IRISH DUO Finn Azaz and Mark Travers featured as Middlesbrough beat Blackburn 2-0 in the Championship tonight.
Boro climbed to fifth in English football’s second-tier with the win.
There was a troubled atmosphere at Ewood Park, with angry fan protests against Venky’s, the India-based poultry company that has owned Rovers since 2010.
The mood among the home support was not improved as Boro struck twice in the opening eight minutes to take full control of the game.
Tommy Conway needed fewer than 90 seconds to beat Aynsley Pears with a fine opener before a deflected strike from Samuel Iling-Junior doubled the visitors’ lead minutes later.
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A fifth win in seven games lifted Boro above both West Brom and Coventry and into the play-off places before the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Only the top two teams at the end of the regular season are guaranteed a place in the Premier League, with the next four teams competing for the other promotion spot through the playoffs.
But this result meant Blackburn suffered a fifth straight league defeat for the first time since February 2021, with manager Valerien Ismael yet to win in six games since replacing ex-Ireland assistant coach John Eustace on 25 February.
Blackburn’s first home game since a supporters’ group called for Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott, head of football operations Rudy Gestede and chief operating officer Suhail Pasha to stay away from Ewood Park — a request rejected — was played against a backdrop of sustained chanting in protest at the club’s ownership.
Conway took his 12th goal of the season in fine style, receiving Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass with his back to goal outside the area and deftly flicking it around Joe Rankin-Costello before firing beyond Pears.
Just six minutes later, it was 2-0.
Iheanacho laid the ball off for Iling-Junior on the edge of the box.
Danny Batth tried to head it to safety but only deflected it beyond Pears.
Only poor finishing from Boro kept Rovers in the game, with Iheanacho somehow shooting wide after being slipped in by Delano Burgzorg.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win at 10-man Augsburg on Friday put them nine clear of Bayer Leverkusen but came at a cost with midfielder Jamal Musiala subbed off injured.
Dimitrios Giannoulis opened the scoring for the hosts 30 minutes in from a free kick but Musiala equalised just before halftime, collecting the ball on the spin before hammering home.
Harry Kane put Bayern in front midway through the second half with a header, his 23rd league goal of the season, and Leroy Sane forced a late own goal, but all eyes will be on Musiala.
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Irish duo feature in Championship, Kane's remarkable season continues
Updated at 22.41
IRISH DUO Finn Azaz and Mark Travers featured as Middlesbrough beat Blackburn 2-0 in the Championship tonight.
Boro climbed to fifth in English football’s second-tier with the win.
There was a troubled atmosphere at Ewood Park, with angry fan protests against Venky’s, the India-based poultry company that has owned Rovers since 2010.
The mood among the home support was not improved as Boro struck twice in the opening eight minutes to take full control of the game.
Tommy Conway needed fewer than 90 seconds to beat Aynsley Pears with a fine opener before a deflected strike from Samuel Iling-Junior doubled the visitors’ lead minutes later.
A fifth win in seven games lifted Boro above both West Brom and Coventry and into the play-off places before the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Only the top two teams at the end of the regular season are guaranteed a place in the Premier League, with the next four teams competing for the other promotion spot through the playoffs.
But this result meant Blackburn suffered a fifth straight league defeat for the first time since February 2021, with manager Valerien Ismael yet to win in six games since replacing ex-Ireland assistant coach John Eustace on 25 February.
Blackburn’s first home game since a supporters’ group called for Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott, head of football operations Rudy Gestede and chief operating officer Suhail Pasha to stay away from Ewood Park — a request rejected — was played against a backdrop of sustained chanting in protest at the club’s ownership.
Conway took his 12th goal of the season in fine style, receiving Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass with his back to goal outside the area and deftly flicking it around Joe Rankin-Costello before firing beyond Pears.
Just six minutes later, it was 2-0.
Iheanacho laid the ball off for Iling-Junior on the edge of the box.
Danny Batth tried to head it to safety but only deflected it beyond Pears.
Only poor finishing from Boro kept Rovers in the game, with Iheanacho somehow shooting wide after being slipped in by Delano Burgzorg.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win at 10-man Augsburg on Friday put them nine clear of Bayer Leverkusen but came at a cost with midfielder Jamal Musiala subbed off injured.
Dimitrios Giannoulis opened the scoring for the hosts 30 minutes in from a free kick but Musiala equalised just before halftime, collecting the ball on the spin before hammering home.
Harry Kane put Bayern in front midway through the second half with a header, his 23rd league goal of the season, and Leroy Sane forced a late own goal, but all eyes will be on Musiala.
– © AFP 2025
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