AFC Bournemouth
Abdul Fatawu’s extra-time wonder goal saw AFC Bournemouth exit the FA Cup at the hands of 2020/21 winners Leicester City at Vitality Stadium on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old, on loan to the Foxes from Sporting CP in Portugal, settled this fifth-round tie in favour of the visitors when he netted with a stunning 20-yard strike with the last kick of the first period.
Although Andoni Iraola’s team created chances, they were kept at bay by the Championship leaders with Fatawu’s goal putting them in the hat for the quarter-final draw.
Mark Travers saved comfortably after Yunus Akgün had tried his luck with an acrobatic scissors kick having latched on to a Marc Albrighton cross in the early stages.
Another spectacular effort resulted in Enes Ünal’s overhead kick being charged down by Foxes defender Callum Doyle after Milos Kerkez’s cross had eventually fallen for him.
Ünal then fired a 35-yard free-kick over the crossbar before Foxes goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk raced off his line to pip the Turkey international to a through ball.
Marcos Senesi and Luis Sinisterra combined to fashion an opening for Ünal, whose shot from just inside the 18-yard box was diverted behind by Hamza Choudhury.
Sinisterra was again in the thick of the action when he stole the ball off Doyle before cutting it back for Alex Scott who lifted his shot from close range over the top.
Ünal fell awkwardly as he challenged for a cross from Kerkez before Philip Billing seized on the loose ball and saw his effort from 20 yards saved low down by Stolarczyk.
Billing clipped his shot over the crossbar after trading passes with Scott on the edge of the box before Akgün headed wide after meeting Albrighton’s centre.
As the Cherries continued to threaten, Ünal stretched but was unable to make good contact with the ball after Kerkez had sent a low cross into the danger zone.
Tom Cannon’s header from Albrighton’s free-kick was gathered by Travers before the long-serving Leicester winger saw his rasping drive strike the base of the post.
Travers distinguished himself by making a fine save on the stroke of half-time, the Cherries goalkeeper diving to his left to palm away Wanya Marçal’s thunderous drive.
In first-half stoppage time, a Dango Ouattara free-kick was charged down by the Leicester wall before the Burkina Faso man’s bullet header from Lewis Cook’s corner was saved by Stolarczyk.
Antoine Semenyo replaced Ünal at the break, while a Foxes substitution saw Ricardo Pereira come on for Arjan Raikhy.
Senesi went close to breaking the deadlock five minutes into the second half when his curling cross-shot came back off the upright.
Travers saved Albrighton’s dangerous cross, the Cherries goalkeeper also smothering Akgün’s effort after the Turkey international had embarked on an electrifying run down the right flank.
Marcus Tavernier, who replaced Ouattara 18 minutes from time to bring up his 50th appearance for the Cherries, rolled a pass to Kerkez whose angled drive was beaten away by Stolarczyk.
Akgün, teed up by Choudhury’s slide-rule pass, squandered a glorious chance to open the scoring four minutes from time when he blazed over having been clean through.
Ricardo Pereira also fired wide when well placed in the closing seconds of normal time before referee Paul Tierney blew the whistle and the tie went to extra-time.
A shot from Dennis Praet cannoned off Kerkez and went for a corner as the Foxes created the first chance of extra-time.
Cook clipped a free-kick over the crossbar before Tavernier’s well-struck effort from the edge of the box was deflected for a corner.
Billing flicked Semenyo’s centre over the top before the Ghana international burst through, only to drill his shot high over the crossbar.
Fatawu drew first blood for the Foxes with a stunning strike with the last kick of the first half of extra-time, his left-foot shot from 20 yards arrowing into the top corner.
Romain Faivre, picked out by fellow substitute Justin Kluivert’s cross, saw his effort curl past the post at the start of the second period of extra-time.
AFC Bournemouth: Travers, Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi (Tavernier, 73), Kerkez (Faivre, h/t, e/t), Cook, Scott, Billing, Ouattara (Christie, 73), Ünal (Semenyo, h/t), Sinisterra (Kluivert, 89).
Unused subs: Radu (g/k), Mepham, Kinsey.
Booked: Ünal, Senesi, Scott, Kluivert.
Leicester City: Stolarczyk, Coady, Doyle (Justin, 79), Albrighton (Fatawu, 64), Choudhury, Vestergaard, Praet (Nelson, h/t, e/t), Cannon (Iheanacho, 64) Akgün, Marçal, Raikhy (Pereira, h/t).
Unused subs: Ward (g/k), Souttar, Thomas, Briggs.
Booked: Raikhy, Doyle, Fatawu, Justin.
Referee: Paul Tierney.
Attendance: 10,872.
