Ouattara achieves last-gasp victory as Bournemouth breaks Ipswich hearts | first division

Even more cruelty in Ipswich, for whom first division Reality once again bit brutally. Faith can only be shaken by repeated setbacks and bitter blows such as Bournemouth's late equalizer through Enes Unal and then Dango Ouattara's winning goal, the latter coming five minutes into the 90th.

The journey to get to the Premier League was the fun part. Perhaps these experiences put a stop to the idealism of Kieran McKenna's approach. His team's latest late collapse suggests something needs to change. “We need to own up to our mistakes,” he said. “It's not just luck. “The margins for making a mistake are very small.”

Bournemouth had put Ipswich's hand on the fire by dominating possession and opportunities in search of an equalizer after Conor Chaplin's goal in the first half. Once it arrived, they didn't give up. As Ipswich reeled from disappointment, Bournemouth Coldly, almost surgically, he cut away the blue shirts, and Ouattara reduced Portman Road to an anguished silence.

Exciting to the end, here was further demonstration that the Premier League provincial spots at the end of 2024 feature highly talented players. Good football too, as prescribed by progressive coaches. Ipswich and Bournemouth clashed from the start, caution was thrown to the winds of Storm Darragh and risk-laden football was played at breakneck speed.

With risk comes likely pain, and Ipswich's lack of game management cost them a huge blow, as well as their long-awaited first home win of the season. Bournemouth, a smaller, less historic club with its current reputation for beating big dogs, is almost exactly what Ipswich aspire to be. A third consecutive victory places Andoni Iraola's team in eighth position. Europe may attract them. “We value the 24 points,” said Iraola, deflected. “I don't think we have to look at the standings, it's too early.”

Starting with a strange and inexplicable clash in the opening seconds between Justin Kluivert and Sam Morsy, everything seemed to indicate that it would be very close. The pace barely slowed down from that point on. Bournemouth started brighter amid the darkness of poor weather conditions but the home fans perked up every time Leif Davis produced a trademark overlap. It was from the opposite flank, and from an Omari Hutchinson cross, Cameron Burgess headed in Ipswich's first chance.

His goal was not long in coming. When the ball fell to Burgess after a long throw from Davis, when most players' instinct would be to shoot, the centre-back coolly left it for Chaplin to guide home. Shortly after, Burgess nodded, only for Delap's second-row rugby-style push in a corner to be ruled illegal, a decision McKenna deemed unfair.

Iraola was then booked when Marcus Tavernier heated up the contest and looked to be brought down while chasing a loose ball in the Ipswich area. This time, the VAR ruled in favor of Ipswich, but tempers were boiling in the stands and on the pitch. A breathless first half closed with Bournemouth pinning Ipswich in their own half while they could only create a series of snatched half-chances.

This pattern continued from the start of the second half, although repeated Hail Mary runs into enemy territory by Liam Delap and Davis eased the pressure on the Ipswich defence. The question that was asked and ultimately answered was whether Iraola's team, whose best days have often come through counterattacking, are comfortable being asked to pick an opponent. They stuck to the process and reaped its rewards when reinforcements arrived.

Ipswich had their chances to avoid any resurgence. Sammie Szmodics forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a save, and the rebound deflected painfully past Delap. Iraola eliminated the disappointing Evanilson and Tavernier, whose first-half miss from a Milos Kerkez cross had set the tone for the capricious finishing, with the skill of David Brooks and the strength of Philip Billing. The match would be decided with Iraola's changes, four of his substitutes appearing in the Bournemouth goals. “At that point we were almost in desperation mode,” his manager said. “We needed new players. Luckily for us, they make a difference.”

As the match reached its crucial moments, Chaplin missed wide as his second goal awaited him. Burgess, who was once at Scunthorpe and Accrington, was at the time heading for man-of-the-match status. He read Antoine Semenyo's mind when an overload attracted him. Home support surged with a mixture of faith and anxiety and then triumphed each time a Bournemouth attack failed.

Then came disaster and pessimism. The torrent of blood from their goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in the charge towards Semenyo opened the goal, a desperate Burgess could not clear the ball and Unal, one of those substitutes, was available. It was Brooks' shot that stood in the way of Ouattara scoring the decisive goal.

As full-time sounded, McKenna stood still, cutting a lonely figure before finally moving to applaud the Ipswich fans. His thanks were loudly reciprocated. “This is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves,” he said, although that would have been perfectly understandable.