{"id":233166,"date":"2026-01-07T23:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233166\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T23:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:14:07","slug":"thiago-strikes-twice-for-brentford-but-sunderlands-le-fee-fluffs-panenka-penalty-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233166\/","title":{"rendered":"Thiago strikes twice for Brentford but Sunderland\u2019s Le F\u00e9e fluffs Panenka penalty | Premier League"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this winter of managerial discontent, Keith Andrews and R\u00e9gis Le Bris are proving capable frontmen for stable, carefully structured football operations. The Irishman\u2019s exemplary rookie season as a head coach continued with Brentford\u2019s commanding win against Le Bris\u2019s Sunderland<\/a>. The visitors\u2019 west London trip will undoubtedly be remembered for Enzo Le F\u00e9e\u2019s failed attempt to dupe Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher from the penalty spot. Within minutes of that, the finishing of Igor Thiago took the game beyond reach.<\/p>\n

Aside from their goalless New Year\u2019s Day reunion<\/a> with Thomas Frank, Brentford have been turning on the style. Bees fans dream of European travel next season. \u201cI know I\u2019m out here, the one speaking all the time, and the face, but it\u2019s not all about me,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the people that we have in the club, the talented individuals, staff, players and how hard we\u2019ve worked \u2013 and how much we\u2019ve stuck together because at different football clubs, I think I may well have struggled.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was heralded as the season of the big striker, and Thiago is proving the best of the new wave of No 9s, already enjoying the most prolific Premier League<\/a> season ever for a Brazilian in taking his goal tally to 16. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting to score so much, but I just want to keep going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Man of the moment: Igor Thiago is helping to keep the league\u2019s golden boot race competitive. Photograph: Tony O Brien\/Reuters<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a complete centre\u2011forward,\u201d said Andrews. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be swapping him for anybody. I don\u2019t know how many have come from the Bulgarian league to the Belgian league, had a year out injured, and then affected the league like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before his first goal, Thiago was twice denied in an opening 30 minutes that concluded with Vitaly Janelt winning the ball from Nordi Mukiele. A perfectly weighted pass allowed Thiago to round Robin Roefs without breaking stride.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about duels, it\u2019s about composure with the ball, and the duels we had were in favour of Brentford<\/a>,\u201d said Le Bris, who made two quick changes within moments of the second half\u2019s resumption, swapping in Romaine Mundle and Eliezer Mayenda. His team had begun creating chances, Le F\u00e9e firing over, Omar Alderete and Mundle both denied before the fateful penalty was awarded after Kristoffer Ajer both manhandled and tripped Brian Brobbey.<\/p>\n

Le F\u00e9e\u2019s attempt to Panenka his penalty was risible, Kelleher staying stock still for a dolly catch. The guilty party had no chance of styling it out and home fans jeered the replay on the big screen. \u201cWhen we win, we react as a team, when we lose, we react as a team,\u201d Le Bris said. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t take risks you don\u2019t make mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enzo Le F\u00e9e sees Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher fail to be flustered by his attempted Panenka penalty, the Brentford goalkeeper catching the ball straightforwardly. Photograph: Andrew Fosker\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Punishment was added to embarrassment when, after Kevin Schade hit the bar, the ball was recycled for Thiago to score. Another exchange with Schade might have resulted in Thiago\u2019s second hat-trick in two games but Roefs saved. The treble never came, the striker departing as a precaution after an ankle knock.<\/p>\n

From a corner, Yehor Yarmoliuk bundled in the third. The Ukrainian midfielder, scoring his first Brentford goal, is another player flourishing under Andrews\u2019s tutelage. \u201cHe\u2019s just insatiable the way he attacks the game. I think he\u2019s relishing the players that he\u2019s playing with, some really good experienced pros,\u201d said the former set-piece specialist coach whose appointment now looks less a gamble than a masterstroke.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this winter of managerial discontent, Keith Andrews and R\u00e9gis Le Bris are proving capable frontmen for stable,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":{"0":"post-233166","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}