Wayne Rooney led Birmingham City to a 1-0 win away from home in the Champions League to Cardiff, earning his first away win as manager. The only goal of the match came just before half-time to the credit of Juinho Bacuna. This follows Birmingham City suffering eight consecutive away defeats, while Wayne Rooney has suffered five such defeats since taking over in October. The win moved Birmingham City up to 16th in the table, while Cardiff missed out on climbing to seventh and retaining contention for playoff qualification, dropping instead to 10th.
The game was entertaining but lacked quality. Cardiff also had chances, with striker Keon Aitter twice shooting over the crossbar and Birmingham City goalkeeper John Lardy almost netting an own goal. However, Bacuna made a difference for Birmingham City as he calmly rounded Cardiff's goalkeeper and sent the ball into the back of the net. Cardiff started the second half in the driver's seat, but two of their penalty claims were denied.
Birmingham City also had a chance to extend their lead as Jay Stansfield and Emanuel Aiu came close to scoring. As the game progressed, Cardiff struggled to create chances and fatigue began to show. Ruben Colwill had a chance to equalise for Cardiff, but his free-kick went straight at Rady. Wayne Rooney's first away win will provide a much-needed boost to Birmingham City as they look to climb further up the table.