Queens Park Rangers, languishing at the bottom of the EFL Championship table, managed to scrape a precious point against Stoke City on Saturday thanks to a fortuitous late own goal. The 1-1 draw at Matrade Loftus Road provided a glimmer of hope for QPR as they fight to avoid the drop, but the result was overshadowed by a glaring first-half penalty miss from misfiring striker Zan Celar.
Cannon Fires Stoke Ahead
The match got off to a sluggish start, with both sides struggling to find any fluency or quality in their play. But it was the in-form Stoke forward Tom Cannon who broke the deadlock midway through the first half with a moment of individual brilliance. Cutting in from the left flank, Cannon curled an unstoppable shot into the corner from just inside the area, leaving QPR keeper Paul Nardi rooted to the spot.
Celar’s Penalty Woe
QPR were handed a golden opportunity to equalise just minutes later when Paul Smyth was fouled in the box by Stoke defender Eric Bocat. Up stepped Celar, the summer signing from Lugano still searching for his first goal for the club after 15 scoreless appearances. But with the chance to finally get off the mark and draw his side level, the Slovenian striker fluffed his lines, dragging his spot kick miserably wide to the delight of the away fans.
“When your main striker is misfiring like that, it’s always going to be an uphill battle,” lamented a QPR insider. “Zan knows he should have buried that penalty. He’ll be desperate to make amends and get that monkey off his back.”
Gibson Own Goal Restores Parity
To their credit, QPR responded well after the interval and began to ask more questions of the Stoke defense. Winger Koki Saito was a constant menace with his direct running, while left-back Harrison Ashby struck the post with a deflected effort. The hosts’ pressure finally told just past the hour mark, albeit in fortuitous circumstances, as Ben Gibson diverted Saito’s innocuous corner into his own net to gift QPR a precious equalizer.
Late Drama Denies Stoke
Both sides pushed for a late winner in an increasingly frantic finale. Cannon was denied by a smart save from Nardi before Saito’s mazy run and shot drew roars from the home crowd. There was even time for some late controversy as Stoke’s Bae Jun-Ho had what looked like the winning goal disallowed for a handball in the build-up, much to the anguish of the traveling supporters.
A Point to Build On for Cifuentes’ Men?
While a draw does little to ease QPR’s relegation fears, head coach Martí Cifuentes will hope his side can use the result as a platform to build from. The Spanish tactician has endured a baptism of fire since taking the reins last October with the club already in the drop zone. Despite implementing a more attractive, possession-based style, Cifuentes has been unable to inspire a consistent upturn in results.
“We showed great spirit to come from behind today, especially after the blow of missing the penalty,” reflected the QPR boss post-match. “Yes, we still need to be more clinical in both boxes, but the lads kept going right to the end. Hopefully this can be a turning point for us in the relegation battle.”
Celar Conundrum Looms Large
Central to QPR’s survival hopes will be coaxing some goals from shot-shy frontman Celar. The 25-year-old arrived in West London with a burgeoning reputation after impressing in Switzerland with Lugano. But he has found the step up to the Championship a massive challenge, with his barren run now extending to 16 games.
“I feel for the lad, I really do. You can see he’s a talent but he looks bereft of confidence right now,” said a club source. “That penalty miss will have stung him badly. But we’ve got to keep backing him – an in-form Zan Celar could be the difference between us staying up or going down.”
That lack of a reliable goalscorer has been a recurring issue for QPR in recent times, with Charlie Austin’s first stint at the club now a distant memory. The likes of Jordan Hugill, Macauley Bonne and Lyndon Dykes have all tried and failed to fill the void left by Austin’s departure, piling pressure on Celar to finally break his duck.
Familiar Story for Long-Suffering Hoops
For QPR fans, this season’s toils are a depressingly familiar tale. It’s now over a decade since the club last graced the Premier League, with a revolving door of managers and players having come and gone in the intervening years. Even when there has been cause for optimism, such as when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink led a late charge to the playoffs in 2016, the R’s have always found a way to fall short.
Volatility has been the one constant, perhaps unsurprising for a club that counts Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore among its former owners. The nadir came in QPR’s most recent Premier League campaign in 2014-15, when a star-studded squad assembled at enormous cost by Harry Redknapp and owner Tony Fernandes finished rock-bottom with a paltry 30 points.
“Every year it feels like Groundhog Day supporting this club,” sighed one long-time QPR diehard. “A new manager comes in, promising to be the one to finally bring stability and get us back to where we belong. But it always ends the same way – looking over our shoulder at the wrong end of the table.”
For now, Cifuentes and his charges must forget about the club’s turbulent past and focus solely on securing the points to preserve their Championship status. While a gritty draw against Stoke is unlikely to live long in the memory, it could yet prove a crucial one if it sparks a great escape. With just a dozen games remaining and a six-point gap to safety, time is fast running out for QPR to save their season.
Key Takeaways from QPR 1-1 Stoke City
- Rock-bottom QPR snatched a vital point at home to Stoke City thanks to a second-half Ben Gibson own goal
- The draw was overshadowed by a costly first-half penalty miss by misfiring QPR striker Zan Celar
- Result leaves QPR still six points from safety with just 12 matches remaining in the Championship season
- Boss Martí Cifuentes hoping the battling performance can spark an upturn in form for the relegation-threatened club
- Pressure mounting on summer signing Celar to end 16-game goal drought and spearhead a QPR revival
