Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo’s strike turned out to be a consolation as Southampton lost against Cardiff City in the English Championship on Saturday.
The Saints went into the game with the chance to move up to third place but their best efforts weren’t enough as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against the Bluebirds at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Aribo opened the scoring after just 12 minutes when he applied a first-time finish to beat Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. Southampton were the dominant side in the first half and created a series of chances that should’ve seen them put the game to bed early.
However, Russel Martin’s side spurned the opportunities that came their way, with goalkeeper Horvath also producing some brilliant saves to thwart their efforts. The Saints would be made to pay for their profligacy in the second half, with Cardiff scoring twice in the final 25 minutes to turn the game around.
Southampton’s automatic promotion hopes wither
The hosts equalised against the run of play in the 68th minute when substitute Famara Diedhiou combined with striker Yakou Meite to score.
Despite ceding possession to Southampton, the hosts looked very threatening with most of their attacking incursions and drew seven saves from Alex McCarthy. The game seemed to be heading for a draw when Cian Ashford stepped up to net the winner deep into added time to give Cardiff a 2-1 lead and eventually deny Southampton a share of the spoils.
While the result has moved Cardiff up to fifth on the Championship table, Southampton remain fourth and have now fallen three points behind third-placed Leeds United and five behind second-placed Ipswich Town.
Southampton’s position on the table would still guarantee them a playoff spot but it has become harder to gain automatic promotion with just three matches left. Meanwhile, Aribo has now scored three goals whilst providing one assist for the Saints this season.
