MACHEDA NETS DOUBLE

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda scored two goals for Birmingham City, where his playing on loan until the end of the season, to help the club record a 3-3 draw with Burnley at home.

It has been a tough few weeks for the club, as their owner has been found guilty of tax evasion and will now spend the next few years in jail. Further, they have been slipping down the table and are now closer to the relegation zone. Hence, three points was the need of the hour for Birmingham from their home match against Burnley.

The pulsating encounter looked to be heading for a defeat for Birmingham as they trailed Burnley with only minutes remaining after a goal from Sam Vokes in the 86th minute. However, Macheda, who had scored an equaliser earlier in the match, stepped up once again to find the back of the net in injury time to send the home fans in ecstatic mood. Manager Lee Clark said after the encounter that there was no doubt that Birmingham deserved this point after the effort they have put into the match.

The brilliant result against a team chasing automatic promotion will certainly help them perform well in the coming matches. The club, though, have had just one win in the last five league matches.

“Without a doubt we deserved that. That’s why the emotion was there at the end, I was celebrating like I was, for the fans, for the players. If they had come off that pitch losing the game, it would have been criminal for their efforts. We were brave, we created chances. They stuck to the game plan. There was nothing in the first-half. We made half an error and got punished to go 1-0 down,” said Clark. Birmingham’s next match will be against Sheffield Wednesday away from home.