Ipswich Town suffer late heartbreak at Cardiff City Stadium as Bluebirds score twice in stoppage time to oveturn Kieffer Moore’s opener

Cardiff City struck two stoppage-time goals as Ipswich Town fell to a cruel 2-1 defeat at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Sky Sports televised lunchtime kick-off.

Callum O’Dowda’s 100th-minute winner came just five minutes after Ryan Wintle’s levelled, seeing the Blues slip to just a fifth defeat of the season and remaining third in the Sky Bet Championship table.

Late heartbreak ends Town’s run of six straight victories and leaves Kieran McKenna’s side one point behind second-placed Leeds United, who won last night’s match at Sheffield Wednesday 2-0.

The stoppage-time drama came after Kieffer Moore scored a 79th-minute goal against his former club, which looked as though it would send the Blues back into the top two.

Town boss McKenna made three changes from the midweek victory over Bristol City, with Harry Clarke, Jeremy Sarmiento and Wes Burns all returning to the starting XI.

Axel Tuanzebe, Marcus Harness and Omari Hutchinson dropped to the Blues bench, which included Nathan Broadhead after the Wales international missed the last two games with a thigh problem.

Clarke and Vaclav Hladky made their 50th league appearance for Town, while Massimo Luongo started for the 50th time in Ipswich colours.

Cardiff manager Erol Bulut made two changes to his side off the back of the Bluebirds’ victory over Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.

Club captain Joe Ralls was replaced by Manolis Siopis in midfield, while Yakou Meite came in for midweek goalscorer Famara Diedhiou.

The home side created the first opening five minutes into the contest, when David Turnbull’s moving strike from distance was clawed behind by Hladky, before the Bluebirds almop again from the resulting corner.

The set-piece landed for Josh Bowler at the back-post, whose volley was kept out by Hladky. Then, Perry Ng failed to turn home from close range as Moore cleared off the line.

Cardiff continued to look the more likely in the opening stages, as Josh Wilson-Esbrand saw a shot blocked behind by Luke Woolfenden.

On 10 minutes, the Blues came forward for the first time. Cardiff-born Burns crossed for former Bluebird Moore, whose improvised flick went just wide of Ethan Horvath’s near post.

Bowler then saw a curling effort spilt by Hladky, but the Czech goalkeeper claimed possession out of the sky at the second time of asking.

Town, having quietened the first half down, began to get a foothold in the game but did not see any true goalmouth action until 43 minutes.

That came when Burns’s cutback found Conor Chaplin, whose turn and strike was blocked away before Woolfenden blazed over on the follow-up.

In first half stoppage time, Karlan Grant danced into the Blues penalty area, then eventually fired over to his own frustration. That let off was the final action of a goalless first period.

There was a five-minute pause at the start of the second half following a heavy collision in midfield. Moore and Dimitrios Goutas received treatment before both were able to continue.

Just after the hour, Moore had the opportunity to fire at goal when the ball landed kindly at his feet following a long throw, but his spin and shot went just over the bar.

McKenna then turned to his bench for the first time to introduce Hutchinson and Broadhead, the latter of whom for his 50th league appearance for the Blues, for Chaplin and Sarmiento.

With the game offering little, Sam Morsy took matters into his own hands to shoot from range, but his powerful strike was straight down the throat of Horvath.

Harness and Jack Taylor then replaced Burns and Luongo for the final 15 minutes, before the Blues tested Horvath again when Hutchinson curled an effort at goal that was palmed away by the American.

But the deadlock was broken moments later through that man Moore. Having been fed by Harness, he fired a low left-footed strike that nestled into the far corner, sending more than 3,200 away supporters into raptures.

Moore, who scored 25 goals during a productive 18-month period with the Bluebirds, toned down the celebrations of his sixth goal since joining on loan from Bournemouth.

The Wales international striker, having battled all afternoon, was replaced by Ali Al-Hamadi with two minutes of regulation time remaining.

Hladky was shown the first yellow card of the afternoon by referee Oliver Langford for time-wasting.

Three minutes into eight additional minutes, the Blues miraculously escaped a Cardiff equaliser. Rubin Colwill’s cross found O’Dowda, but somehow the Irishman fired over the empty net from point-blank range.

But the Bluebirds found themselves a leveller in the fifth minute of added time. Colwill’s cross was knocked down by O’Dowda and Wintle fired in after Cameron Burgess failed to deal with the danger.

Then, in the cruellest of circumstances, Cardiff won it in the tenth additional minute. A scramble at a corner landed at the feet of O’Dowda at the back-post, who slammed home a dramatic winner at the death.

The Blues remain without a win in the Welsh capital since 2011 and return to Portman Road to face Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday.

Cardiff City (4-2-3-1): Horvath; Wilson-Esbrand, Goutas, Phillips, Ng; Siopis, Wintle (c) (Ralls 90); Grant, Turnbull (Colwill 75), Bowler (Diedhiou 84); Meite (O’Dowda 75). Subs: Turner, Romeo, Collins, Tanner, Ashford.

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Hladky; Davis, Burgess, Woolfenden, Clarke; Luongo (Taylor 76), Morsy (c); Sarmiento (Broadhead 65), Chaplin (Hutchinson 65), Burns (Harness 76); Moore (Al-Hamadi 89). Subs: Walton, Jackson, Travis, Tuanzebe.

Booked: Hladky.

Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands).

SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Kieffer Moore.It seemed as though the goal from the former Bluebird would be enough to earn Town all three points before late heartbreak saw McKenna’s side leave with nothing. Moore battled hard all afternoon and his goal was neatly taken.