Two out of three ain't bad

Welsh sports fans were left wondering what might have been as Cardiff City fell at the final hurdle in capping a magnificent weekend for Welsh Sport.

The weekend started in magnificent fashion on Saturday as Warren Gatland?s rugby side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to beat England at Twickenham. In doing so they claimed their first ever Triple Crown on English soil.

That evening boxer Nathan Cleverly successfully defended his WBO Light Heavyweight world title in the Welsh Capital against American Tommy Karpency. But it needed the backing of the judges as Karpency put up a tough fight to take it the distance.

After the fight, Cleverly hailed the American as ?probably the toughest opponent I have faced over the distance?.

Sports fans were hoping that Cardiff City could make it a Welsh weekend hat-trick on Sunday as they met Liverpool in the League Cup Final at Wembley.

It was the Bluebirds' fourth trip to the English national stadium in as many years, but for the third time they left disappointed, losing on penalties after staging an unlikely comeback against the Premier League side.

However, Manager Malky Mackay praised his players efforts in a game many thought was a foregone conclusion.

?I'm so proud of them, so very very proud of them. I think you've got two teams that put everything into the game here today and I'm very proud of my team,? he said.

?We lost today with dignity?.

Cardiff had taken the lead against the run of play when 20-year-old Joe Mason calmly slotted home in the first half. But his goal was cancelled out by Martyn Skrtel before Dirk Kywt scored what looked like the winner for the reds. However, centre back Ben Turner found the most unlikely of equalisers in the dying minutes to send the game into extra time.

No goals appeared so penalties were needed, and after missing three Cardiff fans were left with their heads in their hands - and a third unsuccessful trip to Wembley in four years.