Watch: Aaron Ramsey scores wonder strike but Cardiff lose to late goal
Debutant Cesare Casadei came off the bench to score the late goal that secured Leicester a 2-1 win at home to Cardiff in the Sky Bet Championship.
That enabled the Foxes to celebrate four straight wins at the start of a season for the first time in the club’s history.
A fine strike from Aaron Ramsey looked like earning Cardiff a point after Wanya Marcal-Madivadua had fired Enzo Maresca’s hosts ahead.
But on-loan Chelsea midfielder Casadei had the last word to leave Cardiff, who saw defender Mahlon Romeo sent off deep into stoppage time, remain winless under their new manager Erol Bulut.
Foxes forward Stephy Mavididi earned an early booking for a mistimed challenge on Josh Bowler but it was not long before Leicester came close to taking the lead.
Kelechi Iheanacho curled a shot from the edge of the area beyond goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, who was relieved to see it bounce back off his right-hand post.
RAMBOOOOOO 🚀
🎥 @CardiffCityFC @aaronramsey | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/mlI4jwU5S9
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) August 19, 2023
Aaron Ramsey 🚀 pic.twitter.com/9ZBJ5kc3MP
— Goalposts TV (@GoalpostsTV) August 19, 2023
Ike Ugbo, set up by Ramsey, replied with a Cardiff header that cleared the crossbar but the next chance was Leicester’s, with Jamilu Collins’s intervention taking the sting off Mavididi’s shot.
Iheanacho was next to see a shot partially blocked, again to Alnwick’s relief as the ball dropped past his other post this time.
Referee Graham Scott denied the hosts a penalty on the half-hour mark when Romeo, having seen the ball pushed past him, shoulder-charged Mavididi.
A goal was coming and Marcal-Madivadua supplied it in sensational style in the 36th minute by lashing a high-velocity effort from 15 yards through a crowd of players after Cardiff had failed to clear a corner. It was a first senior goal for the 20-year-old from Portugal.
Alnwick had to make saves from Mavididi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall soon after and those proved crucial as, out of nowhere, Ramsey launched a stoppage-time long-ranger into the top corner to level.
Ramsey was denied a second early in the second-half by a block by Jannik Vestergaard after Yakou Meite, on for Ugbo, had played him in. Mads Hermansen then saved from Joe Ralls in the aftermath.
Romeo
That roused Leicester and Alnwick had to make a good save to deny Callum Doyle, who went close with a deflected effort soon after.
Ramsey fired at Hermansen after the hour mark, however, before Cardiff substitute Karlan Grant found the side netting. Meite, sent through by Romeo, then sent a great chance to win it wide with nine minutes remaining.
Casadei made Cardiff pay in stoppage time with a winner. The substitute lashed home in the box after Dewsbury-Hall’s shot had been blocked by Jack Simpson and rebounded to Jamie Vardy.
Vardy went down seemingly fouled but referee Scott played on to allow the Italian to have the final word.
Scott then showed a second yellow to Romeo for barging Dewsbury-Hall over off the ball.
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