{"id":243100,"date":"2026-05-12T22:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/tempers-flare-in-playoff-final-as-116th-minute-seals-former-pl-clubs-capitulation\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T22:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:37:00","slug":"tempers-flare-in-playoff-final-as-116th-minute-seals-former-pl-clubs-capitulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/tempers-flare-in-playoff-final-as-116th-minute-seals-former-pl-clubs-capitulation\/","title":{"rendered":"Tempers flare in playoff final as 116th-minute seals former PL club\u2019s capitulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Shea Charles was Southampton\u2019s hero as they reached the Championship playoff final with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The teams were all square deep into the second half of extra-time when Charles\u2019 116th-minute curling cross from the right crept through a crowd of defenders and deflected in off the inside of the post.<\/p>\n

Southampton, relegated from the Premier League last season, will now face Hull \u2013 2-0 winners over Millwall on Monday \u2013 for what appears to be the chance to join Coventry and Ipswich in English football\u2019s lucrative top-flight next season.<\/p>\n

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Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now ><\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The tie, however, has been overshadowed by allegations Southampton, now on a 20-game unbeaten run in the Championship, spied on a Middlesbrough training session<\/a> ahead of Saturday\u2019s goalless first leg at the Riverside Stadium.<\/p>\n

The English Football League charged Southampton after receiving a complaint from Middlesbrough \u201crelating to alleged unauthorised filming on private property\u201d and it remains to be seen what action, if any, officials will take against the club.<\/p>\n

But should Tuesday\u2019s result stand, Southampton will be through to their second Wembley appearance of the campaign, following an FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City last month.<\/p>\n

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Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn. Andrew Matthews\/PA via AP<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two months ago, Middlesbrough looked destined to earn promotion back into the Premier League, but they slipped down the ladder towards the back-end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m unbelievably proud of the effort,\u201d Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough. I think we played a very good first half. We were good, fluid and had some chances to go for two and then they scored just before half time from a free-kick.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is fighting though it. We played an unbelievable good team, massive squad. To go here and to dominate the first half in that way with that crowd, that was impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some pressure but didn\u2019t create many chances. That football sometimes, it\u2019s a sport of fine margins.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a long time we were good and should have been ahead, if you bring together the first half.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Southampton’s Welington Damascena Santos and Ryan Manning.<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boro, who finished fifth in the regular season to Southampton\u2019s fourth, appeared to put the ongoing row behind them by taking just five minutes to open the scoring. Australian Riley McGree put Boro ahead at St Mary\u2019s to the delight of travelling fans who had made the long journey from the northeast to the south coast.<\/p>\n

Callum Brittain\u2019s excellent centre found McGree, who shot low and well beyond Saints goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.<\/p>\n

Tempers frayed on both sides, with Boro defender Luke Ayling reportedly accusing Southampton\u2019s Taylor Harwood-Bellis of using \u201cdiscriminatory language\u201d.<\/p>\n

And Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg and Southampton counterpart Tonda Eckert had to be physically separated as referee Andy Madley spoke to them on the touchline towards the end of the first half.<\/p>\n

Southampton then equalised in stoppage-time when Ryan Manning\u2019s shot was parried into the air by Boro keeper Sol Brynn and Ross Stewart nodded in the rebound.<\/p>\n

In the second half, the hobbling Leo Scienza somehow drove into the box and went down under pressure from Ayling, but Southampton\u2019s appeals for a penalty were rejected by Madley.<\/p>\n

Brynn kept Boro in the match in added-on time when he blocked a shot from Saints substitute Cyle Larin before Charles had the last word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shea Charles was Southampton\u2019s hero as they reached the Championship playoff final with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday. The teams were all square deep into the second half of extra-time when Charles\u2019 116th-minute curling cross from the right crept through a crowd of defenders and deflected in off the inside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":243101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-243100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}