THERE was Boxing Day delight for Millwall as they did the double over Watford with a 2-0 win at Vicarage Road.
The Lions dominated the early stages of the game, eventually taking the lead in the 22nd minute through Andreas Voglsammer’s first goal in a Millwall shirt.
Things got even better when Hassane Kamara was given his marching orders in the 38th minute for shoving Danny McNamara to the ground. The visitors continued to apply pressure after the break, eventually sealing the win through Zian Flemming’s free-kick in the 82nd minute.
Match details
There was no post-Christmas hesitation from Millwall, who rushed out of the blocks inside the opening minute of the game. Zian Flemming’s throw-in landed at the feet of Billy Mitchell, who rolled the ball into the box before it was sliced clear towards the Dutchman. He flashed a ball across the face of goal, but Jake Cooper couldn’t connect with it.
Flemming had the first shot on target of the game as he took aim from distance, but it was a tame effort that didn’t test Daniel Bachmann in the Watford net. However, the goalkeeper almost had a nightmare moment minutes later when he beat Andreas Voglsammer to Flemming’s lobbed ball. He cleared it as far as Tom Bradshaw, who wasn’t able to capitalise on the mistake.
Aside from a penalty shout in the ninth minute where Ken Sema went to ground, the Hornets had little to no chances are were penned back by Millwall, who continued to threaten with a number of corners. George Saville came the closest when he forced Bachmann into a good save from the edge of the area in the 18th minute, and it was clear that the first goal was coming.
Four minutes later, the visitors had their breakthrough as Flemming chipped a lobbed ball into the box for Bradshaw. Before being closed down, the striker squeezed the ball through to Voglsammer, who calmly tucked the ball into the bottom corner to score his first Millwall goal.
The German was gifted another chance to find the back of the net in the 27th minute as the Lions won a free-kick. Murray Wallace played it short to Shaun Hutchinson, who chipped the ball into the box for Bradshaw. The striker once again flicked it on to Voglsammer, but he smashed his shot straight into Bachmann.
A crunching tackle from George Saville on Joao Pedro saw the Millwall midfielder booked shortly before half-time. The Brazilian tried to play through the main after receiving treatment, but had to be withdrawn for Yaser Asprilla just seconds later.
The drama was far from over as everything kicked off with seven minutes remaining in the first-half. Hassane Kamara was clipped by McNamara in the Millwall box, prompting the Watford defender to turn around and shove him in the face. Referee Josh Smith immediately showed Kamara red card, while McNamara was booked as well.
Millwall started the second half as strong as the first, with Bradshaw forcing a save from Bachmann in the first few seconds before the offside flag went up. They maintained the pressure with a number of set pieces, practically camping in the final third and forcing Watford to defend for their lives to deny Tyler Burey and Saville.
Their clear-cut chance finally came in the 63rd minute as Voglsammer was played into the box, chipping the ball over Bachmann and clipping crossbar before the Hornets were able to clear.
Watford started to turn the screw soon after. Ismaila Sarr missed a golden opportunity in the 65th minute when Hutchinson and Jake Cooper were able to close him down in the box, leading to cries for a penalty from the home fans and players. Three minutes later, Keinan Davis had his first chance of the game after shrugging past Cooper and firing narrowly over the bar.
The 72nd minute saw Voglsammer miss another chance at the far post, scooping his shot narrowly wide of the post. However, ten minutes later, the Millwall wrapped up the win with a superb strike from their talisman.
The Lions won a free-kick down the left flank, which Flemming delivered into the box. It deceived everyone, dipping just in front of Bachmann and bouncing into the back of the net to make it 2-0 and hand the visitors all three points over Watford once again.
Watford: 4-2-3-1: Bachmann; Ngakia, Kabasele, Cathcart, Kamara; Bacuna, Dele-Bashiru; Sema, Pedro, Sarr; Davis
Millwall: 4-2-3-1: Long; McNamara, Hutchinson, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Saville; Voglsammer, Flemming, Burey; Bradshaw
Takeaways
Vogi gets off the mark
It’s been coming for months, but Andreas Voglsammer finally has his first Millwall goal.
From cracking the crossbar to missing from point-blank range, it simply hasn’t fallen for the German so far, or at least up until his trip to Vicarage Road.
Truthfully, he could’ve had four goals against Watford on Boxing Day, but to get off the mark is undoubtedly the most important thing for him going into the second half of the season.
10 for Zi
Flemming has been Millwall’s best player so far this season, and while his performance against Watford was far from his best, he was still able to add to his tally for the season.
His free-kick was somewhat fortuitous, but his dead-ball ability is second to none. His presence in the final third has been absolutely crucial for the Lions.
He’s well and truly hunting down the Golden Boot this season.
Keep it going!
Millwall’s result at Watford comes after a poor run that has seen them pick up just one point from two games after the World Cup break.
It’s a big step in the right direction, but that’s all for now. The crucial thing will be turning this into a positive patch like they did in October, starting with the win at Bristol City.
The Robins are next to visit The Den, too!
Photo: Millwall FC