Wrexham A.F.C. suffered a 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup, with Will Lankshear's stunning acrobatic strike proving decisive. The Red Dragons exited the cup despite a resilient defensive display and flashes of brilliance from striker Sam Smith. Phil Parkinson's Wrexham AFC were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the first round after a 1-0 loss away to Middlesbrough on Friday night. The only goal came early in the second half, when Middlesbrough's new £20m striker Will Lankshear, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, scored with an impressive acrobatic goal early into the second half. Danny Imray made his full debut at right wing-back for Wrexham AFC, with Danny Ward starting in goal behind defenders Zak Vyner, Dominic Hyam, and Callum Doyle. Wrexham continued their compact counter-attacking style seen in pre-season, aiming to hit Boro on the counter, but the home side defended well. Middlesbrough had the first big chance after eight minutes when Sebastian Berhalter crossed to Adilson Malanda, but Ward made a great close-range save. Wrexham also created chances, with Callum Doyle sending in dangerous crosses from the left and Nathan Broadhead just missing with a header. Wrexham's best chance in the first half came in the 39th minute. Nathan Broadhead moved across the box and played a well-timed pass to Sam Smith, but Brynn blocked Smith's low shot with his legs. Soon after, Ollie Rathbone shot wide, and the teams went into halftime tied at 0-0. Sam Smith scored several goals during pre-season and looked bright again against a promotion favourite in Middlesbrough. After halftime, Middlesbrough quickened their pace. Sam Smith had another chance when he chased Doyle's pass and pushed the ball past Brynn, but he slipped and was controversially given a yellow card for diving. The deadlock was broken in the 61st minute. Jeremy Sarmiento crossed into the box, Berhalter headed it back across goal, and Will Lankshear, the club's big summer signing, scored with an acrobatic shot into the far corner to put Middlesbrough ahead. Lankshear proved to viewers why he is so highly rated not only within the league but with his former team's fans. Parkinson made several substitutions, bringing on Ryan Longman for Imray, then introducing Kieffer Moore, Bailey Cadamarteri, and new signing Ben Whiteman. Whiteman helped Wrexham control the midfield, and Davis Keillor-Dunn also came on as Wrexham looked for an equaliser. Wrexham kept pushing but couldn't create a clear chance late in the game. Middlesbrough nearly scored again in the 87th minute when Morgan Whittaker hit the post with Ward beaten. Although Parkinson's team lost by a single goal, they stayed competitive against a strong Middlesbrough side, with Lankshear's goal making the difference. Now, Wrexham will focus on their challenging Championship season ahead, currently sitting 7th in the final 2025 table with 71 points, 19 wins, 14 draws, and 13 losses from 46 games, and a goal difference of +4, with 69 goals scored and 65 conceded. They are 24 points behind the leaders Coventry in the title race.