Jiménez Penalty Secures 2-2 Draw for Wolves Against Blackburn at Molineux

Raúl Jiménez marked his return to Molineux with a 93rd-minute penalty to earn Wolves a 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers.

Raúl Jiménez converted a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Blackburn Rovers at Molineux. The Championship season opener saw Marshall Munetsi provide the hosts an 18th-minute lead before Sean McLoughlin equalized ten minutes later. Andri Gudjohnsen then put the Lancashire side ahead in the 48th minute, a lead that held until the final moments of the contest. The decisive equalizer followed a handball by Ryan Alebiosu, who intercepted a cross delivered by Jackson Tchatchoua.

Cesar Peixoto oversaw his first league match in English football as Wolves head coach, handing a debut to new recruit Kieran Trippier. The veteran defender initiated the sequence for the opening goal, finding Fernando López, whose pass allowed Munetsi to roll the ball under goalkeeper Balazs Hoth. This strike marked the first league goal of the new campaign. However, the visitors responded when Ryoya Morishita provided the cross for McLoughlin’s stooping header to level the score at 1-1.

Gudjohnsen Strikes Early in Second Half

Blackburn seized the lead three minutes after the interval. Oladapo Afolayan delivered a cross that found Andri Gudjohnsen—son of former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen—who beat Yerson Mosquera to fire the ball home. Prior to this, Rovers had created several opportunities through Alebiosu, including a deep cross for an Afolayan header that cleared the crossbar and a square pass to Morishita, whose low attempt was saved by Dan Bentley.

The hosts struggled to regain momentum following the 48th-minute strike, with Afolayan sending another effort narrowly wide. Balazs Hoth nearly gifted Wolves a goal earlier in the match when a fluffed punch from a Trippier corner traveled backward toward his own net, though the goalkeeper recovered in time to prevent the blunder. Fernando López and Matheus Mane both attempted long-range shots during the first half, but neither effort forced a save from Hoth.

Jiménez Rescues Point on Molineux Return

Raúl Jiménez entered the match as a second-half substitute, marking his first league appearance for Wolves in three years following a free transfer from Fulham. The 35-year-old Mexico international received a rapturous reception from the capacity crowd. He immediately impacted the game by creating a chance for fellow substitute Tommy Doyle, though the midfielder’s shot missed high and wide.

Both managers utilized three substitutions each during a scrappy second period as Wolves appeared to run out of energy. The late drama unfolded when Alebiosu was penalized for handling the ball in the box. Jiménez stepped up to the spot and sent Hoth the wrong way to ensure the points were shared. Despite trailing for the majority of the second half, the home side avoided defeat in the final seconds of the Championship's curtain-raiser. The result leaves both teams with a single point following the 2-2 stalemate in the West Midlands.