Carabao Cup match report: AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Ipswich Town (P2-4)

Two set pieces saw the Dons in control heading into the final stages of the match, but Conor Chaplin's late equaliser gave the Blues hope of salvaging the tie in a penalty shoot-out. In the end, it wasn't to be for them, with the hosts winning 4-2 on spot-kicks to progress.

Town looked to strike early. Chaplin picked up the ball and held it, waiting for Chiedozie Ogbene to make a run down the right so he could feed him into the box. The right-back’s cross fizzed over everyone as Conor Townsend picked it up to play back to Chaplin, who saw his shot blocked for a corner.

Ali Al-Hamadi held his hands up after scoring against his former club (Image: Ross Halls)

Townsend took the resulting corner, aiming it towards the head of Al-Hamadi. The striker jumped highest to head past Owen Goodman, opening the scoring against his former team. He refused to celebrate and was met with a round of applause from the home fans, some of whom chanted his name as he walked back to the centre circle in the fourth minute.

Ipswich maintained their pressure. Jack Clarke combined with Chaplin and Ogbene to play the ball from left to right. The former Luton winger, who signed just hours before the match, played a cross that was clear out to Jens Cajuste, but the midfielder saw his shot blocked in the 15th minute.

Kalvin Phillips wanted a penalty in the 19th minute as he was brought down by Omar Bugiel, with the Manchester City loanee pushing the ball away in the process. Referee James Linington opted against giving a spot-kick to the Blues or a free-kick to Wimbledon, instead awarding a corner to the visitors, which Townsend fired out for a throw-in.

The referee allowed the match to become physical and scrappy in the first half (Image: Ross Halls)

Roles were reversed four minutes later as Phillips pulled Bugiel to ground inside the box. Once again, the referee was unmoved.

The England midfielder was robbed of the ball with 27 minutes on the clock, allowing Wimbledon to break with a long ball played to the right. It was crossed centrally for Mat Stevens to fire home inside the box, but the linesman had long since raised his flag for offside.

For all their time on the ball, Ipswich weren’t able to carve out too many chances. Clarke took it upon himself to make something from nothing, picking up a pass on the left before cutting inside and taking aim. His low shot was hit hard but easily held by Goodman.

Up the other end, James Tilley brushed past Ogbene before delivering a wayward cross into the box. It looped up and over Christian Walton, landing on the roof of the net.

Jack Clarke tested Owen Goodman with a fierce shot before the break (Image: Ross Halls)

It was a warning sign to Ipswich, who found themselves pegged back in the 40th minute as Townsend wiped out Hus Biler chasing a cross-field ball. The subsequent free-kick was aimed towards the head of Bugiel, who leapt up to head home from close range.

Town were on the ropes as the clock ticked towards half time, giving away a corner after a fast break. Walton was forced to punch it away from danger, but the flag was raised for a foul inside the box.

The Blues made a fast start to the second half. Clarke spotted Townsend on the overlap high up the pitch, allowing the left-back to deliver a low cross that Ryan Johnson cleared out for a corner that came to nothing.

Wimbledon stunned Town with a second-half free-kick (Image: Ross Halls)

It was Wimbledon who struck again, however, taking the lead just before the hour-mark from a near-identical goal to their equaliser. Jake Reeves' free-kick from the right found the head of Mat Stevens, who looped the ball up and over Walton to fire his side ahead.

Town were presented with an opportunity to strike back just a few minutes later as Al-Hamadi was hacked down by Joe Lewis, who picked up a booking for the foul. Townsend stepped up to take it, firing into the stand behind the goal where the travelling fans were housed.

They piled the pressure on after making a double substitution, introducing Jack Taylor and Massimo Luongo. A scramble in the box almost saw the latter score in the 70th minute, but it bobbled just wide.

Conor Chaplin's late goal wasn't enough to help Town progress to the third round (Image: Ross Halls)

With the clock ticking towards full time, Ipswich needed a saviour. It came in the form of their captain, who met Taylor's delivery into the box with a leaping header, jumping above Goodman to equalise with four minutes remaining.

A late penalty shout on substitute Omari Hutchinson left the visitors furious, but four minutes of added time gave them hope that they could avoid a penalty shoot-out. The final chance bobbled Chaplin's way from a corner, but he fired wide from a tight angle. It was a sign of things to come.

Former Ipswich striker Joe Pigott got the shoot-out underway with a cool finish but Liam Delap rifled home to make it 1-1. Stevens and Cameron Burgess both scored as Reeves fired over the bar, but Taylor's spot-kick was stopped by Goodman to keep the scores at 2-2.

Biler stepped up to make it 3-2 as Goodman kept out Hutchinson's low effort. That allowed Isaac Ogundere to step up and win the tie, which he did, firing a powerful effort to make it 4-2 and eliminate Town in the second round.

Wimbledon XI: 3-5-2: Goodman; Lewis, Ogundere, Johnson; Biler, Maycock, Reeves, Ball (Smith 72'), Tilley (Furlong 90'); Stevens, Bugiel (Pigott 72')

Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Walton; Johnson, O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend; Phillips (Luongo 66'), Cajuste (Taylor 66'); Ogbene (Harness 46'), Chaplin, J. Clarke (Hutchinson 78'); Al-Hamadi (Delap 78')

Attendance: 7,934 (1,834 away)