Brentford suffered a shock exit from the Carabao Cup as League Two Gillingham won on penalties to reach the fourth round for the first time in 26 years. England World Cup hopeful Ivan Toney had put the Premier League hosts ahead in the third minute. But the Gills scored their first try of the match after 75 minutes as substitute Michael Madron headed home. This allowed them to record a stunning upset as Mikkel Damsgaard was the first to miss a high-quality shot. Thomas Frank said his side – quarter-finalists last year after reaching the last four in 2020-21 – were in the competition to beat him and he has built his squad accordingly, welcoming striker Toney back from suspension in a strong Western line-up . London. Brentford, 78 places above the Gills in the Football League, quickly asserted themselves after kick-off was delayed 20 minutes due to Gillingham’s late arrival at the stadium. A long ball from goalkeeper David Raya freed Dammsgaard to set up Toney for a simple tap-in with the first chance of the game, two days before England’s World Cup squad was announced. Saman Ghoddos hit the post with a header after Toney had another effort blocked as Brentford went close with a second but, despite their dominance, the Bees were unable to put the game past Neil Harris’ visitors, who are 20th in the fourth category. They were punished when Alex MacDonald found fellow substitute Madron with a cross with 15 minutes remaining, that one chance in open play proving enough to earn a penalty when Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock was brought down in the closing stages. MacDonald held his nerve with the first penalty after a series of well-taken spots, before Damsgaard hit the post to send Gillingham into Thursday’s fourth-round tie.
Gillingham takes the opportunity to claim he is upset
Gillingham have struggled in their return to the fourth tier after being relegated from League One last season. Harris’ side have managed two wins from 16 games so far this season, conceding just six goals and dropped to 22nd after Tuesday’s league games. They had just 19% possession at the Gtech Community Stadium, managing one shot compared to 16 for Brentford – seven of which were on target. But they successfully prevented their top-flight opposition from putting the game away to set up their penalty shootout triumph, which sent them into the last 16 for just the second time in the club’s history – and the first time since 1996. Despite having a strong starting line-up, it is now one win in nine games for Brentford, who face a trip to champions Manchester City on Saturday in their final game before the Premier League’s World Cup break.
Toney scores in the final World Cup audition
Ivan Toney has scored 56 goals in 104 games for Brentford In his last chance to impress England manager Gareth Southgate before he names his final 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, Toni was able to get on the scoresheet and recalled his ability in the spot as he made a final bid for inclusion. Brentford manager Frank claimed Toney had already done enough to be selected for his first World Cup after the striker scored twice in a 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton in mid-October. But this remains an out-of-form Brentford’s only win in two months – and Toney has not scored in 270 minutes of Premier League football since that double took his tally to eight goals in 10 games. Unused by Southgate despite being called up to England’s squad for September’s Nations League fixtures for the first time, Toney missed another valuable chance to shine on Saturday as he sat out the draw with Nottingham Forest through suspension. Currently assisting the Football Association’s investigations into allegations of historic match betting, he was able to refocus on Tuesday as he seeks to realize his “childhood dream” of representing England on football’s biggest stage. While his early contributions have not been enough to see Brentford progress, he will be hoping he has done enough in recent months to convince Southgate.
Lining up
Bradford
3-4-3 formation 1 Raya 30 Roerslev13M Jorgensen5Pinnock 14Ghoddos6Nørgaard15Onyeka3Henry 23Lewis-Potter17Toney24Damsgaard
1 Raya 30 Roerslev Change to Boumoat in 81′ 13M Jorgensen 5 Pinnock 14Ghoddos 6 Nørgaard Change for Dasilvaat at 45′ 15 Onieka Substitution for Yarmolyukat in the 72nd minute 3 Henry substituted for Jensenat in 61′ 23 Lewis-Potter 17 Tony 24 Damsgaard
Substitutes
8 Jensen 10 Da Silva May 16 19Beumo 32 Crama 33 Trevitht 34 Cox 36 Yarmolyuk 37 Gilbert
Gillingham
Formation 4-5-1 25 Turner 14McKenzie4Wright23Baggott17Law 21Adelakun16Jefferies6Williams8O’Keefe22Green 19 Walker
25 Turner 14 McKenzie 4 Wright 23 Bagot 17 Law 21 Adelakun 16 JeffreysBook in 5 minutesSubstitution for Kasketat 90+3′ minutes 6 Williams substituted for Alexandrat in the 65′ 8 O’Keefe 22 Green Change for MacDonald at 74′ minutes 19 Walker replaced Mandronate in the 64th minute
Substitutes
1 Morris 2 Alexander 7 MacDonald 9 Mandron 24 Casket 27 Akehurst 29 Gbode
