Cardiff City began their pre-season with a heavy 6-0 defeat to FC Midtjylland in Tuesday's Club Friendlies opener, a result that offered an early reminder of the scale of the work ahead for Brian Barry-Murphy's side before the new Championship campaign.
The Welsh club were facing a Midtjylland team that has already built momentum in its own summer schedule. The Danish Cup champions remained unbeaten in their opening five pre-season games and are preparing for a Europa League qualifier against Besiktas later this month.
How the goals came
Cardiff were still in the contest until around the 20-minute mark, when Harry Tyrer gifted the ball to Valdemar Byskov and Midtjylland made the most of the mistake to go in front. By half-time, the visitors had turned that opening into a three-goal lead, with Franculino and Viktor Bak adding to the scoreline before the break.
The second half brought no relief for Cardiff. Friday Etim, Mikel Gogorza and Junior Brumado each scored after the interval to complete the six-goal margin.
Barry-Murphy's starting line-up
Barry-Murphy named three academy graduates in his starting eleven as he looked to give young players a chance in the first friendly of the summer. That was part of the early pre-season picture for Cardiff, who are still shaping their squad and working toward sharper performances after last season.
The result will not define the campaign, but it does set a clear tone for the weeks ahead. Cardiff now move on quickly, with their second pre-season friendly coming on Tuesday against Cork City. After a six-goal loss in the opener, the immediate priority will be getting minutes into the squad, tightening up defensively and building toward the Championship season.
