Birmingham and Ipswich played out a thrilling 1-1 draw at St Andrews to kick-off the 2025-26 Championship campaign.
The first half was cagey, with chances hard to come by in a tightly-contested match.
Demarai Gray came close for Birmingham just before half-time, but his shot was well saved by Ipswich keeper Alex Palmer.
After the break, Birmingham grew into the game and the breakthrough came in the 55th minute when Jay Stansfield expertly finished a left-footed strike after Kyogo Furuhashi hit the post.
After the goal, the visitors upped their pressure, creating a few promising chances but were unable to find the net until late on.
The turning point arrived in the 90+3 minute when Lyndon Dykes handled the ball inside the Birmingham penalty area, resulting in a penalty awarded to Ipswich.
George Hirst converted the spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way to level the score at 1-1.
In the frantic final minutes, both sides exchanged free kicks and corners, but neither could find a winner.
The match ended with both managers able to take positives – Birmingham for their attacking promise on their return to the Championship, and Ipswich for their resilience in what is set to be a tough campaign back down in the second division.
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2025-08-08 23:21:16
