Cardiff City boss Omer Riza said he is "so proud" of his team after they came from behind to snatch a dramatic late point away to Millwall on Tuesday night, to cap an emotional but successful week.

After falling behind just over a minute into the contest at the Den, the Bluebirds found themselves 2-0 down after 20 minutes as Calum Scanlon and Casper de Noore struck amid a poor start for the visitors. But a curling effort from Chris Willock in first-half stoppage time gave them hope, before new signing Yousef Salech made himself the hero by coming off the bench and firing home a 97th minute equaliser with the last touch of the game.

It was a first Cardiff goal for the Dane, who arrived in South Wales from Swedish side Sirius last week for a fee believed to be over £3 million. The dramatic end to the game gave Bluebirds fans another reason to smile after the jubilant highs of a 3-0 win in the South Wales derby at the weekend, with the two results lifting them to 19th in the Championship table.

READ MORE: Darts star Gerwyn Price defies odds to hit 147 snooker break

READ MORE: Cardiff City have a new hero as Yousef Salech snatches point at Millwall in injury time

WHATSAPP: Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community

“I’m so proud of the players," said Riza at the full-time whistle. "They’re continuously showing that character. We made it hard for ourselves early on. To go 2-0 down here in a tough place to come and let two goals in through a lack of getting to first and second balls and allowing them momentum in the game was disappointing.

"We spoke about matching their aggression before the game, but I think the emotion of the game against Swansea on Saturday maybe caught up to us a little bit early on. We grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck after that.

"Chris scored a great goal, which gave us a lifeline, then Yousef’s one going in, the shoe is on the other foot tonight," he added. "We’ve let in late goals against Coventry and Stoke and been held to points, but we’ve done it tonight and it’s a well deserved point.

After Salech missed a huge chance minutes before finding the net, Riza admitted he feared it was "not quite going to happen" for the big money signing, who made his first appearance for the side against Swansea. But after scoring in dramatic style, the Bluebirds boss hopes he can "propel" him and the team forward as they look to escape relegation.

“It was really hard when he came on," he said. "He was getting knocked about a little bit and it was a welcome to the Championship. He missed a header. The ball went into the box from Anwar [El Ghazi] and the header, he’s got up really well and it’s gone just over, you’re thinking it’s not quite going to happen.

"Then, he showed that composure in the box to get on the end of it there and it’s a great finish, lovely to see that from him. Hopefully that will propel him now even more, and the squad and the team. To get that point is really important."

Of course, it has been an incredibly emotional week for the manager, who lost his father Josh two days before the derby win. Cardiff fans paid a touching tribute to Riza during the Swansea match, singing "This one's for your dad", while assistant coach Tom Ramasut said the players "wanted to do it for the gaffer".

And Riza, who was sent off in the closing stages of the derby after a confrontation with Swans midfielder Goncalo Franco, has thanked fans for their support, saying that their connection with him "means a lot".

"I want to be around the boys. They make me feel that little bit better," said the manager as he reflected on the past week. "Nothing can replace my father. It's a rough period ahead but the results help a little bit.

"I can't thank the fans enough for their support. I've been inundated with messages. The connection with the fans means a lot to me."