Post Match report for the Oxford - EFL Cup R2 game - Wednesday, 27th August 2025
ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP 25/26: Oxford V Brighton - 27/8/25 R2
* * * * * DREAMS BEYOND SPIRES * * * * *
RESULT: 0-6 ~ Boscagli Gruda Gomez Tzimas 2 Watson . (h-t 0-2)
VENUE: Kassam Stad, Oxford - first tie of 2 rounds to date . Wed 7:45pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: Brighton fans had previously been here twice during the Falmer Years; last time also for a League Cup R2 tie in Aug 16 when we were a Championship outfit. Otherwise we had not met since, bar that pre-season 16 friendly just prior, as Us had gone in the opposite direction of travel.
WEATHER: mild . GATE: 9010 . KIT: blue & white . ATMOSPHERE: not quite so opened ended.
FABIAN HURZELER was keen to emphasise desire to progress in knockout competitions. Historically he was aware of regular BHA late summer/autumn failures in this floodlit evening contest.
FH admitted to technical consideration for selecting from a very much wider group given current level of opponents abilities.
SQUAD: 1 Verbruggen 5 Dunk 6 van Hecke 11 Minteh 18 Welbeck 22 Mitoma
26 Ayari 27 Wieffer 29 de Cuyper 31 Enciso 32 Sarmiento 37 Sima 40 Buonanotte
INJURED: 10 Rutter . REHAB: 4 Webster 7 March
OOL: 16 Cashin 28 Ferguson 35 Moran 36 Yalcouye 39 Rushworth (gk)
STARTING SHAPE: 4-2-3-1
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 23 Steele
. 34 Veltman 42 Coppola 21 Boscagli 3 Julio
. 25 Gomez 20 Milner (C) 13 Hinshelwood 24 Kadioglu
. . . . . 8 Gruda . . . 53 Howell
SUBS: 17 Baleba (66), 14 Watson (66), 9 Tzimas (66), 51 Tasker (78), 19 Kostoulas (78)
BENCH: 38 McGill (gk) 2 Lamptey 33 ORiley 54 Simmonds
GOALS:
0-1 - 13 . BOSCAGLI opens his account when up field following pressure with assist by Gruda.
0-2 - 20 . GRUDA converts his latest chance when put into position via Veltman & playmaker Milner.
0-3 - 60 . GOMEZ gets on the score-sheet from a fortunate assist by Coppola.
0-4 - 71 . TZIMAS bags a goal on sub debut when aided by Howell.
0-5 - 77 . TZIMAS gets a second goal, again helped by Howell.
0-6 - 86 . WATSON notches one as sub from a Tzimas assist.
YELLOWS: none
CHANGES: 66 Baleba, Watson & Tzimas for Hinshelwood, Kadioglu & Gomez
78 Tasker & Kostoulas for Veltman & Milner
FIRST HALF: early exchanges were fairly open before visitors opened scoring inside quarter of an hour.
Five minutes later the lead was doubled.
SECOND HALF: travellers net four more times.
Hosts rack up as many goal attempts but Steele keeps them out and rightly is mentioned in dispatches.
IN THE END: free-scoring Albion go into the third round draw after keeping a clean sheet.
NUMBERS: poss 38%-62%, on target 11-9, off target 8-10, corners 7-5,
fouls 7-8, yellows 1-0, subs 5-5, shape 541-4231
FS
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