Raul Jimenez 93rd minutes penalty rescue point for Wolves
Raúl Jiménez produced a fairytale homecoming moment at Molineux, converting a dramatic 93rd-minute penalty to rescue a point for Wolverhampton Wanderers in an enthralling opening-weekend EFL Championship draw against Blackburn Rovers.
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On an electric night where marquee summer signing Kieran Trippier made his competitive Wolves debut, the hosts appeared set for a opening-night defeat after Sean McLoughlin and Andri Guðjohnsen overturned Marshall Munetsi’s early opener.
However, deep into stoppage time, substitute Jackson Tchatchoua’s cross struck the arm of Rovers full-back Ryan Alebiosu on the edge of the box. Referee Farai Hallam pointed to the spot despite intense Blackburn protests, allowing Jiménez to step up, send Balázs Tóth the wrong way, and ignite wild celebrations among the 30,984 home supporters.
Wolves started with real purpose and carved out a deserved lead after 18 minutes. Spanish midfielder Fer López sliced open the Rovers backline with a precise sliding pass, allowing Marshall Munetsi to break clear and calmly stroke his finish into the bottom corner.
Blackburn responded with impressive composure. Just nine minutes later, Ryoya Morishita found space down the right flank and whipped in a cross for Sean McLoughlin, who guided a firm header past Dan Bentley to level the score.
While Wolves pushed before the break with curling efforts from López and Mateus Mané, it was Blackburn who caught the home defense cold immediately after the restart. In the 48th minute, Oladapo Afolayan delivered an accurate ball across the box for Andri Guðjohnsen, and the Icelandic forward swept home a first-time finish to turn the match on its head.
As Wolves committed bodies forward in search of an equalizer, Bentley was called upon to tip over long-range efforts to keep the hosts within touching distance, laying the ground for Jiménez’s late spot-kick drama.
”It’s amazing to be back,” Jiménez said after the match. “Not the result we were looking for, but we need to learn from this. It’s just the start so we need to keep going.”
Blackburn defender Alebiosu expressed frustration over the pivotal penalty award:
”We’re frustrated, the boys have done everything to get the three points. The ball has been played and I thought I was outside the box… but the decision went against us. If we play like that every week, we’ll go far.”
