The decisive moment that tipped derby in Cardiff City’s favour and the Swansea City star who left pundits raving
There were a number of key talking points to emerge from Sunday’s South Wales derby, which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Swansea.com Stadium
The Italians refer to this time of year as ‘calcio d’agosto’, or ‘August football’.
It seems a painfully obvious term, but its use in Italian footballing lexicon mainly serves as a way to keep expectations in check. Whether you get walloped on the opening day 6-0, or storm to three straight wins, it ultimately doesn’t matter. It’s just ‘calcio d’agosto’. Maurizio Sarri once even declared football at this time of year to be a ‘lie’.
Admittedly, finding the truth from this South Wales derby, the earliest in a season since 1957, and what it means for Welsh football’s two biggest clubs doesn’t feel all that straightforward.
Halting another Swansea win, even if it resulted in a share of the spoils, will be seen as a cause for celebration.
But the euphoria of that equaliser doesn’t really alter Swansea’s recent dominance of this fixture. Cardiff still have just one win in their last seven meetings with the Swans, who clearly still hold the bragging rights over their rivals.
However, Luke Williams’ palpable disappointment at not seeing out this win is one many fans will likely share too, particularly given Swansea’s dominance in the first half. This was an opportunity that perhaps slipped through Swansea’s fingers.
When Harry Darling delighted the home crowd by clattering into Perry Ng with a robust shoulder charge after just eight minutes, it really did feel like Swansea would be picking up where they left off.
And when Bluebird slayer Liam Cullen popped up on 10 minutes to open the scoring, it really did feel like business as usual, although the extent delirium in three of the four ends of the Swansea.com Stadium was just as stratospheric as any time before. In contrast, a previously hopeful and boisterous away end descended under an ominous cloud of dread and silence.
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