Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Cardiff City: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Championship Matchday 7 · Saturday 12 September 2026 · University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton · referee T. Parsons · full time
Full time: Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Cardiff City
Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Cardiff City: Bolton Wanderers took the points in Championship Matchday 7 on Saturday 12 September 2026 at University of Bolton Stadium. The goals: Thierry Gale 90'.
How Bolton Wanderers won it
The opening goal came in the 90th minute: Thierry Gale for Bolton Wanderers, set up by Theo Bair. A late goal, and the one that decided the result.
It was 0-0 at half-time, and the second half changed the result.
The referee, T. Parsons, showed 7 yellow cards: 5 to Bolton Wanderers and 2 to Cardiff City.
Bolton Wanderers: S. Schumacher, 4-2-3-1 · Cardiff City: B. Barry-Murphy, 4-2-3-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 2.43 for Bolton Wanderers and 0.46 for Cardiff City.
Bolton Wanderers scored about 1.4 fewer than their chances were worth: poor finishing, or a goalkeeper at his best.
Bolton Wanderers had 5 shots on target, Cardiff City 10.
Bolton Wanderers's goalkeeper made 10 saves.
Cardiff City had 59% of the ball, but Bolton Wanderers took the points.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Bolton Wanderers came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 1.3 and conceding 1.9 a match, with 1.37 expected goals for and 2.00 against, and had won 33% of their matches.
Cardiff City came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 1.4 a match, with 2.04 expected goals for and 1.54 against, and had won 25% of their matches.
Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City: the match in numbers
| Bolton Wanderers | Match statistics | Cardiff City |
|---|---|---|
| 41% | Ball possession | 59% |
| 2.43 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.46 |
| 7 | Total shots | 17 |
| 5 | Shots on target | 10 |
| 1 | Big chances | 2 |
| 337 | Total passes | 480 |
| 73% | Pass accuracy | 83% |
| 2 | Corners | 10 |
| 16 | Fouls | 13 |
| 3 | Offsides | 6 |
| 29 | Tackles | 13 |
| 10 | Saves | 4 |
| 5 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Gavin Bazunu (Bolton Wanderers), rated 9.6 by Sportmonks.
Bolton Wanderers
- Gavin Bazunu 9.6
- Max Conway 7.9
- Gaizka Larrazabal 7.1
- Josh Sheehan 7.1
- Eoin Toal 7.1
Cardiff City
- Joel Bagan 7.2
- Alex Robertson 7.2
- Chris Willock 7.1
- Nathan Trott 7.1
- Perry Ng 6.9
The lowest-rated starter was Kyliane Dong at 6.2. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Bolton Wanderers: Bolton Wanderers vs Bristol City Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
- Cardiff City: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Cardiff City Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City
What was the score in Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City?
Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Cardiff City (half-time 0-0), Championship, Saturday 12 September 2026.
Who scored in Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City?
Thierry Gale 90'.
Did Moneyball predict Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City?
Gavin Bazunu, rated 9.6 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City?
T. Parsons.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.