Western Sydney Wanderers scored two goals in the final six minutes to stun Melbourne Victory and prevent their opponents from moving second in the Ninja A-League standings after it finished 4-4 at the Home of the Matildas.
Trailing 4-2 after Alex Chidiac had extended Victory’s lead in the 87th minute on Sunday, the visiting Wanderers then turned the match on its head with goals in the 89th and 92nd minutes to stun the hosts in Bundoora.
Looking for just their second win of the season, the Wanderers went ahead in the fourth minute as reigning Julie Dolan Medallist Sophie Harding pounced on an error from Claudia Bunge before finishing past Courtney Newborn to make it 1-0.
Victory hit back on the stroke of half-time though and it was Bunge who atoned for her earlier error, heading the ball beyond Wanderers keeper Sham Khamis from a corner.
The home side took the lead early in the second half thanks to a brilliant strike from defender Ellie Wilson but that goal was matched by a stunning hit from Wanderers winger Sienna Saveska who made it 2-2 just three minutes later.
Melbourne Victory then took the lead with 13 minutes of regulation remaining after an error from Khamis saw the goalkeeper misjudge a cross before it hit the unsuspecting Gemma Ferris and bounced into the open net.
Jeff Hopkins’ side then made it 4-2 in the 87th minute as Chidiac scored her first goal of the season but the Wanderers then bagged two dramatic late goals in one of the comebacks of the season.
First, substitute Talia Kapetanellis pulled a goal back in the final minute of regulation before Harding scored her second of the night to to salvage a draw in dramatic fashion in the 92nd minute.
The result means Victory miss out on the chance to move into second on the ladder while the draw for the Wanderers means they remain a point clear of bottom-placed Sydney FC.
With the game moved back to 8:00pm (AEDT) due to sweltering conditions in Melbourne it was the away side who made a red-hot start.
Robbing Bunge of the ball inside her own half, Harding charged towards goal before cooly slotting the ball beyond Newbon and into the Victory net.
The home side set about bagging the equaliser and had several half chances before the Wanderers then thought they’d doubled their lead in the 27th minute; Cushla Rue’s low ball into the box tapped home by Danika Matos who was in an offside position.
Cranking up the pressure, Victory went close in the 39th minute as Alana Jancevski screwed a left footed effort narrowly wide of the far post after taking aim from the edge of the box.
The leveller eventually came on the stroke of half-time though and it was Bunge who made the telling contribution at the other end.
With Chidiac curling a perfect in-swinging corner in to the box, Bunge leapt highest to power home a header to ensure her side were level heading into the break.
Starting the second half like they finished the first, Victory took the lead just six minutes after the restart and it was English defender Wilson who came up with the goods.
Gaining possession of the ball inside the box, Rachel Lowe then cushioned a pass back to Wilson on the edge of the area who duly thumped the ball beyond Khamis to make it 2-1.
Victory’s lead didn’t last long though as the Wanderers soon clawed themselves level thanks to a brilliant strike from Saveska.
Collecting the ball on the right, Saveksa jinked her way in field towards the edge of the Victory box before bending a sumptuous effort beyond the despairing dive of Newbon and into the back of the net.
Now searching for the winner, head coach Hopkins went to his bench and brought on Matildas forward Emily Gielnik to make the difference and her class soon showed.
Receiving the ball out on Victory’s left, Gielnik sent a teasing bouncing cross into the Wanderers box which Lowe got to first but her stabbed effort was well-saved by Khamis at close quarters.
But while Khamis saved her side in that moment, two minutes later she cost her side dearly as a mistake inside the box saw Victory take a 3-2 lead.
Striding down Victory’s right, Gielnik beat her opponent before firing a low ball into the box which Khamis attempted to claim however the keeper misjudged her dive and the ball subsequently hit Ferris on the shins and bounced into the net.
Victory then thought they’d made sure of the points in the 87th minute as Chidiac bagged her first goal of the campaign, stealing in to slot the ball beyond Khamis after Alana Murphy’s long-range effort bounced back off the crossbar.
However, the Wanderers then produced one of the most outrageous comebacks in recent memory, bagging two goals in the space of three minutes to level things up.
In the 89th minute, substitute Bronte Trew drilled a fizzing low ball into the box which was converted by Kapetanellis before Harding then snagged her second of the game deep into stoppage time.
Capitalising on an error inside the box by Kayla Morrison, Harding was in the right place at the right time to slide a left-footed strike beyond Newbon and into the back of the net to ensure the Wanderers left Melbourne with the most unlikely of points.
