Match report

Mansfield Town Defeats Cardiff 5-4 in League One Thriller

Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town
5–4
FT
Cardiff
Cardiff
May 2, 2026

In a thrilling League One encounter, Mansfield Town stunned Cardiff with a 5-4 victory, showcasing offensive prowess and resilience. Early goals from R. Sweeney and a brace from L. Akins set the tone, but Cardiff fought back with goals from I. Davies and O. Kellyman. Mansfield's O. Irow and R. Oates kept the lead, and despite Cardiff's late surge, Mansfield held on to secure a dramatic win.

Key Facts

  • • Final score: Mansfield Town 5–4 Cardiff
  • • R. Sweeney opened the scoring for Mansfield Town in the 2nd minute
  • • L. Akins scored twice for Mansfield Town in the 23rd and 26th minutes
  • • I. Davies and O. Kellyman each scored twice for Cardiff
  • • O. Irow and R. Oates scored for Mansfield Town in the 79th and 63rd minutes respectively
  • • O. Kellyman's second goal came in injury time at the 93rd minute

Lineups

Mansfield Town

Formation: 3-1-4-2

Starting XI

  • 1 Liam Roberts (G)
  • 2 Kyle Knoyle (D)
  • 9 Jordan Bowery (D)
  • 5 Ryan Sweeney (D)
  • 25 Louis Reed (M)
  • 22 Nathan Moriah-Welsh (M)
  • 13 Jon Russell (M)
  • 24 Regan Hendry (M)
  • 11 Will Evans (M)
  • 7 Lucas Akins (F)
  • 18 Rhys Oates (F)

Substitutes

  • 3 Stephen McLaughlin
  • 28 Joe Gardner
  • 44 Oliver Irow
  • 34 Ollie Taylor
  • 32 Elliot Hartmann
  • 29 Tyler Roberts
  • 14 Dom Dwyer

Cardiff

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 30 Harry Tyrer (G)
  • 44 Ronan Kpakio (D)
  • 2 William Fish (D)
  • 48 Dylan Lawlor (D)
  • 3 Joel Bagan (D)
  • 27 Joel Colwill (M)
  • 14 David Turnbull (M)
  • 11 Ollie Tanner (M)
  • 10 Rubin Colwill (M)
  • 16 Chris Willock (M)
  • 22 Yousef Saleh (F)

Substitutes

  • 8 Omari Kellyman
  • 18 Alex Robertson
  • 39 Isaak Davies
  • 70 Noah Williams
  • 71 Paul Moreno
  • 41 Matthew Turner
  • 55 Rob Tankiewicz

Timeline

  1. Mansfield Town
    2' Mansfield Town Goal · Normal Goal
    R. Sweeney · Assist: N. Moriah-Welsh
  2. Mansfield Town
    23' Mansfield Town Goal · Normal Goal
    L. Akins · Assist: L. Reed
  3. Mansfield Town
    26' Mansfield Town Goal · Normal Goal
    L. Akins · Assist: W. Evans
  4. Cardiff
    57' Cardiff subst · Substitution 1
    Off: D. Turnbull · On: Alex Robertson
  5. Cardiff
    57' Cardiff subst · Substitution 2
    Off: J. Colwill · On: O. Kellyman
  6. Cardiff
    57' Cardiff subst · Substitution 3
    Off: C. Willock · On: I. Davies
  7. Cardiff
    61' Cardiff Goal · Normal Goal
    I. Davies · Assist: Ollie Tanner
  8. Mansfield Town
    63' Mansfield Town Goal · Normal Goal
    R. Oates · Assist: L. Reed
  9. Cardiff
    65' Cardiff Card · Yellow Card
    O. Kellyman

    Foul

  10. Cardiff
    66' Cardiff Goal · Normal Goal
    O. Kellyman · Assist: R. Colwill
  11. Cardiff
    70' Cardiff subst · Substitution 4
    Off: Joel Bagan · On: N. Williams
  12. Mansfield Town
    72' Mansfield Town subst · Substitution 1
    Off: Jordan Bowery · On: S. McLaughlin
  13. Mansfield Town
    76' Mansfield Town subst · Substitution 2
    Off: N. Moriah-Welsh · On: O. Irow
  14. Mansfield Town
    76' Mansfield Town subst · Substitution 3
    Off: R. Oates · On: J. Gardner
  15. Mansfield Town
    79' Mansfield Town Goal · Normal Goal
    O. Irow · Assist: L. Reed
  16. Mansfield Town
    82' Mansfield Town Card · Yellow Card
    R. Hendry

    Foul

  17. Mansfield Town
    84' Mansfield Town subst · Substitution 4
    Off: R. Hendry · On: E. Hartmann
  18. Mansfield Town
    84' Mansfield Town subst · Substitution 5
    Off: L. Reed · On: Ollie Taylor
  19. Cardiff
    86' Cardiff Goal · Normal Goal
    R. Kpakio
  20. Cardiff
    88' Cardiff subst · Substitution 5
    Off: R. Colwill · On: P. Cardoso
  21. Mansfield Town
    90'+2 Mansfield Town Card · Yellow Card
    O. Irow

    Foul

  22. Cardiff
    90'+3 Cardiff Goal · Normal Goal
    O. Kellyman · Assist: I. Davies

Match Stats

Stat Mansfield Town Cardiff
Fouls 14 7
Pass Accuracy 72% 90%
Offsides 2 0
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 12 20
Corners 6 8
Total Passes 231 545
Yellow Cards 2 1
Blocked Shots 1 5
Shots on Target 10 7
xG — —
Shots off Target 1 8
Possession 30% 70%
Goals Prevented — —
Accurate Passes 167 489
Shots Inside Box 8 11
Saves 3 4
Shots Outside Box 4 9

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ Mansfield Town's early goals by R. Sweeney and L. Akins set the tone for a dominant start, putting Cardiff on the back foot
  • ▸ The introduction of O. Kellyman from Cardiff helped stabilize and mount a comeback, with goals in the 66th and 93rd minute, but Mansfield's late offensive push secured the win