Cardiff City has achieved a much-needed victory as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-1 on March 15, 2025, at Ewood Park, marking their first win after four consecutive losses. Yakou Meite emerged as the game's hero, scoring the decisive goal with his very first touch after coming on as a substitute. The match looked precarious when Meite replaced Callum Robinson in the 72nd minute, but he quickly made his presence felt.
This goal, which is only the fourth Meite has scored since joining Cardiff City from Reading during the summer of 2023, has been described as one of the most significant moments of his career at the club. According to former Wales striker Iwan Roberts, who spoke on BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast programme, “I thought if Omer Riza lost the game he would have lost his job. Yakou Meite, he’d only been on the pitch for a minute and he scores the goal.”
Despite this victory, Cardiff City remains just above the Championship's relegation zone, sitting one point clear with eight games left to play this season. Their struggle has been evident, as they entered this match following four consecutive losses, including one against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Roberts emphasized the urgency for Cardiff to maintain momentum: "It's only their second away win this season... they’re still only one point ahead of Derby County who are third from bottom," he noted.
During the match, Cardiff's captain Joe Ralls was forced to leave the pitch due to what appears to be a recurrence of his calf injury, which had already sidelined him for six matches after suffering from a groin issue earlier this season. Riza stated, "Rallsy's come back from a calf strain and he's felt it again after about 20 minutes. Bless him, he carried on and pushed through another 15 minutes and we had to get him off because he was feeling it. We’ll look at what the damage is with it.” The captain exited the match in the 37th minute, replaced by Rubin Colwill, just as Cardiff began to find their rhythm.
Riza did see some positives from the match, including the successful return of midfielder Andy Rinomhota, who played for 60 minutes after recovering from his hamstring injury. "To get 60 minutes out of him was pleasing. We couldn’t push it much more than this," Riza noted, reflecting on the team’s overall performance.
The match was not without controversy. Blackburn was controversially denied a late penalty which could have led to their opportunity to equalize. Referee Adam Herczeg had initially pointed to the spot after Blackburn’s Makhtar Gueye was brought down by Cardiff defenders Callum O'Dowda and Joel Bagan. After discussion with his assistant, Herczeg overturned the decision, awarding a free kick to Cardiff instead. This decision was met with protests from the home crowd.
Keith Hackett, the former head of refereeing for PGMOL, commented on the incident, stating, “I cannot see an offence on the Blackburn player sufficient for the referee to award a penalty kick. It’s the wrong decision, and if the assistant has intervened – good on him because he has got the referee out of an awkward situation.” With this call, Blackburn suffered their third straight defeat under their new manager Valerien Ismael.
With only one win since Ismael's arrival, the result against Cardiff puts additional pressure on Blackburn's playoff ambitions. Since Ismael has taken charge, their record now stands at four matches without a win: two losses and one draw, and this latest defeat may jeopardize their attempts to secure a spot higher up the table.
Cardiff City's victory is pivotal as they look toward their next fixture against Sheffield Wednesday at home on March 29, 2025. The team knows they need to build off this win to remain above the relegation zone as they navigate through the remaining matches of this Championship season. For Blackburn, the upcoming match against Portsmouth on the same day will be another test of their resilience as they strive to find their footing.
This thrilling match is bound to bolster Cardiff's morale, but it also highlights the growing concerns surrounding Blackburn's performance under pressure. The stakes are high, and both teams have much to prove as they fight for their respective ambitions this season.
