Brandon Khela’s Stunner Sends Birmingham Through in Carabao Cup
A stunning first-half strike by Brandon Khela proved decisive as Birmingham City secured a narrow 1-0 victory over League One side Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup. Despite playing with ten men for a significant portion of the second half, Birmingham's resilience saw them advance to the second round of the competition.
The match, which featured numerous changes from both teams—Charlton rotating five players and Birmingham making eight adjustments—began with an energetic pace. Charlton had an early opportunity to take the lead when Tyreece Campbell was brought down in the penalty area by Birmingham's Tyler Roberts. However, Campbell's penalty attempt was saved comfortably by Birmingham goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.
The game continued to ebb and flow, with Birmingham’s Luke Harris almost providing Charlton's Luke Berry with an open goal opportunity due to a misplaced pass. Berry's subsequent shot narrowly missed the target, keeping the scoreline level.
Birmingham broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute with a memorable goal from Khela. The midfielder curled a spectacular shot from over 20 yards out into the top corner of the net, marking his first goal for the club and sending the visiting supporters into celebration.
Despite the advantage, Birmingham's task was made more challenging when Dion Sanderson received a red card in the 77th minute for a second bookable offense. Charlton struggled to capitalize on their numerical advantage, with their best chance coming in stoppage time when Greg Docherty’s shot was fired across goal but failed to find the back of the net.
Birmingham, resilient in defense and determined to protect their slim lead, saw out the final moments of the match and secured their place in the Carabao Cup second round. Charlton’s inability to convert their chances, coupled with Birmingham’s strong defensive effort, meant the visitors advanced despite their late disadvantage.
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