Kieran Baldwin and Kwame Kufuor report and react to UEL 1st dramatic Cup match at Hackney Marshes…
UEL overturned a 2-0 deficit courtesy of a Liam Mcdevitt hat-trick and earned a stunning 4-2 victory at home to the University of Cardiff, to take UEL into the last 16 of the Cup.
A determined second half performance turned around their first half frailties with a memorable hat-trick for MacDevitt as he picked up the match ball. Stefan Nielson put the icing on the cake for UEL with their fourth to tee up the next round against the University of Herefordshire.
UEL dominated the game earlier on and managed to pin Cardiff into their own half for at least the first quarter of the game. Cardiff’s Josh Dorwood found his fellow team mate Matt Hale, as a decoy just outside the UEL penalty area from a counter attack. He struck the ball with his right foot into the far corner giving Ritchie Robins in the UEL goal no chance and scoring against the run of play.
The home side were then down to a two-goal disadvantage 35 minutes in after Cardiff’s Dorwood picked the ball from his own half and ran half the length of the pitch. He then squared the ball to Hale, who took a touch and hit his shot hard and low with his favourite right foot to double Cardiff’s lead.
Fightback
A tactical change was made in the second half from UEL coach Yassain Abidou to help swing the momentum in UEL’s favour, as MacDevitt was switched from left wing to go up front and Michael Ogboin went to left wing.
The home team started the second half with more intent, which immediately paid off just two minutes into the second half as Nielson cut the ball back for MacDevitt to finish off from a cross after Ogboin had travelled the length of the pitch.
UEL then equalised not long after as Nielson produced a moment of brilliance from a corner, as he went directly for goal which caught the Cardiff keeper out- to draw level.
The East London side had to wait until the last 15 minutes to finally complete the turnaround, as MacDevitt got his second from a delightful volley.
UEL secured their win in the dying embers of the match, as Captain Siao Levi-Blackwood split apart the Cardiff defence to put Macdevitt in on goal, who outpaced the floundering Cardiff defence to rifle his shot past their keeper to complete his hat-trick.
Speaking after the game, Yassain Abidou gave credit to his players: “At half time I told the players to continue how they were playing and goals will come, credit to them they did.”