Cardiff City suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road this week. The result leaves the Bluebirds 19th in the Championship with just three points from four games, a record of zero wins, three draws and one loss.
Rumarn Burrell scored both goals for the hosts, who climbed to the summit of the table. Perry Ng netted a late consolation for Cardiff, who now find themselves seven points behind leaders Swansea City. The match was reported by the Welsh outlet nation.cymru.
How did QPR take control?
Queens Park Rangers established their dominance in the first half. The opening goal arrived in the 36th minute from a Nicolas Madsen corner delivered from the right wing. Jimmy Dunne got a touch on the ball before it fell to Rumarn Burrell, who finished from close range. Cardiff had a golden chance to go ahead earlier when Cian Ashford found himself unmarked at the far post but failed to convert. Another Harvey Vale corner saw Dunne head wide as QPR maintained pressure.
Burrell doubled the lead just eight minutes into the second half. A precise through-ball from Ronnie Edwards split the Cardiff defence, sending Burrell through to score his second of the afternoon. The striker could have completed a hat-trick later in the game but spurned two further opportunities.
What was Cardiff's response?
Cardiff struggled to create clear chances for much of the contest. Tariq Lamptey did fire a shot straight at goalkeeper Nathan Trott. Manager Julien Stephan responded with a quadruple substitution that involved changing three of his back four in an attempt to shift momentum.
The change eventually yielded a goal. Perry Ng reduced the deficit in the 74th minute with a powerful long-range strike that gave Trott no chance. Substitute Joel Colwill then had a late opportunity to snatch an equaliser, meeting a cross from Chris Willock, but he could not direct his effort on target.
Where does this leave Cardiff?
The defeat confirms a difficult start to the campaign for Cardiff City. They have now scored six goals but conceded seven, leaving them with a negative goal difference. The squad is also dealing with several absentees, with Calum Chambers, Dylan Lawlor and William Fish currently sidelined, as noted on our injuries page.
Their next challenge is a quick turnaround with an away trip to face Portsmouth, who are 21st in the table, on Saturday, 5 September 2026. Fans can view the full schedule on our fixtures page. The team will need to improve quickly to climb from their lowly league position, which you can track on our standings page.
