Cardiff City 1-1 Watford: Mark McGuinness strike cancelled out by Vakoun Bayo in hard-fought draw

Cardiff City take a point with them into the international after Vakoun Bayo cancelled out Mark McGuinness' first-half volley in a 1-1 draw with Watford.

The Bluebirds struck from a corner in the first half, but as the game wore on it looked more and more likely that Watford would score not only the equaliser, but the winner, too. And their leveller came through an awful mistake from goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, whose heavy touch gifted the ball to Bayo, who rounded him and poked it home.

Watford started the game quickly, harassing the Bluebirds and they were lightning-quick with their press. It forced Cardiff into a couple of mistakes, but the Hornets didn't necessarily punish the hosts.

Cardiff, on the other hand, looked far more dangerous on the breakaway and architected a couple of chances via that route. The first major chance came halfway through the first half when Ike Ugbo did splendidly to chop inside and mount a counter-attack. The ball found its way to Karlan Grant on the opposite flank and he did well to beat his marker on the outside and hammer a low shot on target. Daniel Bachmann had to get down low and paw the ball into the danger zone, but Ugbo's outstretched leg just couldn't poke it home.

Grant looked lively and it was him just minutes later who had the next big chance of the tie. He stole the ball from Edo Kayembe on halfway and zipped it past the last defender, leaving only clean air between him and Bachmann. The winger made his way to the edge of the box before lashing his effort from 20 yards over the bar. It was a golden opportunity for the Bluebirds to take the lead.

But the hosts were emboldened by a flurry of chances and, fortunately for the home fans, they didn't have to wait long to open the