Benik Afobe double hands Ipswich defeat in final pre-season game

Millwall largely dominated the affair at Portman Road on Saturday and came out on top with a 3-0 win.

Ipswich struggled to get into the game in the first half an hour, however they dominated both possession ad chances in the 15 minutes leading to half time. It was Millwall however who scored first with Benik Afobe breaking the deadlock five minutes before half time.

It was a poor goalkeeping error from Vaclav Hladky who parried the first shot straight into Afobe’s path who buried into the empty net from close range. The Millwall striker doubled his tally and hid side’s lead shortly after the second half started, this time with the forward clinically finishing into the corner from 12 yards out with a smart finish.

Afobe was strong all game and showed his class when it mattered most, manager Gary Rowett recognised the great performance after the match, saying:

‘The first goal was a good goal, Benik (Afobe) has been really bright and needed that goal. He showed a poacher’s instinct.’

The last goal of the game came just before the hour mark with a cool finish from a corner by Jed Wallace. From the Ipswich perspective, the final goal was a terrible one to concede, with Wallace waltzing into the box from a short corner and stroking home with ease. The lack of pressure on Wallace was disturbing from the Ipswich defence, who will have work to do before their league opener to Morecombe next weekend.

There were some positives for the home side however, with 17 players featuring including a debut for Conor Chaplin. The forward who signed from Barnsley last week looked bright when he came on, creating some good opportunities in the short time he was on the pitch. The exciting Chaplin now looks likely to start next week against Morecombe alongside either Joe Pigott or Macauley Bonne.

Armando Dobra was another player who looked really good on Saturday, with the short winger looking sharp and confident on the ball throughout the game. Dobra does need to improve on his decision making in the final third however, having lost the ball with wayward passes a noticeable amount of times after taking on players in midfield.

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