Omer Riza praised his players for their efforts - and saluted the emergence of one youngster - despite Cardiff City’s exit from the FA Cup.
The Bluebirds put up a valiant fight at Villa Park, frustrating Aston Villa for more than an hour before eventually succumbing to a 2-0 fifth round defeat.
For the home side, Villa’s January signings, Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, made a significant impact, fueling hopes of FA Cup glory this season.
Despite going into the game having stressed the priority of their Championship survival battle, Cardiff boss Riza took pride in his side’s performance, particularly praising the defensive organisation that saw them hold out until the 68th minute.
“I’m obviously disappointed that we didn’t get a result,” Riza admitted.
“But Aston Villa are a Premier League side. They are in the Champions League, and a very strong side today in the FA Cup.”
One of the standout performers on the night was 19-year-old centre-back Dylan Lawlor, who made his senior debut against Villa’s formidable attacking quartet of Rashford, Asensio, Leon Bailey, and Ollie Watkins.
Lawlor was fearless, throwing himself in the way of shots, even outpacing Rashford in a foot race before making a perfectly timed challenge—an effort that had the 6,000 traveling Cardiff fans on their feet.
Riza was full of praise for the young defender:
“He was superb. He surprised me a little bit today with some of the things he did.
“I know he is a good-quality player and in possession he is really good, but I thought defensively, his positioning and his intelligence, his one-v-one duelling at times, was good. I'm really pleased for Dylan, he's had a great debut.”
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With Cardiff suffering injuries and suspensions in defense, Lawlor’s emergence is a welcome boost for Riza, who acknowledged the depth issues in that area of the squad.
“We have had Jesper's (Daland) injury, Will (Fish) hasn't played loads of minutes, Dimi (Goutas) was suspended, we have had a few difficulties in that position, so it's a good option to have.”
Cardiff’s goalkeeper Ethan Horvath also played a pivotal role in keeping the scoreline respectable, pulling off several outstanding saves to deny Villa for much of the match.
“He was brilliant,” Riza said. “He has had to show real patience and a great character and application throughout the season and the frustrations.
“Jak (Alnwick) is now injured, so he has played the last couple and he was superb. Credit to him and he deserves the accolades he gets this evening.”
Despite the defeat, Riza remained optimistic about his team continuing to pull away from the relegation zone.
“We showed really good focus throughout the game. That defensive focus is something we’ll take forward into the league because they’ve proved that they can do it.”
The Cardiff faithful, who traveled in huge numbers, gave their team unwavering support throughout the match.
“They were brilliant,” Riza said of the Bluebirds fans. “My staff were telling me to do the ayatollah, because I was so focused on the game! They were loud, happy, cheering... hopefully, we gave a good account of ourselves against a top side, a Champions League side.”
While Cardiff’s resilience was commendable, Villa’s superior quality eventually shone through.
Asensio was the match-winner, netting twice in the second half, with Rashford providing an assist.
Since arriving in January, the duo have hit the ground running—Asensio now has four goals, while Rashford has contributed three assists.
Villa boss Unai Emery was delighted with their performances.
“Each one is playing in his position, trying to feel comfortable,” he said. “And the players are understanding as well where the spaces are to use them and trying to overcome the difficulties with the opponent they were facing us.”
With several big clubs already eliminated from the FA Cup, Emery is cautiously optimistic about Villa’s chances.
“We are now in the quarter-final and it is one step forward in the competition, we didn’t do that in the last two years. There are some teams who are more favourite than us, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle.”
However, the Villa boss recognises what is at stake.
“We know this competition is a way for a trophy, a way for Wembley, a way for Europa League and prestige for the club and the supporters are excited and motivated to try and share this opportunity with us.”
