On Friday night, the Cledara Abbey Stadium hosted a true Varsity dismantling: cheered on by a raucous crowd, Cambridge University dished out a 4–1 drubbing to their arch-rivals Oxford, securing victory in the match for the first time since 2019. A hat-trick from Cai La–Trobe Roberts, alongside a crafty finish from Asa Campbell, helped Cambridge to exorcise last year’s penalty shoot-out demons in what was a dominant display against an inferior Oxford side.

With an electric atmosphere bounding around the Abbey – heightened by an impressive victory in the women’s game earlier that day – all in Light Blue were eager to see Cambridge do the double against the travelling enemy. Despite Oxford claiming silverware just weeks earlier, reigning supreme in the Midlands Conference Cup, Cambridge were always the side more fancied to inflict damage – especially given their status a whole division above their rivals. Captain Reece Linney told Varsity in the lead-up to the game that his side would come out on top. As he brandished the trophy to an adoring Abbey after 90 minutes of full-pelt football, his faith was clearly vindicated.

The early proceedings instantly confirmed Cambridge as the more threatening side, with attempts from Deniz Ozer and Maka Avevor keeping Chris Gregory busy in the Oxford net. The intensity and vigour from the Light Blues stood out – their press from the front afforded the away side precious time on the ball, while the persistent directness of Asa Campbell, matched by the dancing feet of Aaran Mehmood, struck fear into the hearts of a perpetually back-pedalling Oxford backline. It was Mehmood, however, who couldn’t convert when he found himself one-on-one, the former Stoke City academy player fizzing a disappointing effort into the keeper’s arms. Despite the incessant pressure, Cambridge were lacking a killer instinct in the game’s first half an hour.

The Blues’ offensive surges did not let up as the half progressed, however. Whether it was La-Trobe Roberts galloping down the field or Ozer’s jinxing runs, Oxford were helpless to the Cambridge attack. Pickpocketed every time they regained possession, it was a surprise that the away side lasted as long as did they without conceding. La-Trobe Roberts, scorer at the previous year’s match, was the man to break the deadlock in the 38th minute. After intelligent build-up play from Ozer, switching the ball from Mehmood on the right to Ben Pearce on the left, the Welsh target-man received the ball with time in the box and finessed the ball with such self–assurance that the Cambridge crowd had no doubts as to the ball’s final destination. Nestling into the bottom right, the expectant fans were rewarded; the Light Blues were up, one goal to nil.

As the floodlights beamed down, the floodgates soon opened up. Cambridge’s advantage was doubled when they were awarded a penalty just minutes before the interval following a scuffle in the box. Taking three exaggerated strides back, La-Trobe Roberts bagged his second with a penalty kick that grazed close to Gregory yet beat the keeper for power. Gazing up at the adoring crowd, the striker knew that fans and players alike could now enjoy a half-time break with Cambridge having earned a rightful advantage.

“Cambridge’s unwavering tenacity was further characterised by the fantastic performances of their full-backs”

Just minutes into the restart, Campbell continued the Cambridge momentum, netting the hosts’ third of the evening with an awkward strike off the bounce that left the Oxonian players truly dejected. The winger’s jubilant knee-slide celebration was his reward for terrorising Oxford’s backline all game long through a trademark mixture of fast-paced industry and quick–thinking ingenuity.

Cambridge’s unwavering tenacity was further characterised by the fantastic performances of their full-backs. Oxford found it virtually impossible to force Maka Avevor off the ball whenever he put his head down and charged up the pitch, while Ben Pearce was similarly instrumental on the opposite flank. Having started the move that led to Campbell’s successful strike, it was another barnstorming run from the left-back in the 52nd minute that won Cambridge their second penalty of the night as he was swiped down from behind. La-Trobe Roberts, on for a hat-trick, stepped up, with the ability to truly kill off the game if successful.

Taking three steps back once more, he slotted the ball home with icy composure: the three-goal hero sprinting to the home fans, brandishing a shirt, and jumping into the crowd in celebration. Already with a hat-trick against Loughborough’s 2’s last month, La-Trobe Roberts’ match-ball winning strike put the finishing touch on a game in which his finishing, creativity, and physicality were all first-rate.

“Cambridge’s urgency and technical ability proved simply too much to handle”

The outcome all but sealed, Cambridge did appear to take their foot off the gas as the second half wound down. Apart from the cheers from the travelling Oxford contingent, the Abbey fell quiet for the first time on the hour mark when Cambridge centre-back Patrick Brownlow brought down Oxford’s Sacha Gorin-Delmas in the box. The ensuing penalty, confidently dispatched by Dark Blue Captain Noah Fletcher, remained the one bright spark from the evening for the Oxford men, the penalty kick being their first shot on target of the game.

In seeing the game out, the midfield pairing of Reece Linney and Jesse Tapnack remained commanding, with the former’s game intelligence and tough–tackling perfectly complimented by the latter’s exceptional speed and gorgeous passing–range. Linney almost capped off a perfect day in stoppage time when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the area, yet his searing strike shot wide of the post, much to Oxford’s relief.

With a triumphant 4–1 Varsity victory secured – Cambridge men’s first since before the COVID-19 pandemic – Oxford University were left downbeat. On the day, their quality and creativity were not up to scratch, as Cambridge’s urgency and technical ability proved simply too much to handle. It was redemption not only for goalkeeper Aram Sarkissian, substituted off in 2024 due to a head injury but for every returning Blue from last year’s numbing penalty shoot-out defeat.

Cambridge comprehensively vanquished their Oxford enemies. It was an exceptional performance from a team stacked with talent, and when combined with the women’s triumph just hours earlier, Friday marked a joyously memorable day for all involved with football at the University. The image of Reece Linney hoisting the trophy will live long in the memories of Cambridge fans; well, at least until next year, when the two rivals get to battle it out all over again.