Kim breaks duck to help Cardiff rout Rovers

BLACKBURN, United Kingdom (AFP) –

South Korea midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung, pictured in 2009, scored his first goal for Cardiff as the Championship leaders thrashed Blackburn 4-1 on Friday.

South Korea midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung scored his first goal for Cardiff as the Championship leaders thrashed Blackburn 4-1 on Friday.

Kim, who had gone 12 matches without a goal, capped Cardiff’s dominant display at Ewood Park with a fine finish late in the second half to end his barren run.

The 23-year-old, who joined Malky Mackay’s team from Japanese outfit Cerezo Osaka in a £2.5 million deal in August, has made a solid start to life in English football and his maiden goal will further boost his popularity with his new club.

It came in the 85th minute when a sweeping Cardiff move cut through the Rovers defence and ended with Kim guiding a low strike past Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson from just inside the penalty area.

Kim’s goal was the icing on the cake for Cardiff as they opened up a four-point lead over second placed Crystal Palace, who host Blackpool on Saturday, as the race for promotion to the Premier League hots up.

Mark Hudson had given Cardiff the lead with a 30th minute header and, although Joshua King levelled for Blackburn in the 51st minute, the visitors swept to victory with three goals after the break.

Former Manchester City and Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy restored Cardiff’s lead with a clinical finish in the 55th minute and Joe Mason added the third six minutes from full-time before Kim’s goal sent disgruntled Blackburn fans heading for the exits.

While Cardiff, owned by a consortium of Malaysian investors, are firmly on course for promotion, Henning Berg’s Rovers, who started the season as one of the favourites to go up, are now 11 points behind the top two after a woeful run of one win from their last eight matches.