Daniele Dichio's first-half penalty gave Millwall all three points in a game
that was marred by late trouble following three dismissals.
Cardiff bombarded the Millwall goal for the whole of the second half but
failed to find the final touch needed to take something from the game.
Alan Dunne and David Livermore were both sent off for Millwall and James
Collins was dismissed for Cardiff following an injury time incident which
sparked a mass brawl involving all the players.
Cardiff had the best of the early chances, with Junichi Inamoto's surging run
resulting in a 25-yard shot that went just wide before Jobi McAnuff failed to
hit the target with a first-time shot from an Alan Lee pass.
But Millwall edged ahead in the 20th minute.
A diagonal ball was played to Dichio whose header across the face of goal hit
Collins on the hand and referee Michael Jones pointed to the spot.
Dichio stepped up and confidently stuck away the spot kick to edge the
visitors in front.
Moments later referee Jones intervened when Cardiff thought they had
equalised, when Inamoto finished from close range, but the goal was disallowed
for offside.
Cardiff twice went close at the end of the first half, first a free-kick by
Graham Kavanagh was headed wide by Lee before Kavanagh's rifled shot from 30
yards went a whisker wide of the left post.
The Welshmen had two excellent chances after the break. Rhys Weston played an
angled cross to the far post where Peter Thorne cushioned a header to Kavanagh
and his shot was spectacularly tipped around the post by Andy Marshall for a
corner.
Thorne again won the ball in the air inside the Millwall area and headed it
across the area to Collins whose effort went just wide.
The home side were piling the pressure on the Millwall goal in search of an
equaliser.
Weston went close just before the hour with a shot from 25 yards that beat
'keeper Marshall but also curled just wide.
McAnuff beat the Millwall keeper on 72 minutes but his driven shot from the
edge of the area was headed off the line by Matthew Lawrence.
Inamoto then tried a clever lob but Marshall was equal to it and clung onto
the effort.
Joe Ledley and McAnuff both hit shots and Cameron Jerome had a header that all
went straight at the Millwall 'keeper in the last 10 minutes as the visitors
looked to protect their slender lead.
But the game ended on a sour note when Dunne was dismissed for violent
conduct.
That sparked a reaction from all the players and in the resulting melee
Collins and Livermore both also saw red.
Teams:
Cardiff Alexander, Weston (Bullock 79), Gabbidon, Collins,
Barker, Langley (Ledley 62), Kavanagh, Inamoto, McAnuff,
Thorne, Lee (Jerome 72).
Subs Not Used: Warner, Vidmar.
Sent Off: Collins (90).
Booked: Collins, Barker.
Millwall Marshall, Livermore, Lawrence, Ward, Phillips,
Sweeney, Craig, Dunne, Dobie, Hayles (Elliott 76), Dichio.
Subs Not Used: Serioux, Weston, Simpson, Quigley.
Sent Off: Livermore (90), Dunne (90).
Booked: Dichio.
Goals: Dichio 20 pen.
Att: 11,424
Ref: M Jones (Cheshire).
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