City’s Checkatrade Trophy group-stage opener ended in a tense shoot-out after Nabil Touaizi’s late penalty cancelled out Lee Angol’s close-range strike.
With a goal a-piece both teams went head-to-head from the spot. The shoot-out saw City miss out on an extra point, with the home side securing a 3-1 win on penalties. It was a valiant performance from City which sees Paul Harsley’s Under-21s take away a point for their efforts.
What happened
Our Under-21s remained unfazed as they stepped out against the League One side. But it was evident from the outset that the home-side were physically bigger and stronger than us, with a number of the Shrewsbury Town players having 10 years-experience on our young Blues.
City were calm, confident and controlled on the ball throughout, playing free-flowing football and retaining a majority of the possession. Shrewsbury, however, pressed high and continuously stopped us from creating any clear-cut chances which was frustrating at times.
Early on, Adrian Bernabe tried his luck with a shot at goal, but by this point the Spaniard had worked himself into a restrictive angle. As he fired his attempt, Shrewsbury’s Kieran Kennedy pounced forward to block the shot before tipping the ball into the hands of ‘keeper Steve Arnold.
Shrewsbury responded quickly with Barnett’s soaring cross finding Beckles in the box – who was ready to head home. On cue, Muric launched into the air to catch the ball comfortably and make his mark after returning from NAC Breda.
After an offside goal just moments before the half time whistle, Shrewsbury were out at a canter after the break. Deadlock was broken five minutes into the second half when a scramble at the mouth of the goal resulted in a close-range strike from Lee Angol.
The lead installed a new confidence in Shrewsbury and the physical disparities between the two teams became more apparent. The Blues began picking up slight knocks and were noticeably flagging, with Tyreke Wilson being stretchered off with what looked like a leg muscle problem in the 68th minute.
When it looked as though Shrewsbury had clinched the win, City were awarded a penalty in the closing seconds of the game as Ryan Haynes brought Touaizi down in the area. The Spaniard stepped up to convert from the spot to force the game to penalties with the chance to grab another point.
The shoot-out only saw four of the nine penalties hit the back of the net, with Touaizi’s effort being saved and Bernarbe and Dele-Bashiru’s strikes hitting the woodwork. Matondo converted his shot, but the point had already been snatched by Shrewsbury.
For the League One side, John-Lewis, Norburn and Colkett secured the shoot-out win with their shots, while Loft’s came off the post and Okenabirhie denied by Muric.
What it means
City take away just one point from the draw while Shrewsbury take two - one for the level score and an extra point for the shoot-out victory.
How we lined up
Muric took his place in goal, shielded by a back four of Colin Rosler, skipper Cameron Humphreys (c), Nathanael Ogbeta and Tyreke Wilson. Claudio Gomes Tom Dele-Bashiru and Adrian Bernabe were employed in midfield. Rabbi Matondo and Benjamin Garre flanked Nabil Touaizi up front.
