It took a penalty shoot-out for Sky Bet Championship side Swansea City to knock Argyle out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
The game finished 1-1 in 90 minutes, with a first-half goal from Žan Vipotnik cancelled out just before half-time by a Brendan Wiredu header.
It was an entertaining encounter, with both creating numerous chances to win it, but in the end it had to be decided by kicks from the penalty mark, and the Swans just about had the edge.
In a classic, unwritten rule of football, former Swansea man Matty Sorinola was the only person to miss from the spot, which was harsh on the full-back, who had a terrific game, including a vital block at the very end of injury-time.
Swansea scored all five of their spot-kicks, meaning Sorinola’s effort, which was saved by Alex Fisher, proved the difference.
Despite not progressing past the second round, Argyle will be proud of a performance that saw them match their opponents, a division higher, throughout.
Three players remained in the Argyle starting line-up from Saturday’s win over Blackpool, namely goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond, defender Alex Mitchell and midfielder Bradley Ibrahim.
Mitchell was joined at centre-back by Wiredu, and they were flanked by captain Joe Edwards to the right, and Sorinola to the left.
Ibrahim anchored a midfield that also contained Caleb Roberts, with Tegan Finn and Joe Hatch out wide. Forwards Bim Pepple and Owen Oseni were both included, with Oseni playing just the deeper of the two, but not by much.
The opening to the game was unexpectedly open and this, of the two teams, suited the Greens the most.
That said, Swansea had the first chance of the game, with Melker Widell at the end of a Swans breakaway, following an Argyle attack.
The Pilgrims kept up their early pressure, drawing two corners in the first five minutes, and shortly afterwards went close when Pepple headed wide from a Finn cross from deep on the right.
Argyle had a great chance when Ibrahim burst through the centre, played left to Sorinola, and got the ball back in the box, denied only by a late block. Within seconds, Swansea were on the attack, and Widell was denied by a good save by Ashby-Hammond.
After a quarter-of-an-hour or so of Argyle being on top, the home side started to wrestle control of the match from their visitors, and impose themselves on the game, slowing play down and controlling possession.
They got a reward and took the lead around the mid-point of the first half, with Vipotnik’s strike giving Swansea the advantage.
And what a strike it was. The Slovenian striker was probably afforded more space than the Argyle defence would like, in hindsight, but his drive from 20 yards, that fizzed in via the crossbar, was easy on the eye, and hard on Argyle who would have been reasonably pleased with their opening to the game.
The goal gave Swansea confidence, and a side like the Swans, who have deep foundations in the art of playing possession-based football, can pass opponents into submission, particularly if going a goal up.
That said, an Argyle present nearly led to a second goal. Finn looked to send what in his mind’s eye seemed a simple enough ball back to Ashby-Hammond, but his actual eyes had not spotted Vipotnik who latched on and went round the keeper, but Ashby-Hammond recovered really well to stop the forward getting a second.
The importance of this came into even sharper focus just 15 seconds before the initial 45 minutes had elapsed. From a deep free-kick on the left, Sorinola hung the ball up, and Wiredu won the battle with Widell before powering a header down and in.
The second period began in cagey fashion, and was punctuated by a series of changes around the hour mark. It was expedited by an injury to dangerous Swansea winger Eom Ji-Sung, but Swansea used the stoppage to bring on four substitutes, and Argyle two, namely Lorent Tolaj and Caleb Watts, on for Oseni and Ibrahim.
Bali Mumba and Freddie Issaka followed as replacements, for Hatch and Finn, but not before Finn struck an effort from over 20 yards which was not at all far away from perfectly marking the week in which he has signed a first professional contract.
With just over 15 minutes to go, Pepple had a glorious chance to put Argyle in front. Argyle had built nicely on the left, and when their attack looked to have halted near the halfway line, Watts burst through. He timed a nice ball through to put Pepple beyond, but the shot was saved by Fisher.
Moments later, a Sorinola corner was met on the run by Tolaj, and City did well to smuggle the ball away from deep in their six-yard area.
This seemed to wake Swansea up. They had one attack where Argyle had to throw bodies in the way as various Swans looked to line up an effort, shortly before Malick Yalcouyé ghosted in at the far post, but his header went into the ground and bounced over the bar.
On 84 minutes, Edwards took a sharp free-kick which found an alert Tolaj running on, but Fisher made another vital stop, preventing Argyle’s new number nine from getting his first goal in green.
Liam Cullen missed a decent chance as Swansea broke following an Argyle corner right on the 90-minute mark, and in eight minutes of stoppage time, Wales Under-21 international Issaka got into a great position for Argyle, but dragged wide from an inside-right position.
With almost the final action of a cracking conclusion to the game, Sam Parker looked odds-on to score, but a great tackle from the outstanding Sorinola prevented it.
The game then went to a shoot-out, which saw a relieved Swansea prevail.
Argyle: 1 Luca Ashby-Hammond, 4 Brendan Wiredu, 8 Joe Edwards (capt), 15 Alex Mitchell, 18 Owen Oseni (9 Lorent Tolaj, 65), 23 Bradley Ibrahim (17 Caleb Watts, 65), 24 Caleb Roberts, 27 Bim Pepple (19 Malachi Boateng, 90), 29 Matty Sorinola, 38 Joe Hatch (11 Bali Mumba, 72), 39 Tegan Finn (25 Freddie Issaka, 72). Substitutes: 13 Zak Baker (gk), 14 Ayman Benarous, 40 Joe Mwaro, 41 Seb Campbell.
Goals: Wiredu 45
Booked: Roberts 75
Swansea: 1 Andy Fisher, 4 Jay Fulton, 6 Marko Stamenic (30 Ethan Galbraith, 62), 7 Melker Widell, 9 Žan Vipotnik, 10 Eom Ji-Sung (2 Josh Key, 62) 14 Josh Tymon, 15 Cameron Burgess (capt, 5 Ben Cabango, 62), 26 Kaelan Casey (20 Liam Cullen, 69), 27 Zeidane Inoussa (8 Malick Yalcouyé, 62), 41 Sam Parker. Substitutes: 29 Paul Farman (gk), 17 Gonçalo Franco, 24 Bobby Wales, 31 Ollie Cooper.
Goals: Vipotnik 22
Booked: Fulton 80
Attendance: 7,279
Referee: Elliot Bell
Penalty shoot-out
Vipotnik scored (1-0 Swansea)
Tolaj scored (1-1)
Galbraith scored (2-1)
Sorinola saved (2-1)
Cullen scored (3-1)
Watts scored (3-2)
Cabango scored (4-2)
Mumba scored (4-3)
Widell scored (5-3)
