Jensen's astonishing quadruple gets Millwall past QPR in penalty climax
EFL Cup First Round
QPR (0) 1 Sykes og 86
Millwall (0) 1 Cundle 53
(Millwall win 2-0 on pens)
A penalty shoot-out at the School End in front of visiting Millwall fans proved to be too much for QPR as Lukas Jensen became the hero of the hour with four penalty saves to keep out all four Rangers spot-kicks.
It was a quite extraordinary way for the drama to conclude. First the inspired stopper dived to his right to deny Ilias Chair, then dived left to keep out Harvey Vale's effort from 12 yards. Sub Koki Saito fared no better as Jensen moved to his left to block and then the penalty king repeated the trick for another sub Kwame Poku.
No wonder he was taking selfish after the game in front of those ecstatic visiting fans perched in the upper tier. He achieved something few, if any players will ever manage.
Rangers' debut keeper Pierce Charles atoned for a blunder to gift Millwall a goal in normal time by making two saves of his own - to deny Camiel Neghli and Tairyk Arconte.
But it was all in vain as strikes from skipper Jake Cooper and debutant Mark Sykes were just enough to put the Lions into the hat for Monday's second round draw
The first half offered scant excitement as Rangers probed for weaknesses against a stubborn low block. The goals they scored freely in pre-season were not so easy to come by in raised competitive stakes. But it did get better.
The game opened up after the interval and moments after Chair had almost played in Richard Kone for an ice-breaker that was overhit and easy for Lukas Jensen to smother, the Lions took the lead.
Neghli's cross from the left in Millwall's first attack of the half ended in debutant keeper Charles spilling the ball for Luke Cundle to knock in from a yard.
It was the sort of blunder the 21-year-old Northern Ireland stopper would not have been dreaming of on the eve of his first outing for his new club. The loan signing from Man City is seen as a sound prospect.
The Hoops almost allowed Cooper to head in a second from a corner - his effort clearing the bar before they almost hit back when a ball broke kindly for Chair to advance to the edge of the area and power a shot at Jensen. But the Lions keeper was equal to it.
Alfie Lloyd - who bagged a hat-trick in a rout of Bromley last week - came on to good effect and almost managed to burst through onto a pass from Chair. And although he was thwarted, from the resulting corner, Jimmy Dunne's flicked header bounced off sub Sykes and into the net.
It set us up for that very interesting end piece - which alas for QPR ended with a familiar sinking feeling in cup football. Their record is not good in either domestic cup competition.
This was an OK way for the season to begin on a hot afternoon, however. The Championship season begins for the R's with a trip to Portsmouth next weekend, while the Lions are at Bristol City but this new idea of starting the new campaign with Saturday League Cup action seems a good one - offering a far more enticing prospect than another warm up friendly.
There was a nicely observed minute's applause at both ends of Loftus Road before kick-off in memory the recently departed Kenny Jackett - a man with connections to both QPR and Millwall.
Hoops: (4-4-2) Charles - Mbengue (Adamson 79), Edwards, Dunne, Kemper - Smyth (Saito 79), Madsen (Varane 62), Vale, Chair - Kone (Lloyd 70), Burrell (Poku 62)
Lions: (4-2-3-1) Jensen - Sturge, Cooper, Taylor, Leonard (Sykes 77) - De Norre, Metcalfe (Kelly 84) - Azeez (Bangura-Williams 84), Cundle (Lisbie 75), Neghli - Coburn (Arconte 75)
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