Galbraith Goal Earns Stoke First Win, 1-0 Over Norwich
Ethan Galbraith's deflected strike lifted Stoke City off the bottom of the Championship as they held out against Norwich City.
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The Winning Goal at the bet365 Stadium
Stoke City beat Norwich City 1-0 at the bet365 Stadium to record their first victory of the Championship season, the second tier of English football. BBC Sport reports that Ethan Galbraith scored the only goal in the first half.
Galbraith, described by BBC Sport as a £10m summer signing from Swansea, struck first time from outside the penalty area on 13 minutes. The ball clipped the foot of Norwich defender Jack Stacey and went into the far bottom corner. The move began with a low cross from the left by Eric Bocat that was deflected into Galbraith's path.
Norwich had the better of much of the game. Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson twice denied Andre Brooks with his legs, and Norwich pressed in the Stoke half for the final 15 minutes without creating a clear chance.
Missed Chances and Absences
Stoke had opportunities to add a second. George Hirst was stopped by a block from Ruairi McConville, and deadline-day signing Luca Bombino had a shot tipped over.
Mark Robins's side played without Sorba Thomas. BBC Sport says the Wales winger, who scored 10 Championship goals last season, was left out of the squad amid uncertainty over his future. Stoke also lost Djibril Soumaré to injury, with Ben Pearson replacing him.
Norwich, managed by Philippe Clement, had chances of their own. Oscar Schwartau headed off target from a Kenny McLean corner, and shots from McLean, Anthony Musaba and Mathias Kvistgaarden were blocked.
Form, Records and Conflicting Details
The result lifted Stoke off the bottom of the table. Goal.com had reported before the game that four consecutive defeats across all competitions had left Stoke last in the Championship, with pressure mounting on Robins. Sportsgambler put Stoke's recent record at one win, eight defeats and one draw, with an average of 0.8 goals scored per game.
Norwich came in on stronger form. Sportsgambler and goal.com both note a 4-1 home win over Burnley at Carrow Road in their previous league match, with Mohamed Toure and Andre Brooks each scoring twice. Goal.com adds that Norwich had also lost 3-0 at Millwall and been beaten by West Bromwich Albion earlier in the month.
The sources disagree on the kick-off time. Sportsgambler listed it as 21:00 on Tuesday 1 September, while goal.com said 20:00. Sportsgambler also reports that Stoke won the previous meeting 2-0 at Carrow Road, and that the last 10 head-to-head games produced six Norwich wins, three draws and one Stoke win.
Stoke next host Charlton at 12:30 BST on Saturday, and Norwich travel to Sheffield United for a 15:00 BST kick-off.
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