The Melbourne Knights have clinched a place in soccer’s Dockerty Cup final after an extra-time thriller in their semi-final against Bentleigh.
After Bentleigh had equalised in the 95th minute of regular time to make the score 2-2, Stipo Andrijasevic scored the winner for the Knights in the 11 minute of extra time.
Melbourne Knights coach Andrew Marth was rapt with his side’s performance.
“I thought it was great, especially after they equalised late in the game.
“We had made all our substitutions … I think the boys showed a lot of character and a lot of experience.”
Just 24 hours after that match last Tuesday, South Springvale spoiled what could have been an all-Brimbank final when it defeated St Albans on penalties.
In a seesawing clash between the Knights and Bentleigh, both sides had opportunities to hit the scoreboard early.
But the defensive units stood up and the scores remained locked at 0-0 for most of the first half.
That was until the 38-minute mark when Milan Batur made the most of a pass from a free kick to flick the ball past the Bentleigh goalkeeper to give the Knights the lead.
The 1-0 advantage remained intact until the 66th minute when Bentleigh tied the scores.
The Knights didn’t have to wait long to be back on top, regaining the lead four minutes later.
Daniel Visevic became the hero when his stunning strike curled the ball into the corner of the net, putting his team one step closer to the competition’s final.
Despite the late setback, the Knights showed exceptional maturity to rebound from the goal and go into extra time firing.
The Dockerty Cup final will be played on Saturday, August 30, at a venue yet to be announced.
