Derby County Imbangi QPR 1&1 pada Pekan ke&45 Championship

Derby County menahan imbang Queens Park Rangers dengan skor 1-1 pada pertandingan pekan ke-45 EFL Championship di Stadion Matrade, Sabtu, 25 April 2026. Hasil ini menjaga asa The Rams untuk menembus zona play-off meski sempat tertinggal lebih dulu oleh gol cepat tuan rumah.

Winger QPR Harvey Vale membuka keunggulan setelah memanfaatkan tekanan intens ke area pertahanan tim tamu melalui tendangan silang kaki kiri yang menaklukkan kiper Zetterstrom. Derby County kemudian membalas lewat sepakan kaki kanan Oscar Fraulo dari tepi kotak penalti setelah menerima bola dari skema sepak pojok.

Manajer Derby County John Eustace menekankan pentingnya poin dalam upaya mereka mengejar posisi enam besar klasemen. Sebelum laga, ia memberikan pandangannya mengenai tantangan di Loftus Road dan kondisi pemainnya.

"We want to go to QPR and win. Obviously, we need the victory if we want to reach the top six. It's a great opportunity." ujar John Eustace, Manajer Derby County.

Eustace juga menyoroti atmosfer stadion yang bisa menjadi penghambat bagi tim tamu saat bertanding melawan mantan klubnya tersebut.

"They are a very difficult opponent to face, they are we well coached and have a very good squad. We know what to expect there." kata John Eustace, Manajer Derby County.

Pengalaman bertahun-tahun di London Barat membuat Eustace sangat memahami karakteristik pendukung tuan rumah dalam memberikan tekanan kepada lawan.

"I worked at QPR for four and a half years and I know that when the stadium is on fire, it's very difficult. But it's a fantastic challenge for our players." tutur John Eustace, Manajer Derby County.

Meskipun memiliki catatan tandang yang kurang memuaskan dalam beberapa laga terakhir, Eustace tetap mengapresiasi daya juang para pemainnya di lapangan.

"We haven't had the results we wanted [away from home recently], but we've been competitive in all those games. We'll give our all to try and break that streak tomorrow." jelas John Eustace, Manajer Derby County.

Terkait kondisi kebugaran Dion Sanderson, staf pelatih Derby County terus memantau perkembangan sang bek hingga saat-saat terakhir sebelum kick-off.

"We'll have to wait and see... He hasn't trained with the group since the Oxford game. We'll assess him until the last minute." ungkap John Eustace, Manajer Derby County.

Di sisi lain, Manajer QPR Julien Stephan memberikan kritik tajam terhadap performa anak asuhnya meskipun sempat mendominasi jalannya pertandingan.

"I think they (Derby) deserved the win. They showed more quality, more physicality and more ferocity. It was difficult on the pitch. We weren't successful in winning the second ball and, with possession, there wasn't enough variety... they defended the area well and we didn't have ideas or dynamism against their low block. We had a lot of travel in the last three days and that probably had a physical impact. It's not an excuse, just the situation." papar Julien Stephan, Manajer QPR.

Pertandingan ini menyisakan satu laga terakhir di musim reguler bagi kedua tim untuk menentukan posisi akhir mereka di klasemen kompetisi kasta kedua Inggris tersebut.