jones had all the time and space in the world and had no problem scoring in front of the travelling fans. It was a gut punch to every Millwall supporter who felt their side deserved a second goal before halftime as their side trailed with over 30 minutes left in the contest.
For Bryan, he needs to know that he should’ve conceded the corner kick instead of playing such a dangerous ball in the Lions’ penalty area.
Far too easy for ‘Boro
Middlesbrough were fortunate to not be down 2–0 after thirty minutes and made Millwall pay for not doubling their lead when Lukas Engel’s goal tied the match at one in the 38th minute.
The philosophy under Joe Edwards has Millwall defenders pushing further up the pitch, leaving them susceptible to the counterattack. ‘Boro took advantage of this and ended up with a wide-open net to score on.
Engel’s goal was a major kick in the teeth for Millwall after such a strong start to the contest in SE16.
