Decisive figure rescues late point for Middlesbrough at Birmingham | OneFootball

Adilson Malanda levelled it in the 88th minute with a close-range finish from a set piece, earning Middlesbrough a 2-2 draw at Birmingham City.

The centre-back's late surge told. Arriving in the crowd, he reacted quickest to force the ball low into the corner, a reward for persistent attacking of second balls at dead balls.

He then threatened again in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time, meeting Tommy Conway's cross with a header that drifted just wide, capping a dominant finale.

Malanda's all-round display underpinned the comeback: three attempts, six clearances and two interceptions, plus five recoveries, showed why Boro could keep pushing after the restart. His positioning on restarts and aggression in aerial duels repeatedly pushed Birmingham back.

Because Boro committed numbers to second phases and kept deliveries consistent from wide areas, Malanda found pockets to attack while still organising the back line when Birmingham broke.

Middlesbrough rise from sixth to third. Birmingham climb from 15th to 10th. Boro host Wolverhampton Wanderers next, while Birmingham visit West Bromwich Albion.

How high would you rate Malanda's performance tonight?