It was the unbelievable finish to a Campbelltown blockbuster that could play a significant role in shaping the Isuzu UTE A-League top six.
Macarthur FC hosted Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night, and after falling behind to a Brandon Borrello strike, the Bulls answered back through Lachlan Rose and Al Hassan Toure to lead 2-1 in second-half stoppage time.
Toure’s goal came two minutes after Wanderers substitute Kusini Yengi hit the side netting after rounding Macarthur keeper Filip Kurto; that goal could have seen Western Sydney take all three points, but instead they were staring down a 2-1 defeat with just minutes to play.
Then came the ultimate finale: in the 96th minute, a free-kick swung into Macarthur’s defensive penalty area shaped as the Wanderers’ last hope. Up stepped Borrello to secure his brace with a brilliant header and steal a point back for the visitors, in a game which was truly unpredictable until its thrilling end.
The Bulls would have climbed into seventh spot on the A-League Men table had they held on for all three points against the Wanderers. Instead, they sit one spot off the bottom, as one of four teams locked on 26 points in a logjam beneath sixth-placed Sydney FC on 29 points.
Incredibly, should Melbourne Victory defeat Perth Glory on Sunday afternoon, Tony Popovic’s side would move up to 27 points, leaving Macarthur on the foot of the table – but still within three points of the finals places. It would mean, with three rounds to play, the six teams placed 7th-12th would all be within a win of breaking into the top six.
