Middlesbrough 0 Southampton 0
Outcome: Drawn
Date: 5/9/2026
Manager: Kim Hellberg
Attendance: 32045
Competition: Championship Play Offs First Leg
Played at: Riverside Stadium
Goals:
| Goals | Time | Assists |
Team
| Player | Yellow | Red | Subbed |
| Sol Bryn | |||
| Dael Fry | |||
| Luke Ayling | |||
| Callum Brittain | |||
| Matt Targett | |||
| Adilson Malanda | |||
| Riley McGree | |||
| Aidan Morris | |||
| Tommy Conway | |||
| Morgan Whittaker | |||
| David Strelec |
Subs
| Player | Yellow | Red | Subbed |
| Alan Browne | |||
| Leo Castledine | |||
| Jeremy Sarmiento |
Generated by AI
Match Identification
Match: Middlesbrough 0–0 Southampton
Competition: EFL Championship Play-Offs (Semi-final, 1st Leg)
Date: 09 May 2026
Venue: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 32,045
Referee: Farai Hallam
Match Report
Middlesbrough and Southampton played out a tense, goalless first leg at the Riverside, a match framed by the build-up controversy around alleged “spygate” accusations that added edge to an already high-stakes play-off semi-final.
The opening period belonged almost entirely to Middlesbrough. They pinned Southampton back, repeatedly forcing the visitors to defend deep and concede territory, and produced wave after wave of pressure. The best chance of the half fell to Tommy Conway, whose effort struck the inside of the post as Boro’s dominant spell somehow failed to produce a breakthrough.
Southampton regrouped after the break and looked far more composed, with a clearer plan to escape pressure and threaten on transitions and set plays. They came close to stealing the first leg late on when captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis powered a header against the crossbar, while Samuel Edozie also went close in the closing stages when his placed effort drifted narrowly wide.
Despite Middlesbrough’s control of possession and chance volume, Southampton’s resistance held firm and they left Teesside level in the tie, taking the decision to the second leg at St Mary’s.
Southampton Line Up
Formation: 4-2-3-1
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Daniel Peretz |
| RB | James Bree |
| CB | Taylor Harwood-Bellis (c) |
| CB | Ronnie Edwards Wood |
| LB | Ryan Manning |
| DM | Flynn Downes |
| DM | Caspar Jander |
| RW | Tom Fellows |
| AM | Morgan Azaz |
| LW | Léo Scienza |
| ST | Cyle Larin |
Substitutions (Southampton)
| Player On | Player Off |
|---|---|
| Ross Stewart | Cyle Larin |
| Kuryu Matsuki | Tom Fellows |
| Shea Charles | Flynn Downes |
| Samuel Edozie | Léo Scienza |
Note: Exact substitution minutes are not consistently available across accessible sources.
Disciplinary (Southampton)
- Cyle Larin — Yellow card (foul)
- Flynn Downes — Yellow card (foul)
Match Statistics
- Possession: Middlesbrough 64% – 36% Southampton
- Shots on target: Middlesbrough 5 – 0 Southampton
- Shots off target: Middlesbrough 10 – 5 Southampton
- Blocked shots: Middlesbrough 6 – 1 Southampton
- Corners: Middlesbrough 11 – 1 Southampton
- Offsides: Middlesbrough 2 – 4 Southampton
- Fouls: Middlesbrough 7 – 12 Southampton
- Yellow cards: Middlesbrough 0 – 2 Southampton
- Goalkeeper saves: Middlesbrough 0 – 4 Southampton
Notable Match Notes
- Middlesbrough hit the woodwork through Tommy Conway in a dominant first half.
- Southampton hit the crossbar late on via Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ header.
- The match followed significant pre-game tension after Middlesbrough alleged Southampton had spied on a training session, with Southampton subsequently charged by the EFL.