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    Cardiff City Women FC vs. Swansea City Women FC | Bute Energy Welsh Cup 25/26 – Final

        Live ReportMatch Summary

        5. 📸 The Bluebirds have impressively lifted the trophy for five consecutive seasons, with their last defeat in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup coming in March 2019 against Abergavenny.

        11. MATCH SUMMARY

          Cardiff City retained the Bute Energy Welsh Cup after a remarkable comeback victory over Swansea City, eventually prevailing 5-4 on penalties following a dramatic 3-3 draw at Rodney Parade.

          Swansea made the perfect start and took the lead on 14 minutes when Chloe Chivers’ looping effort from wide on the right caught out the Cardiff defence and found the net via the far post. The Swans carried that momentum into the second half and struck twice in quick succession, Aimee Deacon doubling the advantage before Maisie Miller fired home from distance to make it 3-0 and seemingly put one hand on the trophy.

          However, Cardiff responded in sensational fashion. Substitute Fiona Barry sparked the comeback on 65 minutes, lobbing the advancing goalkeeper to reduce the deficit. Just four minutes later, Shannon Evans rose highest to head home from a corner and suddenly the momentum had shifted.

          With Swansea struggling to regain control, Cardiff continued to press and found a dramatic equaliser with nine minutes remaining. Under pressure from another corner, Jessica Williams turned the ball into her own net, levelling the contest at 3-3 and setting up a tense finale.

          Neither side could find a winner in the closing stages, sending the final straight to a penalty shootout. Both teams showed composure from the spot, but it was Cardiff who held their nerve, converting five of their kicks.

          Megan Bowen stepped up to score the decisive penalty, sealing a 5-4 shootout victory and completing one of the most memorable comebacks in the competition’s history to ensure Cardiff City lifted the trophy once again.

        12. Bowen steps up and scores the decisive penalty in the shootout that sees Cardiff City retain the Bute Energy Welsh Cup following a remarkable comeback. They were 3-0 down early in the second half before coming back to draw 3-3 and take the match to penalties.

        13. 🔵 5-4 ⚪️ Cardiff score

        14. Cardiff can win the Bute Energy Welsh Cup with the next spot kick.

        15. 🔵 4-4 ⚪️ Swansea score

        16. 🔵 4-3 ⚪️ Cardiff score

        17. 🔵 3-3 ⚪️ Swansea score

        18. 🔵 3-2 ⚪️ Cardiff score

        19. 🔵 2-2 ⚪️ Swansea miss

        20. 🔵 2-2 ⚪️ Cardiff score

        21. 🔵 1-2 ⚪️ Swansea score

        22. 🔵 1-1 ⚪️ Cardiff score

        23. 🔵 0-1 ⚪️ Swansea score

        24. FULL-TIME SUMMARY:

          Cardiff City complete a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down to level at 3-3, forcing penalties in a dramatic Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final. Swansea looked in control after a dominant start, but late Cardiff pressure and an own goal turned the game on its head at Rodney Parade.

        25. The whistle is blown! It’s all level at full-time and the match goes to a penalty shootout.

        26. 90' + 4'

          Cardiff force a corner, this must be the last kick of the game.

        27. 90' + 3'

          Substitution

          TURNER Stephanie Wyn replaces DEACON Aimee

        28. 90' + 2'

          Substitution

          LLOYD Madison replaces OLDEN Mackenzie Hope

        29. 90' + 1'

          There will be 4 minutes of added time. If the scores are level at full-time, the match goes straight to a penalty shootout.

        30. 90'

          Is this Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final heading to penalties?!

        31. 90'

          Yellow card

          MURRAY Madison

        33. 📸 Celebrating the equaliser.

        34. 85'

          With 5 minutes left on the clock, Cardiff applying more pressure from a series of corners. The ball eventually goes out for a Swanea goal kick.

        35. 83'

          This has been an incredible comeback from Cardiff. The Bluebirds believe they can now win it.

        36. 81'

          Own goal

          WILLIAMS Jessica Lee

        37. 80'

          From the corner, Swansea fail to deal with the danger and are unable to clear the ball from inside their box. As the ball is struck by Barry, Swansea’s Williams attempts to head away but sends it into her own net over Forkings.

        38. 79'

          Cardiff breakdown the Swansea possession to go on the attack and win themselves a corner.

        39. 77'

          The two Cardiff goals rocked Swansea with the Bluebirds beginning to look like they were going to dominate. The Swans have settled and are being calmer in possession.

        40. 76'

          John is set free again but Chamberlain is quick off her line to run out and meet the ball, taking it away from John’s outstretched foot as she tried to dink it over.

        42. 73'

          Substitution

          TRIVETT Taite Jennifer replaces MILLER Maisie

        43. 📸 The start of a comeback that’s getting the crowd going in Rodney Parade.

        45. 69'

          An incredible comeback on the cards here as Cardiff City score again, this time from a corner kick. Shannon Evans heads a wonderful effort into the net from a corner kick.

        46. 69'

          Goal

          EVANS Shannon

        47. 67'

          Cardiff have woken up as Cook runs down the left to put a lovely cross into the box where the ball is met by Olden but she heads painstakingly wide of the post.

        48. 65'

          Game on?! Cardiff City have pulled a goal back through Barry. After breaking through the defence, Barry sees Forkings coming off her line to narrow the angle and lobs the ball over the Swansea goalkeeper. It’s 3-1.

        49. 65'

          Goal

          BARRY Fiona

        50. 61'

          A useful attack from Cardiff down the left through Cook but a determined sliding block from Lake denies her from going any further. Lake celebrates the tackle like a goal. Swansea look determined to protect their three goal advantage.

        51. 59'

          John comes close to heading Swansea further into the lead when she gets on the end of Miller’s ball into the box.

        52. 56'

          Substitution

          PERROTT Maddison replaces OWEN Lisa

        53. 📸 Miller celebrates putting Swansea 3-0 up in this Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final.

        54. 56'

          Substitution

          BARRY Fiona replaces CURNOCK Laura

        55. 📸 Deacon celebrates her goal with Chivers.

        58. 49'

          An incredible start to the second half for Swansea as they make it 3-0 with Miller making it three after being set free by a reverse pass from Chivers. Miller’s goal was struck from outside the 18-yard box and beats Chamberlain low to her right.

        59. 49'

          Goal

          MILLER Maisie

        60. 47'

          Goal

          DEACON Aimee

        61. 47'

          Swansea have doubled their lead after Chivers provides the assist for Deacon to stab the ball into the back of the net. That goal has shook Cardiff.

        62. 46'

          The second half is underway.

        63. HALF-TIME SUMMARY:

          Swansea City lead 1-0 at the break through Chloe Chivers’ looping effort, but Cardiff have responded strongly with sustained pressure. Forkings has produced a series of important saves to deny Olden and Evans, while Swansea remain dangerous on the counter and could have extended their advantage late in the half.

        64. 45'

          There’s 3 minutes of added time.

        65. 42'

          Swansea come close to scoring a second as John comes close the meeting the ball into the box from Lake. John had started the move and nearly finished it but couldn’t make full contact with her header, allowing the ball to be cleared outside of the box.

        66. 39'

          Yellow card

          OWEN Lisa

        67. 35'

          Cardiff with a dangerous free kick out wide on the lefthand side of the Swansea box but are unable to do anything with the opportunity.

        68. 35'

          Yellow card

          LAKE Ellie Jo

        69. 29'

          Cardiff keep the pressure on as Swansea are unable to make their way out their half. As Olden breaks into the box, her shot is saved by Forkings who spreads her body to block and rebound the ball to safety.

        70. 28'

          As the ball comes into the box from the left, it rebounds off a Swansea defender and into the path of Evans. The Cardiff player reacts quickly but is denied by Forkings who dives at her feet to smother the ball.

        71. 23'

          Olden strikes from the edge of the box for Cardiff but sees Forkings make the save. The Swansea keeper can’t keep hold of the ball and it slips through her hands and onto the post. Luckily for the Swans, Forkings was able to gather the ball on the rebound.

        72. 21'

          Swansea break-up Cardiff’s possession on the edge of their 18-yard box to counterattack through John, whose intelligent play keeps possession when she wins a corner after the holding the ball with no support.

        73. 20'

          With 20 minutes played the Bluebirds trail 1-0 to the Swans here in Newport. Cardiff are pressing Swansea but the defence is holding strong.

        74. ⚪️⚫️ Chivers celebrates with her teammates after giving Swansea the lead in this Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final.

        76. 15'

          The goal came from a Swansea corner taken by Chivers that was headed away at the near post by Cardiff’s Bowen. As the ball comes back out to Chivers wide on the Swansea right, she sends what looked like a cross into the box where it loops over Chamberlain to drop in behind her and go into the net off the post.

        77. 14'

          Goal

          CHIVERS Chloe

        78. 13'

          Chivers scores from distance with the ball going in off the far post. Swansea have taken a 1-0 lead.

        79. 10'

          Cardiff force a corner and Power sends an in swinging ball into the box. There’s too much swing on it that takes the ball over Forking’s crossbar.

        80. 📸 The Cardiff City starting XI.

        81. 📸The Swansea City team photo.

        82. 5'

          Cardiff enjoying some of the early possession as Owen takes the ball forward up the right. She sends the ball into the box and the Swansea defence manage to get the ball away.

        83. 1'

          KICK OFF! HERE WE GO!

        84. '

          Goal

          LLOYD Madison

        85. '

          Goal

          OLDEN Mackenzie Hope

        86. '

          Goal

          BOWEN Megan Elin

        87. '

          Goal

          TURNER Stephanie Wyn

        88. '

          Goal

          TURNER Stephanie Wyn

        89. '

          Goal

          COOK Mikayla

        90. '

          Goal

          LAKE Ellie Jo

        91. '

          Goal

          BILLINGHAM Lily

        92. '

          Save

          JOHN Stacey Louise

        93. '

          Goal

          CHIVERS Chloe

        94. '

          Goal

          BARRY Fiona

        95. '

          Goal

          WILLIAMS Jessica Lee

        98. The Swans are warming up.

        101. The current Bute Energy Welsh Cup holders are in the house.

        102. Swansea City have arrived.

        103. The Swansea City changing rooms all decked out.

        104. The Cardiff City dressing room is awaiting the arrival of the players.

        105. Swansea City’s starting XI has been revealed.

        106. The Cardiff City XI has been announced for today’s final.

        107. The stage is set at Rodney Parade.

        108. Who will lift the Bute Energy Welsh Cup this afternoon?

          🔵⚪️🏆⚫️⚪️

        110. BUTE ENERGY WELSH CUP RECORD

          Cardiff City have won this competition five times in their history, with their first crown coming in 2016 courtesy of a 5-2 victory over Llandudno in the final. The Bluebirds have impressively lifted the trophy in each of the last four seasons, with their last defeat in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup coming in March 2019 against Abergavenny.

          Today is a chance for Swansea to win the competition for the first time since 2018 when they triumphed 2-1 over Cardiff City in the final, which was also the last time that they reached this stage. The Swans have lifted the trophy three times in total, first doing so in 2011 by beating Caernarfon Town in the final.

        112. YZZY TAYLOR – SWANSEA CITY

          Yzzy Taylor, Swansea City manager, is looking forward to the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final, telling the club website: “Finals are always special, but with it being the Welsh Cup and against Cardiff City, it adds that extra edge. The whole squad is really excited and we’re ready to get out there.

          “It’s our first Welsh Cup final since 2018, which is a huge motivation for us. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and to bring the cup back would mean everything to the group. We want to make our mark and do it for the club.”

        113. NOAH BUSBY – CARDIFF CITY

          New Cardiff City manager, Noah Busby comes straight into the deep end with his fist game in charge being the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final.

          “It’s going to be an exciting game,” Busby told the club website. “The players have responded well to me taking over in the last couple of weeks and training has been at a really high level. We want to make sure that we end the season on a high and with some silverware.

          “It’s been a season with no silverware so far and in the last few years, we’ve won the league three years in-a-row. We’re used to winning and we have a squad of winners, so we’re determined to continue that and make sure that we are successful in the final game of the season. The experience this squad has is everything and the players are hungry and really want to win. We all have a shared goal and a shared desire to win this game.”

        114. MADDY MURRAY – SWANSEA CITY

          Swansea City’s Maddy Murray has confidence in her team going into the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final. The Swans midfielder told BBC Sport Wales: “Cardiff are a great team but the last couple of times we played them, we could have come away with something and I think we were unlucky not to.

          “I think it’ll be a very tight, close game but I think we’ve put all the plans in place that we think will mean we can go out and get the trophy.”

        117. BUTE ENERGY WELSH CUP FINAL – HOW DID THEY GET THERE?

          Three-time Bute Energy Welsh Cup winners Cardiff Met were the opponents for Cardiff City at the first stage of the competition, with the Bluebirds earning a 5-0 win. Mackenzie Olden opened the scoring, before second-half goals from Laura Curnock, Lucy Malin, Amy Long and Fiona Barry wrapped up the victory.

          A dominant performance against third tier Trefelin saw Cardiff advance again, with Fiona Barry and Maddison Perrott both scoring hat-tricks in a 14-0 win. Goals from defenders proved key for City in the quarter-finals, as Ffion Price and Nieve Jenkins both netted in a 3-0 win against The New Saints, with Laura Curnock also on the scoresheet that day.

          Park Avenue would host the semi-final tie between Cardiff City and Wrexham, a repeat of last season’s final, with the Bluebirds coming out on top 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Mikayla Cook and Megan Bowen.

          Swansea City had to overcome Genero Adran Premier opposition in Round One, triumphing 3-1 away at Aberystwyth Town thanks to goals from Aimee Deacon, Maddy Murray and Chloe Chivers. A convincing 10-0 home win against North Wales Coast League side Llanystumdwy, in which eight different players found the net, saw Swansea advance to the quarter-finals.

          North would travel South again as Llandudno visited Llandarcy, after a successful run in the competition under Jay Davies. A double from Taite Trivett alongside goals from Jess Williams, Maisie Miller and Maddy Murray helped the Swans to a 6-0 win.

          It was six again for The Swans in the semi-finals against Cwmbran Celtic at Jenner Park, another side who had a memorable run in the competition under Georgia Shwartz. Swansea’s quality shone through as braces for Stacey John and Aimee Deacon, alongside a goal each for Taite Trivett and Emily Richards, saw Yzzy Taylor’s side progress to the final.

        118. HEAD TO HEAD

          The last six meetings between the two sides in all competitions have gone the way of Cardiff City. Most impressively was a 6-0 win for the Bluebirds in this season’s Genero Adran Trophy Quarter-Finals, while the most recent clash saw Iain Darbyshire’s side triumph 2-1 on home turf in the league.

          Swansea’s last victory against their rivals was in October 2024, when a crowd of over 2,000 at the Swansea.com Stadium saw a Stacey John goal decide the Genero Adran Premier clash.

        119. In the build-up to Sunday’s Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final, the trophy has been visiting schools in and around Swansea.

        122. THE SEASON SO FAR

          Having missed out on the Genero Adran Premier title and Genero Adran Trophy to Wrexham, serial winners Cardiff City find themselves in the rare position of going into the final still looking for their first silverware of the season.

          The Bluebirds have failed to win either of their last two games, losing to Wrexham and drawing with The New Saints, despite taking the lead in both matches. Long-serving boss Iain Darbyshire departed for pastures new in Canada after the end of the league campaign, meaning Sunday marks the start of a new era with Noah Bushby (below) at the helm.

          Swansea City finished third in the Genero Adran Premier in Yzzy Taylor’s first campaign as permanent boss, bouncing back from the disappointment of missing out on a place in the top half last season.

          The Swans earned a much-needed confidence boost on the final day of the league season, triumphing 2-1 against champions Wrexham at The Rock to end a four-match losing streak. It meant that Taylor’s side became the only team to win away at the Red Dragons this term.

        123. ELLIE LAKE – SWANSEA CITY

          Ellie Lake has been speaking about her excitement ahead of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final: “Everyone is buzzing, everyone wants to play in a cup final. They’re the games you look forward to and want to play in. Eight years is a long time, I think I played in the last one, it’s long overdue for a club like us. We want to be challenging for all trophies.”

          READ MORE

        124. MEET THE REFEREE

          Charlotte Carpenter has been appointed as the Referee for the 2026 Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final between Cardiff City and Swansea City. Carpenter will be assisted by Michelle Portelli and Rubie Bennett, while Erin Brennan is Fourth Official.

          It will be the second consecutive season that Carpenter is the Referee for the Final, while she acted as Fourth Official in 2024. The 37-year-old, who became the first woman from Wales to become an International Referee in 2016, has been a regular in the Genero Adran Premier this season.

          READ MORE

        126. LAURA CURNOCK – CARDIFF CITY

          Cardiff City’s Laura Curnock ahead of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final: “We really want to get our hands on some silverware this season. I think we’ll do ourselves a disservice if we don’t manage to do that.”

        127. ROUTE TO FINAL – SWANSEA CITY

          This is how Swansea City reached the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final.

        128. ROUTE TO FINAL – CARDIFF CITY

          Cardiff City’s route to the Bute Energy Welsh Cup Final.

        129. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

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            Starting

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                Table

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                Match Info

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                Date & Time

                Referee

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