Cardiff University entered the pitch with confidence it was obvious from the pre match warm up that the team had their heads in the game.
The mighty reds had a very strong start to the match and the crowd were behind them with chants echoing from the stands throughout the match. The first 20 minutes saw Cardiff with a lot of possession attacking hard to get the all important crucial opening goal. Swansea’s backline looked very strong at points and caused a lot of trouble for Cardiff with deflected shots and it was clear that Number 19 Giles Basson had a lot of power to keep constantly pushing forward like the amazing captain he is. In the 29th minute the time came for the captain to put the ball in the back of the net after a foul had been committed in the penalty box. He took it with so much confidence. It was a very well taken penalty Giles had so much composure there was no way the keeper was going to be saving that. Basson gave Cardiff the all important lead and like a true captain kept a cool head.
Basson gave Cardiff the all important lead and like a true captain kept a cool head
However the cheers quickly turned to tears for Cardiff because in the 32nd minute Liam Maher got sent off. The referee showed him a straight red and he walked off the pitch in utter despair pictured bottom left. To make matters worse the Swansea fans rubbed salt into Cardiff’s wounds as numerous green flares were thrown onto the pitch disrupting play. Swansea took advantage of the 10 men Cardiff trying to equalise quickly before half time but could not get through Cardiff’s backline they were like a solid brick wall. The whistle was blown for half time and Cardiff were lucky to not concede in the first half as they walked off the pitch with their heads held high. Both cheerleading teams kept spirits high with half time entertainment.
As the second half kicked off Swansea looked dominant running rings around Cardiff. There had clearly been firm words during the half time team talk with the greens. Swansea attacked high up the pitch and in the 58th minutes they equalised. Both teams battled until the final whistle trying to score the crucial winning goal but at 90 minutes it was still 1-1 so it went down to a dreaded penalty shootout. It was a tense shootout but Cardiff were the victorious champions on the day. Winning Welsh Varsity 3 years back to back. #3PEAT
Speaking to the Cardiff University captain Giles Basson after the match he said “It was an incredible feeling being the captain of a quality team that showed passion and determination to win the derby”.
