Thrilling Finish as Melbourne City Halts Rivals’ Premiership Celebration with 86th-Minute Equaliser

Melbourne City pulled off a remarkable escape, securing a late 2-2 draw against the Western Sydney Wanderers, thereby staving off Auckland FC’s bid for the Isuzu UTE A-League Premiership for at least another week.

Kai Trewin netted a penalty in the 86th minute as second-placed City mounted a comeback after trailing by two goals at CommBank Stadium, a result that pushed Auckland’s championship celebrations to Saturday night back a week.

The in-form Wanderers seemed destined for victory after quickly establishing a 2-0 lead within the first 13 minutes, courtesy of a ninth-minute goal from star player Nicolas Milanovic and an own goal by Trewin just four minutes later.

However, Trewin made amends with a brace of his own, helping to keep City’s slim chances of winning the Premier’s Plate alive. He pulled one back in the 36th minute before stepping up to convert a penalty with just four minutes of normal time left after Anthony Pantazopoulos fouled Medin Memeti.

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Wild celebrations erupted when substitute Marcus Antonsson believed he had clinched the match for the Wanderers in the 95th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.

City’s dramatic equaliser has also put them in a strong position to secure a top-two finish. Since Auckland is affiliated with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), they are ineligible to compete in the AFC club competition, meaning second place would guarantee Australia’s sole spot in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite.

With only three points separating City in second and Western United in third, it remains tight, while Western Sydney trails by four points heading into the final two rounds of the regular season.

The Wanderers also extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches, matching their record from the 2015-16 season.

The match kicked off with excitement in Parramatta, where City initially appeared the stronger side, creating several promising chances.

A defence-splitting pass from Yonatan Cohen found Max Caputo in the third minute, but Lawrence Thomas was equal to the task with an outstanding save. The Wanderers’ goalkeeper would deny Aziz Behich just three minutes later with another brilliant stop.

Wanderers made quick work of City’s hopes with back-to-back goals.

In the ninth minute, Milanovic produced a moment of brilliance, evading Socceroo Behich to curl the ball past Patrick Beach and break the deadlock.

Just four minutes later, Milanovic was a nuisance again, turning past Trewin before shaking off Behich again; his shot fortuitously deflected off Trewin into the net for an own goal.

Nevertheless, City remained in the contest during this thrilling encounter, managing to narrow the gap in the 36th minute.

Immediately after Thomas had made an all-important save from Caputo, Trewin rose highest to head in from a corner.

City finished the first half strongly, applying significant pressure on a desperate Western Sydney defence.

While the first half was frenetic, the second half brought a more cautious approach as City sought an equaliser.

Milanovic almost scored again, but Beach was on hand to parry his effort in the final 20 minutes. City’s Marco Tilio then fired a powerful low shot agonisingly wide of the post.

As time dwindled, Memeti entered the fray and won a penalty for City, allowing Trewin to convert from the spot and level the match.