Reuben Colwill's Last-Minute Free Kick Ruins Wrexham's Hopes of Opening-Day Victory

Colwill Dazzles in Thrilling Welsh Derby Draw

It's opening weekend for Wrexham, and what better way to start the season than with a trip down to the Welsh capital for a derby that hasn't been played in league football for over two decades?

In a hard-fought encounter, both sides showed impressive spells of play and created chances, but it looked like Kieffer Moore's first-half half-volley would be enough to secure all three points for the Red Dragons. Wrexham came closest to doubling their lead, hitting the woodwork twice, and Hyam’s defensive header that was cleared off the line following the ball crashed against the crossbar.

However, just when it looked like Wrexham had done enough, Reuben Colwill stepped up in the dying minutes to curl a free-kick past Wrexham's defence and level the score at 1-1, ensuring the spoils were shared in the first Welsh derby in league football between the sides in more than 20 years.

Wrexham started the game brightly; within 2 minutes, Kieffer Moore fired home a half-volley after Danny Imray sent a long ball into the box following a cleared free-kick. A defensive mishap from Gabriel Osho left Moore free in the box, and the Welshman made no mistake.

Not even three minutes in and Wrexham lead against Cardiff! 😱

Kieffer Moore found space in the penalty area and provided a beautiful finish into the top corner 👏 pic.twitter.com/3sgOAXojxs

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 17, 2026

Straight from the restart, Wrexham looked to double their lead, winning another free-kick which Lewis O’Brien whipped into the box. Cardiff managed to clear, for a Wrexham corner. The resulting set piece caused more confusion for the Bluebirds, with Callum Doyle getting his head to the ball and forcing a fingertip save from Cardiff goalkeeper Nathan Trott.

Wrexham’s opening 10 minutes showcased a hybrid style of play, combining a new tiki-taka approach with the Phil Parkinson speciality of long balls and, dare I say it, terrorist football. Cardiff struggled to cope with the intensity of the Red Dragons, leaving constant gaps in their defence for Wrexham to exploit.

It hasn’t been completely one-way traffic, however, with Cardiff wingers Ollie Tanner and Chris Willock looking dangerous whenever they get on the ball. Both have consistently looked to exploit the space left behind by Wrexham’s attacking full-backs.

Cardiff striker Yousef Salech had a clear-cut opportunity just after the 20-minute mark after a horrendous back pass from Zak Vyner. Salech pounced on the mistake, but Wrexham’s new signing, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson got there first to clear the danger.

Wrexham continued to pile on the pressure and won another corner in the 35th minute. O’Brien whipped the ball into the box, where the 6ft 5in Welshman Moore managed to leap like a salmon to meet it. His header beat Trott but crashed against the crossbar, keeping Cardiff firmly in the game.

Going into half-time, the game had evened out, with both teams playing entertaining football. Neither side managed to add to the score, keeping the game at 1-0 as they went into the interval.

Straight out of the gate, Wrexham won a corner following Doyle’s near-post effort being pushed wide by Trott. The corner was cleared, only for Wrexham to win possession back, with the ball played up to Moore, who laid it off to his strike partner Nathan Broadhead. His shot from outside the area was deflected by Osho for another corner, which was comfortably caught by Trott.

Dom Hyam then committed a cynical foul on Salech just outside the area, giving Cardiff a free-kick and earning the Wrexham defender a yellow card. Perry Ng stepped up to take it from a dangerous position within his range, but the ball struck the wall and was dealt with by the Wrexham defence.

Following a poor corner from Lewis O’Brien, the ball was played back into the box to an unmarked Doyle. With players free across from him, the defender opted to shoot instead, sending a thunderstrike towards the near post that rocketed off the post.

In the final 10 minutes, Cardiff threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Wrexham. Constantly sending the ball and almost every man except the keeper into the box, the Bluebirds won corner after corner. All Wrexham could muster were a few attempted counterattacks, with the closest to being successful being a Sam Smith chip that went wide of the post, while most ended with Cardiff regaining possession.

The pressure from Cardiff didn’t falter when six minutes of added time was announced; it was almost as if the boys in blue had gained a second set of lungs and legs. In the 93rd minute, Kapakio chipped a ball into the box which Patterson couldn’t get his hands to, but in an act of magic, Hyam managed to head the ball onto the crossbar and away from danger.

Just before the final whistle, controversy struck when Cardiff won a free-kick on the edge of the Wrexham area. Welshman Reuben Colwill stepped up to take it, in a moment that made time in Wales stand still, a real heart-in-mouth moment. Colwill sent the ball around the wall and past Patterson to make it 1-1 with what was the final kick of the match, giving Cardiff a well-deserved point following a hard-fought derby.

The moment Rubin Colwill scores a great free-kick goal for Cardiff City vs Wrexham! pic.twitter.com/ucvh5Saahd

— The Moment Football (@themomentfooty) August 17, 2026

Player Ratings

Anthony Patterson - A decent debut foiled by the last-second goal, the new signing didn't have much to do, but when needed, was a safe pair of hands. - 6.5/10

Zak Vyner - Had a solid game, managed to help nullify the pressure that was being forced upon Wrexham in the closing 15 minutes. - 6.8/10

Dom Hyam - Always a player that can be trusted upon, Hyam played well all game, with his most important moment coming when the centre-half cleared the ball onto the crossbar in the 93rd minute. - 7.5/10

Callum Doyle - Looked strong defensively, as well as popping up with 3 shots during the game. It will be a standout season for Doyle if he plays every game like he did today. - 7.3/10

Danny Imray - Another debutant today, Imray was brilliant going forward, and at points completely changed Wrexham’s formation into having 3 attackers. This didn't hinder his defensive efforts, and he consistently made sure to track back and cover his defensive responsibilities. Popping up with an assist, have Wrexham finally found their answers to their RB woes? - 7.5/10

George Thomason - Traditionally a midfielder, but the Englishman seems to have found himself with a new position playing at LB for Wrexham. Thomason was a solid player all game, doing all of his jobs well. - 7/10

Matty James - The veteran looked comfortable heading into his 16th season of football; what he has lost in speed he has made up for in IQ, with James seemingly being everywhere that he was needed on that pitch. - 6.8/10

Lewis O’Brien - It can be argued that O’Brien was the player of the match for this game; the central midfielder ran the flow of the game. Both defensively and offensively, O’Brien was there, and he didn't stop running until that final whistle went, he is everything you want from a midfielder. - 8.5/10

Ollie Rathbone - Rathbone did what Rathbone does; he was nipping at heels, he was constantly on the attack, and he was popping up in places you wouldn’t expect. - 7/10

Nathan Broadhead - Broadhead didn't have his best game, although he had a few moments where he stood out. However, when your strike partner is Kieffer Moore, who was playing like a prime Ronaldo Nazário, it's going to be difficult for any player to stand out. - 6.5/10

Kieffer Moore - BUILD A STATUE OF THIS MAN OUTSIDE THE CAE RAS!!! This was Moore’s best game for Wrexham, in my opinion. Both his hold-up play and all-out attacking play were on point today. He didn't put a foot wrong, and his standout moment had to be his half-volley goal. He was like a lion, constantly stalking and poaching his prey in the Cardiff defence. - 9/10 - Player of the Match

Subsitutes

Benjamin Whiteman - 6/10

Davis Keillor-Dunn - 5.5/10

Sam Smith - 6/10

George Dobson - 5/10

Ryan Longman - 5.5/10