Goal: Kenneth Zohore (87′)
Attendance: 5,050
Cardiff City picked up an opening day win at the Pirelli Stadium against relegation favourites Burton Albion thanks to a late Kenneth Zohore goal.
Neil Warnock’s men got off on the right foot thanks to a stunning late goal from star striker kenneth Zohore.
The Bluebirds had a first half to forget but after rolling the dice in the second half with a change of formation, they took charge of the tie.
Nathaniel-Mendez Laing was introduced in the second half and his quick feet out wide completely changed the course of the game.
Cardiff locked Burton in their own half late-on and failed to break the dead-lock until Kenneth Zohore thumped in a late winner from 20-yards.
Match Report
The Bluebirds dominated their hosts in the early exchanges with the front two looking sharp and the central back three comfortably dealing with any Burton threats.
Kenneth Zohore manged to turn the ball home in the first 10 minutes following a Lee Tomlin cross but he was quickly flagged offside.
The tides would turn though, and Burton begun to cause problems through star winger Lloyd Dyer.
Cardiff looked unsure with a back five formation and Bennett and Peltier’s lack of confidence in their roles allowed Irvine and Dyer to exploit the space behind them.
Irvine had a great chance to score before half time, but he couldn’t find the net - one of those chances Nigel Clough will have known could be costly.
Cardiff had one of their own big chance as well when Kenneth Zohore was teed up by Lee Tomlin once again, but the Danish striker could only bend it around the post.
The teams headed in at the break with the dead lock yet to be broken and it was Burton who dominated much of the first half, despite Cardiff’s bright start.
And Warnock’s men would start the second half brightly too, almost finding the net within the first 10 minutes.
Bruno Ecuele-Manga got on the end of a well-placed Lee Tomlin corner, but he was denied by a defender clearing the ball from the Burton goal-line.
Neil Warnock made a change to the shape on the hour mark, replacing Manga and Tomlin with Mendez-Laing and Damour, swapping to a 4-4-2 formation in a bid to take the ascendancy.
Cardiff begun to dominate in the final 30 minutes and Burton were struggling to deal with the change of shape with Mendez-Laing completely dominating his full-back Stephen Warnock.
The new Cardiff City winger made a big impact the visitor’s attacking play and he was the recipient of a half-chance with less than 10 minutes remaining, but he could only blast the ball well over the crossbar.
The Bluebirds were getting closer and closer with time running out and Neil Warnock’s roll of the dice was beginning to be rewarded.
And rewarded it was with just minutes left when star striker Kenneth Zohore come up with the goods, driving the ball into Stephen Bywater’s bottom corner from 20-yards-out.
The Bluebirds didn’t look at all troubled in the late stages and held out comfortably to take all three points from the Pirelli Stadium on opening day.
Man of the match - Joe Ralls
There weren’t many stand-out performers for the Bluebirds in this opening game of the season but Joe Ralls gets out Man of the Match award.
Ralls did all the dirty work in midfield, despite Cardiff’s central area looking a little thin at times.
Retrieving plenty of loose balls and dispossessing Burton’s forward plays, Ralls played a vital part in the Bluebirds’ afternoon and he will only look to improve and shake off any pre-season rust he did have as the season goes on.
Mendez-Laing also gets a special mention for completely changing the game in the second half and he will surely play a big part this season on this evidence.
Final word
Neil Warnock will be delighted with the result on what was always going to be a very difficult opening day in Burton.
The Bluebirds’ boss will have learned the key lessons from a formation he seemed to get very wrong in the first half, while getting it very right with a change in the second.
And he’ll be thrilled that the strength in depth he has built - a strength from the bench which was truly shown in that second half.
Cardiff fans needed n reminding of Kenneth Zohore’s special talent and what wonders it will do for the striker’s confidence going into the rest of the season to net the winner on the opening day.
Portsmouth are up next in the Carabao Cup at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday evening, before a huge home tie with league favourites Aston Villa in the league next Saturday.