Sport Story

23 November 2008 00:08 BST

Bluebirds trump insipid Boro to reach FA Cup semi-final

Cardiff City have continued a weekend of FA Cup shocks by beating Middlesbrough 2-0 to reach the semi-finals.

The Bluebirds were more than a match for their Premier League opponents in every area of the pitch, with two first-half goals nothing more than they deserved for a peerless quarter-final performance.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Peter Whittingham put them ahead with a beautifully-taken goal on nine minutes, while defender Roger Johnson stole in to head home midway through the opening period.

Cardiff went into the match at the Riverside hoping to emulate the exploits of their Championship contemporaries Barnsley, who earned a heroic 1-0 victory over holders Chelsea yesterday.

And Dave Jones' side took just nine minutes to suggest they were up to the task, as Whittingham jinked past three defenders in the box to loft the ball over the stranded Mark Schwarzer.

Whittingham's strike was harsh on Boro however, with the ball clearly hitting Cardiff captain Stephen McPhail's arm before falling at his team-mate's feet.

A stunned home crowd were induced into booing their side just before the opening period's half-way mark when their opponents extended their lead.

After former Boro striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink was crudely fouled by Fabio Rochemback, Whittingham's free-kick was missed by Emmanuel Pogatetz, allowing centre-back Johnson to divert his diving header past Schwarzer.

Middlesbrough had only a long-range effort from record signing Afonso Alves to show for their first-half efforts, with Gareth Southgate facing a battle at half-time to rally his players.

The manager's first throw of the dice was to bring on striker Mido, with Alves withdrawn, but the substitution had little impact.

Just as Chelsea toiled to carve out chances against Barnsley at Oakwell yesterday, Boro failed to test Peter Enckelman, with Stewart Downing wasting a free-kick opportunity after Hasselbaink handballed.

The frustration was beginning to show on and off the pitch, with Robert Huth booked for a fracas involving Paul Parry as fans began to exit the Riverside.

Those that stayed were treated to a succession of wasted long-range efforts, with David Wheater and Downing blazing over, while Rochemback shot straight at Enckelman from a well-placed free-kick.

By the final whistle Cardiff had equalled Barnsley's scalp of Chelsea by outplaying and embarrassing their Premier League opponents.

They go into an FA Cup semi-final draw on Monday containing only one Premier League team after Portsmouth beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday.