A late show by Whittlesea Ranges secured a point against arch-rivals Moreland Zebras in a 2-2 draw in the NPL1 on Saturday.
The Ranges seemed destined for defeat at CB Smith Reserve until super sub Sami Nour bobbed up in the 98th minute to smash home the equaliser.
Picture gallery: Whittlesea Ranges v Moreland Zebras
It kept the young Ranges unbeaten after two matches, albeit with two draws and two points from a possible six.
“We pulled one out of the bag,” Ranges secretary Sergio Costanzo told Star Weekly.
“It was long and deep into stoppage time.
“I’m sure a lot of the opposition would have been thinking the game was over.
“It goes to show how late you can score.”
The Ranges-Zebras rivalry is one of the fiercest in the division.
The clubs were once a merged entity, playing under the name Whittlesea Zebras.
The consequences of losing is to concede bragging rights to former friends, now foes.
The Ranges desperately sought a late equaliser and Nour delivered off the bench to back up Costanzo’s claim that his side’s depth is as strong as any in the competition.
“Most teams bat 14 or 15 down; we bat right down to 18, 19 or 20,” Costanzo said.
The Zebras were first on the board through Joshua McMonagle-Ihasz in the 15th minute.
The visiting Ranges hit back five minutes before half-time from the penalty spot after Matthew Cundari was taken down in the box.
Matthew Iuliano stepped up to score and the sides went into the break at 1-1.
It was again the Zebras with the go-ahead goal in the second half, when Danny Charalambous scored from a goalmouth scramble in the 69th minute.
It left 21 minutes of regulation time and a whopping eight minutes of stoppage time for the Ranges to find parity and earn a deserving point.
“It was a just result,” Costanzo said. “Both teams put it out on the park.”
Adem Mustadangic was the stand-out for the Ranges, showing maturity beyond his years at right back.
“For a young boy, he really held his composure. He was solid,” Costanzo said.
Goalkeeper Gian Tapia was once again called on to make a number of big saves.
“He held us in the game early until our boys regained their composure,” Costanzo said.
The Ranges are still a work in progress.
They are young, fast and talented but need time to gel.
“I think there are only about four on the park from last year’s starting XI and we have 14 new players in our whole squad,” Costanzo said.
“When you get a new team together, they’ve got to get to know each other.
“Sometimes players sense when another player is going to be in a good position and that we haven’t got at the moment. The skill and the talent is there and the other stuff will come only when they’ve played more games together.”
The NPL1 now will take a break as clubs get involved in the FFA Cup.
The Ranges will travel to Shepparton on Saturday for their-fourth round encounter with Goulburn Valley Suns.
Meanwhile, the NPL clash between Hume City and Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday was abandoned with the score 0-0.
An ambulance had to be called after a mid-air collision between Oakleigh Cannons’ Ben Clarke and Hume City’s Chris Oldfield resulted in Clarke being taken to hospital.
The match is likely to be re-scheduled.
