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[Steve Russell]

Behind closed doors.
Report from the Club...

'QPR came from two down to draw 2-2 against Cardiff City at the TSG Training Centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Brian Barry-Murphy’s side took the lead on eight minutes through Callum Robinson and increased their advantage
on the quarter-hour mark when Rubin Colwill struck from distance.

Rangers pulled one back ten minutes before the break with a fine strike from Kaddie Dembele, and levelled 18 minutes
from time when Jaylan Pearman netted from close range.

For QPR’s fourth pre-season friendly, head coach Julien Stéphan named Paul Nardi between the posts behind a back four,
from right to left, of Kealey Adamson, Amadou Mbengue, Steve Cook and Ziyad Larkeche.

Sam Field and Harvey Vale sat in deeper midfield roles, with Kwame Poku on the right, Dembele in the centre and
Taylor Richards on the left, while youngster Emmerson Sutton led the line.

With this being the second of three games in a week, the players’ loads were being managed with the new season less
than three weeks away.

And the R’s were hosting a Cardiff team whose League One season starts a week earlier, with their opener coming at
home to Peterborough United on August 2nd.

QPR made a bright start in this one, with Poku forcing an excellent save out of Matthew Turner on four minutes, after
the tricky winger cut in from the right before firing goalwards with his left foot.

But four minutes later it was the visitors who had the lead when Robinson found space on the left and was able to
fire beyond Nardi for the opener.

On 15 minutes that lead was doubled by Cardiff in some style, working the ball well down the left side before Colwill
picked out the top corner from 20 yards.

Sutton looked to reduce the deficit on 22 minutes with a shot from distance but his low drive was well gathered by Turner.

After a difficult start, Rangers did get themselves back into the game when Dembele jumped onto a loose ball on the
edge of the Cardiff area following good initial work by Vale on 35 minutes. The former Blackpool loanee thundered the
ball into the back of the net from 20 yards, giving Cardiff stopper Turner no chance.

That was the last real chance of note prior to the break, where Stéphan made a trio of changes.

Liam Morrison, Tim Akindileni and Lorent Talla came on for Mbengue, Cook and Field, while the rest of the starting
line-up remained as they built their match minutes.

Poku fired an excellent ball across the face of goal shortly after the restart but no-one in a QPR shirt was able to get a
vital touch for the leveller as it fizzed across the six-yard box.

At the other end, Ryan Wintle thought he had extended Cardiff’s advantage on 55 minutes but his effort was ruled out for
offside.

On 67 minutes, Stéphan made seven further changes to his side. Jimmy Dunne, Noah McCann, Alfie Tuck, Kieran Morgan,
Nicolas Madsen, Pearman and Daniel Bennie were all added to the action – and it wasn’t long before Rangers were level.

On 72 minutes, Bennie got in behind the Cardiff defence before unselfishly squaring for his countryman Pearman to sweep
the ball into the back of the Bluebirds net.

Former R Chris Willock, who joined the fray at half-time, almost restored Cardiff’s advantage on familiar soil, but his
curling effort was just over Nardi’s bar.

The game ended all square and proved to be another useful work-out for Stephan and his squad.

QPR: Nardi, Adamson (Dunne, 67), Mbengue (Morrison, 46), Cook (Akindileni, 46), Larkeche (McCann, 67), Field (Talla, 46),
Vale (Morgan, 67), Poku (Tuck, 67), Dembele (Madsen, 67), Richards (Pearman, 67), Sutton (Bennie, 67).