MILLWALL were beaten 5-4 by Premier League outfit Crystal Palace in their first pre-season friendly of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Lions travelled to Palace’s training complex for a behind-closed-doors match, although it was available for supporters to stream on Millwall TV.
Gary Rowett told NewsAtDen that he would be fielding two different lineups in each half, while the Eagles opted to play a near full-strength lineup from the start of the game.
George Honeyman was handed his Millwall debut in the first half, while Benik Afobe made his first start since joining the club on a permanent basis.
Your #Millwall team to start the first-half against Palace… pic.twitter.com/RMi4he2JDS
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 9, 2022
Crystal Palace took the lead inside the opening three minutes when Wilfried Zaha ran through on goal, setting up Eberechi Eze inside the box to stroke the ball past Bartosz Bia?kowski. It was a soft goal for Millwall to concede so early on, but highlighted some of their pre-season rustiness.
However, the Lions were keen to play on the front foot and struck back less than two minutes later from a corner. Jake Cooper flicked his header up in the air, allowing Benik Afobe to prod the ball into the net from point-blank range.
After a chaotic start to the game, the tempo started to calm down. It took until the 17th minute for another goal to come as Nathaniel Clyne was given too much space down the right. He forced Bia?kowski into a good save from a fierce shot, but the goalkeeper parried the ball straight into the path of Jordan Ayew, who rifled his effort into the back of the net.
Afobe was clearly keen to start his second spell in South London as strongly as possible, scoring his second goal of the game just after the half-hour mark. Ryan Leonard made a driving run from right wing-back, fizzing a pinpoint cross onto the head of the striker, who flicked the ball past Guaita.
The teams went into the break with the scores level at 2-2 after a tightly-fought opening half. Crystal Palace lead twice in the early stages of the match, but Millwall more than held their own and were able to come back from behind both times.
Rowett would give his other two new signings their respective debuts in the second half, as Zian Flemming and Charlie Cresswell started for the first time. Isaac Oloafe and Besart Topalloj were also named in the lineup after the break.
?? Your second-half Lions…#Millwall pic.twitter.com/QZLsq1cG8J
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 9, 2022
There was a cagey feel to the start of the second half as Crystal Palace’s players started to tire. The Lions looked to capitalise early on, but failed to carry much threat in the final third.
Crystal Palace made five substitutions on the hour mark, with the likes of Christian Benteke and new signing Luke Plange stepping onto the pitch for the final 30 minutes. However, it was another substitute who would give the hosts the lead just three minutes after coming on. Jake O’Brien rose highest from Luka Milivojevi?’s corner to power his header into the back of the net.
Shortly after, Plange was played through down the left flank. His cross was deflected into the path of Benteke, who calmly tapped the ball past Bia?kowski to give Palace a two-goal lead for the first time in the game.
The Eagles struggled with defending set pieces in the Premier League last season, and Millwall exploited their weakness with 15 minutes left to play. Cresswell leaped up to force his header past Guaita, scoring a debut goal to get the Lions back into the game in the dying stages.
It would be another new signing who would level the scores shortly after Flemming fired home from 20 yards out. His effort hit the arm of Guaita, but the Spaniard couldn’t keep the ball out of the net as it flicked up into the top corner. However, Palace immediately rushed up the other end of the pitch and bundled the ball over the line from close range, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi confirmed as the scorer.
The South London derby ended with the Eagles running out as 5-4 winners in Beckenham. While Rowett told NewsAtDen before the match that he was “not expecting to learn where we’re going to finish in the league” based on the result, the Millwall boss will surely be pleased with how his side fared against top flight opposition.
The Lions will travel to Dartford in their next pre-season friendly on Tuesday evening.
Photo: Millwall FC