Cardiff 1-2 Norwich City: Match report, player ratings

Crnac was introduced for the final 30 minutes for his first appearance under Philippe Clement after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in October 2025.

The 22-year-old rifled home Jack Stacey’s cross before racing away to celebrate in front of the away fans as team mates embraced him. There was also a special celebration with Clement before play restarted.

Crnac’s 78th minute strike sealed a place in round three after Mathias Kvistgaarden had headed the Canaries in front, before Yousef Salech set up a nervy finish when he smashed home in stoppage time.

Norwich were forced into a late change to the match night squad when Ben Chrisene was replaced on the substitutes’ bench by Sam Field after reporting some back discomfort in the warm up.

Clement handed debuts to Darlan Yongwa and Bruno Alves in a back four featuring Ruairi McConville and Jack Stacey in front of Daniel Grimshaw.

Anthony Musaba also made a full debut for the club after his brief cameo in Saturday’s heavy Championship defeat at Millwall.

There was also a welcome return on the visiting bench for Ante Crnac, in his first competitive sighting for 10 months following a cruciate ligament injury. Errol Mundle-Smith also made his seasonal reappearance after a hamstring injury.

Papa Amadou Diallo and Mo Toure were notable absences from Clement’s line up as part of the Belgian’s bid to manage the fitness and load on those either returning from injury or World Cup involvement.

Yongwa showed a first glimpse of his attacking urges in the 14th minute when he reacted quickest to a Liam Gibbs turnover to race the length of the Cardiff half, before his low cross was cut out.

Musaba produced two darting runs inside a minute down the right to raise the decibel levels with the travelling support, but the end product on both occasions was lacking.

Bluebirds’ midfielder, David Turnbull, a former City transfer target in the Stuart Webber era, unleashed a rising long range strike that cleared Grimshaw’s bar midway through the opening period.

Norwich responded swiftly with Kvistgaarden setting the ball for captain Pelle Mattsson to advance but his deflected shot spiralled wide.

Kvistgaarden’s header from Wright’s deep corner was then shovelled behind but from the opposite side that combination broke the deadlock – Wright’s outswinger met powerfully by the unmarked Dane six yards out.

Kvistgaarden was then hacked down by Alex Robertson’s for the game’s first booking, but Wright’s set piece radar proved less accurate and his free kick drifted out of play.

Gibbs spurned a big chance to double the visitors’ lead on the half-hour when he slapped his close range strike at Trott from Oscar Schwartau’s clever pass, following a Kvistgaarden burst.

Cardiff’s early attacking threat had largely subsided but Callum Robinson did force Grimshaw to drop on his low 20-yard effort in the 39th minute, after the hosts had won a rare corner.

But it needed a timely block from the grounded Wright to send Turnbull’s goalbound hit safely over Grimshaw’s bar a couple of minutes later.

Wright’s free kick poleaxed Robertson in the final seconds of the half, which allowed Clement to call Schwartau across to the near touchline to impart some instructions.

The young Dane did not reappear for the second half in one of two changes that saw Musaba also depart, with Anis Ben Slimane and Andre Brooks into the action.

Mattsson’s snap tackle released Kvistgaarden to burst over halfway and feed Gibbs, who cut inside but his shot clipped a Cardiff defender and bounced away for a corner.

Norwich came much closer in the 50th minute when Slimane got the slightest flick to help on Gibbs’ inswinging cross which kissed the top of Trott’s bar.

Turnbull escaped from Jack Stacey and McConville in the 56th minute but his half-volley lacked the height to trouble Grimshaw.

Crnac replaced goalscorer Kvistgaarden to a huge ovation from the travelling support, who then broke out into a chat of ‘If Ante scores, we’re on the pitch’.

Crnac went straight to the point of the Norwich attack, flanked by Gibbs and Brooks. Kellen Fisher joined the Croatian from the bench, replacing debutant Yongwa on the left of the Norwich backline.

There was almost a picturebook start for Crnac in the 62nd minute when he swivelled to buy himself space to test Trott from 20 yards, after fine turnover work from Brooks and then Slimane.

That was the signal for Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy to turn to his reinforcements with a triple change that included highly-rated striker Salech.

McConville produced a superb block on Jack Moylan in the 75th minute after the substitute had drifted past Mattsson.

Stacey tried to thread a ball through for Slimane in behind the Cardiff rearguard but the assistant referee’s flag went straight up, much to the disappointment of the Norwich fans.

But there was delirium in the 78th minute on the away terraces, and the pitch, when Crnac timed his run perfectly to slot Stacey’s rolled cross.

The Croatian raced around the goal to celebrate with those travelling supporters before he then headed towards the away dugout to embrace first Vladan Kovacevic, and then Clement.

Tempers threatened to boil over in the closing minutes when Rubin Colwill launched himself at Mattsson, as the Norwich captain cleared his lines. Players from both sides squared up before referee Bell booked the Cardiff offender.

Salech underlined his predatory instincts in the 93rd minute when he turned Harry Darling to crash a shot from close range beyond Grimshaw, but Norwich held on.

Substitutes:

30 Harry Tyrer (FK)

8 Jack Moylan (for Turnbull, 67)

9 Yousef Salech (for Robinson, 68)

10 Rubin Colwill (for Anyadike, 53)

23 Calum Scanlon

33 Rob Tankiewicz (for Willock, 90)

43 Paul Moreno

45 Cian Ashford (for Davies, 68)

46 Luey Giles

Bookings: Robertson, Davies, R Colwill

Goal: Salech (90+3)

Substitutes:

1 Vladan Kovacevic

6 Harry Darling (for Alves, 71)

11 Andre Brooks (for Musaba, 45)

26 Sam Field

17 Ante Crnac (for Kvistgaarden, 62)

20 Anis Ben Slimane (for Schwartau, 45)

23 Kenny McLean

35 Kellen Fisher (for Yongwa, 62)

46 Errol Mundle-Smith

Booking: Mattsson

Goals: Kvistgaarden (25), Crnac (78)

KEY MOMENTS:

23: 0-0 David Turnbull turns and unleashes a rising shot from 25 yards that flies over with Daniel Grimshaw at full stretch.

23: 0-0 Mathias Kvistgaarden set for Pelle Mattsson to try his luck but shot is deflected and spirals wide for a corner.

23: 0-0 From Jacob Wright’s deep delivery, Kvistgaarden’s header is shovelled behind.

25: 0-1 GOAL NORWICH Wright’s next outswinging corner met by the unmarked Kvistgaarden to power a header past Nathan Trott from six yards.

30: 0-1 Kvistgaarden burst onto Oscar Schwartau who rolls to Liam Gibbs but Nathan Trott smothers his shot.

39: 0-1 Callum Robinson checks onto his right but drags his 20 yard shot at Grimshaw.

41: 0-1 Turnbull goalbound hit strikes the grounded Wright and veers over Grimshaw’s bar.

48: 0-1 Pelle Mattsson snap tackle releases Kvistgaarden who feeds Gibbs but his shot is deflected behind.

50: 0-1 Anis Ben Slimane flick header from Gibbs inswinger clips the top of the bar.

56: 0-1 Turnbull in between Jack Stacey and Ruairi McConville but his lob is grasped by Grimshaw.

65: 0-1 Andre Brooks and Slimane combine to release Ante Crnac, who rolls his marker but strikes at Trott from 20 yards.

78: 0-2 GOAL NORWICH What a moment for Crnac. Sliding in to finish Stacey’s roll across the box eight yards.

90+3: 1-2 GOAL CARDIFF Yousef Salech twists his way past Harry Darling and crashes a rising shot beyond Grimshaw.

PLAYER RATINGS

Grimshaw 7, Stacey 7, McConville 7, Alves 7, Yongwa 7, Mattsson 7, Wright 7, Musaba 7, Schwartau 6, Gibbs 7, Kvistgaarden 8. Subs: Brooks 6, Slimane 6, Crnac 8, Fisher 6, Darling 6.

MATCH STATISTICS

Possession: 65pc-35pc

Shots: 11-12

On target: 3-3

Corners: 5-3

Fouls: 12-14

Added time: 2 mins / 5 mins

Attendance: 5,432 (700 away)