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A decade and a half of hurt have finally come to an end for Ipswich Town. An unwanted streak that had lingered for longer than most forgotten places was broken in decisive fashion as local adversaries Norwich City were defeated 3-1 and thoroughly outclassed in the hosts' first triumph in 15 derbies.

Decisive Goals and Pivotal Displays

Goals from Kipré – the standout performer – the mercurial Philogene and Jack Clarke were the decisive moments of the match, with Norwich’s kamikaze attacking another factor. But the presence of Marcelino Núñez, who found the net against the Tractor Boys for Norwich in the previous derby two seasons ago then finalized a £10m move to Ipswich in the summer, was felt all match. Appearing on the cover of the matchday program and in the voices of the Ipswich support, even as he began the game on the substitutes' bench, this was a transfer troll that in the end delivered the desired effect.

Match Summary and Critical Moments

After a peppy atmosphere in and around the ground before the match, the opening half hour was as disjointed as yesterday's news. But the hosts took the lead in the 32nd minute with a cleverly executed set piece. The delivery came from Jaden Philogene: a looping cross that found Dara O’Shea at the back post. O’Shea headed the ball into the area to the center of the box and, after a brief melee, it fell to Cédric Kipré who took a touch and slammed the ball into the net.

This was what the Ipswich supporters had been after and the team looked in a strong position to kick on, but Norwich scrapped their way back into the match. A number of lost possessions by the away side ended with one finding Crnac who sprinted behind Davis to win a corner. Kellen Fisher’s delivery was directed at Harry Darling at the back post, but was headed out to Schwartau who hit a driven effort directly at the target and, via a minor deflection, past a helpless Alex Palmer.

The Canaries were elated and Ipswich’s fans became a somewhat restless. This was a story they had witnessed many times before, while the home side’s performance was amplifying concerns over a uneven beginning to the season following relegation. But one reliable aspect during the opening rounds has been the goalscoring form of Jaden Philogene, and he was about to score again.

Jaden's Stunning Goal

Norwich were playing triangles in the midfield with the time having just reached to 45 minutes when Schwartau’s countryman, the midfielder Mattsson, unaccountably let the ball pass between his feet and through to a waiting Ipswich No 11. From there Philogene wasted no time. He ran straight on target and, after a couple of controls, unleashed a powerful shot from 25 yards that clipped the top of Vladan Kovacevic’s fingers but burst into the top corner of the net. His reaction – a na-na-na-na-na with his hands in his head – may require some work.

After the Break Action

At half-time the Ipswich legend Jim Magilton came on to the field to encourage the fans to stick the course, and pledged that Norwich’s high defensive line would create more chances. Before long he was proven right. Ipswich were increasingly able to spin runners into the space left open by Norwich’s advanced full-backs. George Hirst should have scored from one such opportunity three minutes after the restart, but fluffed his effort when one on one with the keeper. Given with a mirror image of an opening on the 60-minute mark Hirst opted against shooting at all and crossed the ball into empty space.

Núñez’s Impact and Jack's Decisive Goal

With a quarter-hour to go both teams made a number of changes but attention were on one specific individual. Marcelino Núñez came on to the field to a chorus of raucous chanting and within minutes he had made the decisive contribution the narrative had forewarned. The visitors were attempting to push into some attacking activity, but a forward burst from Darling ended in a poor touch and Cajuste robbed the player before sliding the ball immediately to Núñez. The Chilean needed just an instant to read the situation and lofted a ball behind that high line into his fellow substitute Azón on the left hand side. His driven shot went past the goalkeeper and on to a post, but Jack Clarke (another sub) was on handy to turn the rebound home calmly.

Closing Minutes and Reactions

The final quarter-hour were a dominant spell for the visitors but there was no more damage to be suffered. At least not in open play. At the final whistle, as the stadium exploded, Núñez was given his own lap of honor of the ground, followed by the lenses. Holding the team banner and carrying a banner of a tweet from a opposing fan calling for a memorial at Norwich's ground, the midfielder appeared to be having the time of his life.