Reading's EFL Trophy performance against Wycombe Wanderers has been praised by the opposition's head coach, Michael Duff. The Chairboys drew 1-1 with the Royals at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday evening before losing 3-1 on penalties.
What happened?
The Adams Park side took the lead with 20 minutes remaining when Junior Quitirna fired home on his left foot, before Liam Fraser equalised five minutes later with a long-range strike. Going into the shootout, Emre Tezgel fired wide while Anders Hagelskjær and Luke Leahy had their spot kicks saved by Jack Stevens.
Why it matters for Reading
Reflecting on the match, Duff was encouraged by his side's second-half display and felt they created the better opportunities. He said: “I thought we were much better in the second half. "With the way Reading were pressing, we needed to make the middle of the pitch bigger. "We did that much better after half-time. "I thought we had the best chances in the game. “Micah [Olabiyi] had a really good headed chance early on and we created two or three good opportunities in the second half."
What comes next?
However, he was less pleased with the goal his side conceded, questioning whether there had been a handball in the build-up and feeling his team should have defended the situation better. "I'm disappointed with their goal," he said. "There was a bit of a melee in front of me and I think there may have been a handball involved. “More than anything, I'm disappointed we've conceded from that situation when the shot came from probably 35 yards out."
League standing
Reading currently sit 12th in League One, with 63 points from 46 games, and are 40 points behind leaders Lincoln. They have scored 64 goals and conceded 60 this season, with a recent form of 0W-2D-3L (LLDDL, most recent first).
Next fixture
The Royals will face Oxford United away on the 8th of September, looking to bounce back from their recent losses. With a strong second-half display against Wycombe, they will be hoping to carry this momentum into their next fixture.
