Yousef Salech issues cheeky Wrexham AFC dig after EFL Cup triumph - Cardiff City fans will love it | OneFootball

Cardiff City recently knocked Wrexham out of the EFL Cup, and Salech wasted no time in trying to rile up the opposition fans post-match

Yousef Salech has poked fun at Wrexham following Cardiff City’s 2-1 EFL Cup victory over the Red Dragons.

The two Welsh sides went to battle in the fourth round of the competition, with Wrexham hosting the first clash between these clubs in over 23 years.

Cardiff had won the previous two contests against Welsh football’s newest phenomenon and made it a third victory in succession despite now operating out of a lower division than Phil Parkinson’s side.

Salech opened the scoring after 13 minutes, which was cancelled out after half-time via a Kieffer Moore bullet header. The Bluebirds wrestled their way back in front with less than 20 minutes to play, thanks to William Fish and held on to win from that

point.

The meeting between these two sides had been built up extensively due to the enormous wait since their last duel, with Wrexham the favourites thanks to their extensive transfer recruitment over the previous few years.

That didn’t end up being the case, which is something Salech highlighted after Cardiff progressed to the next round of the cup at the Red Dragons’ expense.

Yousef Salech makes Wrexham dig following Cardiff City triumph

Salech joined Cardiff City in January 2025 and made an immediate impact on the Bluebirds’ faithful, netting nine times in 22 appearances for the Welsh outfit despite having to head up the second-tier’s least competitive team.

The 23-year-old has carried that form into the new term, scoring five goals and providing one assist in 10 League One starts, as well as delivering the opening strike away at Wrexham in the EFL Cup.

Following the victory, Salech decided to take aim at the Red Dragons’ approach to the contest and why they may have built up the clash too much.

“I think this game maybe meant more to them than it did to us,” stated Salech to BBC Sport. “They are looking for a rival, looking for a derby with someone.

“I don’t see them as anything like that right now.”

Salech clearly makes reference to the fact that Swansea and Cardiff are traditionally Wales’ two biggest teams and each other’s arch-rivals, whilst Wrexham have to settle for second-best, with no real rival of note in the north of the country for them to compete with.

Naturally, Cardiff City supporters were overjoyed to hear Salech poke fun at Wrexham in such an obvious manner and haven’t been shy to express that online.

One Bluebirds fan has dubbed Salech a 'legend' for his obvious winding up of the North Wales outfit.

This Cardiff supporter meanwhile wants the club to hand the towering striker essentially a contract for the rest of his career given how well he's fit in at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Salech’s comments also brought attention from other fanbases, who could appreciate the good humour Cardiff’s striker had displayed following their victory over Wrexham.

“Not even a Cardiff fan,” replied a Stockport County supporter. “He scored last minute against us, but this lad has earned my respect.”

Although Wrexham have enjoyed much more success than Cardiff in recent times, the Bluebirds came out on top in their most recent contest, which in Salech’s eyes, wasn’t even a derby clash.

This may antagonise the Red Dragons’ faithful who believe they have done enough to command respect from the likes of Cardiff and Wrexham, but that doesn’t appear to be the case at this moment in time.