Crusaders 1-4 Wolves [agg: 1-6]
Last updated 1st Aug 2019
Crusaders are out of the Europa League after another spirited display that resulted in a defeat to Wolves.
It was 4-1 to the visitors at Seaview in the 2nd leg, making it 6-1 on aggregate.
The home side had exploded out of the blocks in the first half, and in just the 2nd minute a Jordan Owens header looked to be looping into the far corner of the net, only for Wolves captain Conor Coady to hack it away from the line.
Seaview soon erupted as the Crues took a shock lead, stunning the Premier League side in the 13th minute. Jordan Forsythe whipped in a cross from the right and Ryan Bennett headed into his own goal under pressure from Paul Heatley.
However, the goal clearly sparked concern among Wolves, and immediately kickstarted them into life. From kickoff, they worked their way easily up the pitch before Raul Jimenez turned and finished nicely from the edge of the box, his low shot finding the corner of the net to make it 1-1.
The Crues had impressed over the two legs with their defensive organisation, so they’ll be particularly disappointed with the second goal they conceded at Seaview. Bennett was able to make amends for his earlier error, left completely unmarked to head home João Moutinho’s corner in the 38th minute.
On the brink of half time, Wolves added a third with Jimenez getting his second of the night. It was basically a better version of his first goal, as he gathered the ball on the edge of the box before turning and rifling it past Sean O’Neill, this time opting for pure power.
It was a goal that killed off the game. The second half largely passed by without incident, with Wolves safe and Crusaders unable to retain possession. 10 minutes after the break, Jota and BJ Burns were booked for a minor scuffle, with Moutinho testing O’Neill with the subsequent free kick.
In the 77th minute, Wolves grabbed their 4th goal as Crues wing-back Jordan Forsythe got in front of his man while defending a ball into the box, but he accidentally looped a header over O’Neill for a spectacular own goal.