Oliver Rathbone stole the limelight after coming on as a late substitute as Wrexham held Watford to an exciting 2-2 draw at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday. The Red Dragons scored but they soon gave up on the lead as Watford went ahead just before the break. Phil Parkinson's decision to put Rathbone on the pitch late in the game, however, proved to be a masterclass as his team walked away with a point.

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  Wrexham show grit in Watford draw

  Wrexham started the match on a positive note and looked motivated to get back to winning ways after their seven-match unbeaten streak ended against Hull City earlier this week. The hosts also drew motivation from the presence of their Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, as the actor duo were present at the Racecourse Stadium to cheer for their team.

  The Welsh outfit broke the deadlock in the 21st minute as Josh Windass followed a long ball down the middle from Matty James. The forward fired past goalkeeper Egil Selvik with a clinical finish to hand his side the all-important opening goal. 

  The Red Dragons looked positive in their intent following the opener but suffered a setback around the half-hour mark when, against the run of play, Mamadou Doumbia equalised for Watford. The 19-year-old Mali international's shot from the edge of the box got deflected off Max Cleworth before lobbing over Arthur Okonkwo.

  Three minutes before half-time, Watford went ahead and took the lead as Othmane Maamma stepped up and converted his effort. Phil Parkinson's side had the opportunity to restore parity towards the end of the first half, but one of their chances came off the post, while Lewis O'Brien's strike from close range went wide.

  The Red Dragons looked underwhelming in their approach to equalise throughout the second half as Parkinson made a few changes after the break to inject fresh legs. Making the substitutions, however, proved to be a masterstroke, particularly Oliver Rathbone's introduction. The English midfielder was brought on the pitch in injury time, and within a minute, Rathbone scored the equaliser from outside the box to seal a point for his side. 

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  The MVP

  Rathbone was the star of the show for the hosts as his cameo appearance earned Wrexham a crucial point against Watford. The Englishman was introduced in the 90th minute but he made the most of the opportunity he got by scoring a brilliant late equaliser. 

• The big loser

  Watford defenders did well throughout the second half to keep a firm check on the Wrexham attack and hardly allowed the opponent to threaten them inside their box. However, the backline failed to keep up the level of concentration as Rathbone scored the late equaliser and robbed them of an opportunity to pick up all three points.

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tags: Futebol
Category: News