Aston Villa Work Hard To Get Rid Of Championship Middlesbrough Team

Defender Total Cash and his partner at Aston Villa celebrated their winning goal over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. (X/@AVFCOfficial)

JAKARTA - The English Premier League team Aston Villa had to work hard when they got rid of Middlesbrough in the third round of the FA Cup. In the duel at Boro's home from the Championship Division at Sungai Stadium, Sunday, January 7 in the morning WIB, Villa needed a goal in the last minute before winning 1-0.

Middlesbrough, a team from the second caste, immediately gave a test that was not easy for Villa. How not, even though Villa are currently ranked second in the Premier League, they have to work extra hard to beat Boro.

The hosts are not easy opponents for Villa. The position of the team on the middle board does not affect the confidence of Boro's players when serving The Villans.

Moreover, Boro showed consistency while competing in the tournament. Evidently, Michael Carrick's team successfully advanced to the Carabao Cup semifinals to face Chelsea. They are also not a tin team because they have been poor for a long time in the Premier League.

Lebih dari itu, Boro ditangani Carrick, eks gelandang Manchester United yang merupakan salah satu manajer muda dengan prospek bagus di Liga Inggris. Bahkan Carrick diyakini bakal kembali ke Old Trafford sebagai manajer. Apalag dirinya pernah menjadi caretaker di MU.

Meanwhile, Villa finally broke the record because for the first time in eight years they could step into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Villa themselves almost made a comeback before defender Cash broke the deadlock towards the end of the game.

"Goal is still a goal. So I'm very happy with this goal," Cash told the BBC in response to the result of the match.

"I've already prepared myself for training. What about when I was outside the penalty box. And, when I got the ball, my instincts went straight through by kicking the ball," he replied.

"Boro is clearly a tough opponent and is handled by the top manager. They played well in the Championship. But we have determined that winning in this round is a top priority," Cash said again.

Vila actually has good achievements in the oldest tournament in the world. They have won the FA Cup seven times. But they did it in the old age era. Villa last lifted the trophy in 1957.

Furthermore, they always fail. Even since 2016, the team, which is now initiated by Unai Emery, has never been able to advance to the fourth round.

"Managers are firm in explaining that we will never again reap achievements in the FA Cup. So we are happy to be able to get through this round," Cash said.

In that match, Villa tried not to do a backplay even though they had to work hard against Boro. Emery wants to avoid a rematch because the player has just had a super tight match during December 2023. Meanwhile, the team wants to focus on competing with Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.

Villa immediately threatened the host's defense. Midfielder Boubacar Kamara provided bait to striker Jhon Duran. But Duran's execution was thwarted by goalkeeper Tom Glover.

Furthermore, defender Alex Moreno slipped several times which could actually be converted into goals by Villa forwards. Only, they struggled to face Boro's strong defense.

In the second half, Villa still took the initiative to attack. Duran's header, which welcomed a corner, still bounced over the crossbar.

Likewise, the efforts of the Italian national team player Nicolo Zaniolo who entered the second half still failed. The kick of the player who escaped the alleged involvement in this soccer gambling is still wide.

When the match was expected to end in a draw, Cash managed to break the deadlock in the 87th minute. The defender who was born in England but defended the Polish national team fired hard from outside the penalty box.

His shot ball did hit Emmanuel Latte Lath so slightly turned around and was saved by goalkeeper Glover. Score 1-0 for Villa and lasted until the end of the match. Villa also qualified for the next round.