Doncaster Rovers 1 Middlesbrough 3

Generated by AI

Match Identification

Match: Doncaster Rovers 1–3 Middlesbrough

Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2026

Competition: EFL Cup (Carabao Cup), Second Round

Venue: Eco-Power Stadium

Match Report

Middlesbrough booked their place in the Carabao Cup third round with a 3–1 away win over Doncaster Rovers at the Eco-Power Stadium, controlling long spells of the tie and building an unassailable lead before a late home consolation.

Doncaster’s early energy produced moments around the box but little sustained threat, and Middlesbrough gradually imposed themselves through long possession phases and repeated entries into the final third. The first big swing arrived in the 34th minute when Kyle Joseph opened the scoring for Middlesbrough to put the visitors 0–1 up, a lead they carried into half-time.

After the interval Doncaster tried to reset and make changes, but Middlesbrough’s grip on the ball remained firm and the shot count continued to climb in the away side’s favour. The decisive moment came late on: substitute Will Lankshear doubled the lead in the 78th minute to make it 0–2, before Jeremy Sarmiento added a third in the 87th minute, effectively sealing the tie at 0–3.

Doncaster did at least find a finish deep into stoppage time, with Isaac Hutchinson scoring at 90+2 to reduce the deficit to 1–3, but it proved no more than a late consolation after Middlesbrough’s dominance across the key metrics.

Notable incidents: cautions were shown to Robbie Gotts (26’) and George Broadbent (77’) for Doncaster, with Myles Peart-Harris booked (45+1’) for Middlesbrough; the match referee was Edward Duckworth.

Doncaster Rovers Line Up

Formation: Unknown

Substitutes used: Owen Bailey (46'), Leon Ayinde (60'), Brandon Hanlan (68'), George Broadbent (68'), Jordan Thomas (68').

Match Statistics

Attendance: 6,883