Adomah scores, Boro reach playoff final

Albert Adomah found the net as Middlesbrough beat Brentford 3-0 in the second leg of their Championship playoff semi-final to advance to a Wembley advantage.

Boro held the advantage ahead of the second leg having picked up a victory last week at Griffin Park. Goals from Jelle Vossen and Fernando Amorebieta meant that the north-east side held a 2-1 advantage heading into the return fixture between the two Premier League hopefuls.

The second leg was much more comfortable for Aitor Karanka’s side, who won 3-0 in front of their home fans to take the tie 5-1 on aggregate.

The Teesiders opened the scoring on 23 minutes when star man Lee Tomlin sent a delicious shot past David Button—following an assist from Adomah—to put clear distance between the rivals.

The contest was all but settled after the break when Kike scored from close range.

Middlesbrough advanced to the final in style when Ghana international demonstrated his fine finishing ability to fire past Button with 12 minutes remaining.

Karanka’s side gave an excellent account of themselves, and beyond the one-sided scoreline, it was a dominant and composed performance, which they never looked like losing. Impressively, they were also without Patrick Bamford, the Chelsea loaned, and one of their key players, who missed out on the starting XI due to injury.

Adomah was a menace down the right-hand side, where his pace and excellent dribbling ability constantly caused problems for Bees left-back Jake Bidwell, who was replaced after an hour.

Boro now return to Wembley for the first time since 1998, as they look to secure a return to the Premier League.

They will face Norwich City—who beat local rivals Ipswich Town in their semi-final—on May 25 at 3pm.

Adomah’s qualities—both in this match and throughout the campaign—have been central to Boro’s success, and he must surely be considered by Avram Grant for Ghana’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.