Cardiff City's winless start to the Championship season extended to seven matches as Thierry Gale's 90th-minute header secured Bolton Wanderers a 1-0 victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Brian Barry-Murphy's side dominated possession for long periods and created enough chances to have led, but were left to rue their wastefulness when Bolton struck in the final minute of normal time. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made 10 saves, yet Cardiff's finishing repeatedly let them down.
Bluebirds dominate but fail to convert
Cardiff began brightly and controlled the ball early, with Jack Moylan, Chris Willock and Yousef Salech combining to trouble the Bolton defence. Moylan's low cross found Salech inside the opening 10 minutes, but his first-time effort was saved by Bazunu, who would end the afternoon as Bolton's standout performer.
The goalkeeper produced another excellent stop when Salech rose to meet a Willock cross, tipping his header over the bar. Joel Colwill then came close when a corner reached him at the back post, the ball bouncing off his leg towards goal before Bazunu reacted to keep it out from point-blank range.
Alex Robertson also tested Bazunu from distance, but the final touch repeatedly eluded Cardiff. At the other end, Bolton's clearest chances were largely created by Cardiff errors, with Nathan Trott dealing with a tame Samuel Iling-Junior effort and later saving a Ruben Rodrigues strike from 25 yards.
Late sucker punch leaves Cardiff stunned
The pattern continued after the restart, with Moylan forcing another corner after latching on to a pass from David Turnbull, but Cardiff still could not make their pressure count. Then came the decisive moment in the 90th minute, as Theo Bair sent a cross towards the back post and Gale rose to head into the bottom corner.
There was still time for one final chance, with Ollie Tanner crossing for Callum Robinson, whose volley was brilliantly saved by Bazunu in stoppage time. But it was not to be.
Cardiff's wait for a first Championship victory goes on, with seven league games now played without a win and the Bluebirds left to rue another afternoon when their performance failed to produce the result it deserved.
