The decisive moment came in the 79th minute when Rubin Colwill scored his eighth goal of the season at Cardiff City Stadium, sealing Port Vale's fate and confirming their relegation to League Two for the upcoming season. Despite their determination to stay in the fight, as expressed by manager Jon Brady after the previous week's goalless draw against Wigan, Port Vale's inability to score over 90 minutes ultimately led to their demise. The team's trip to Cardiff was always going to be an uphill battle, especially given that their hosts had already secured promotion to the Championship with a 3-1 win over Reading just four days prior. For Port Vale to survive, they would have needed to win all their remaining four matches while also relying on Leyton Orient and AFC Wimbledon to fail to gain any points.
The first half was largely uneventful, with the only notable action being Joel Colwill's attempt that forced Joe Gauchi into a save. After the break, the home team's Nathan Trott made a crucial save to deny Ben Garrity's header from a corner just three minutes into the second half.
Later, Yosef Salech and Joel Colwill both had opportunities to score, but it was Chris Willock's cross that eventually led to Rubin Colwill's decisive header past the hour mark.