Goulburn Valley Suns, away at hostile territory against top-of-the-table North Sunshine Eagles in the Victorian Premier League Two, came back from the dead to record a 4-4 draw at Larissa Reserve on Saturday.
The resurrection was all the more impressive considering the Suns played the entire second half with 10 men, though one man led the way when it came to rolling away the stone.
Import midfielder Callum Schorah commandeered the Orangemen’s comeback, scoring twice and winning the penalty that resulted in a final equalising goal after Craig Carley’s side trailed for the better part of 85 minutes.
That said, the theatre curtain dropped right on the 20 minute mark.
A loose ball struck a Suns’ hand, the referee awarded a penalty, and despite Alexander Georgopoulos diving the right way, Corentin Chauve tucked his lunch into the bottom right corner.
The Suns’ reply arrived 10 minutes later as a cross in from the left pinballed around the box following a goalkeeper fumble.
Young striker Laywi Niyonkuru reacted quickest to poke the ball in the net and seal an absolute car-crash of a goal from an Eagles’ perspective, but for the Orange army, it spelt game on.
Niyonkuru’s day dropped off cloud nine in first half added time as he was shown a straight red card for a two-footed, rash, studs-up tackle to put the visitors a man down.
Straight after the break, North Sunshine capitalised in style.
Having already tasted blood, Chauve rolled the ball from his feet and belted a strike from 30 yards which dipped onto the crossbar, off Georgopoulos’ back and in.
Georgopoulos went down clutching his knee minutes later, bringing substitute goalkeeper Niki Kitabatake onto the field with a job to do.
But the goals didn’t stop there.
As the clock ticked past 65 minutes, a well-worked Eagles counter was cut across and blocked on the line by Greg Nash, only to be thrashed home on the follow-up by Yusuf Karadag for a 3-1 lead.
The Suns needed a hero, a dynamo, a messiah — a Schorah.
The wiry Englishman initiated a frenzied one-man press in North Sunshine’s defensive third, controlling a high ball from the heavens and sliding it under the keeper for a glorious goal.
Suns’ shouts were stifled moments later as a terrific double save by Kitabatake was bicycle kicked home on the third attempt by Redouane Sarakh to push the vocal hosts further ahead.
Again, Schorah lived up to his name as he punished an Eagles’ calamitous scuffed clearance, rushing in to convert at the back post in the 81st minute.
The number 10 was eventually dragged down in the 86th minute, resulting in a red card for Riade Mouyette and a spot kick for the Suns.
Everyone expected Schorah to place the ball on the dot and bury his hat-trick, but the late drama dialled up as substitute Sean Grant stepped up to take it instead.
With ice in his veins, Grant showed no nerves or mercy as he passed it into the net and was joined in righteous celebration by his Suns mates.
Schorah actually had an opportunity to win the tie late, but the chance fell on his unfavoured right foot, and the shot played well right of the goal.
However, nobody could fault him for his work ethic all game as he provided the extra degree of quality to a hard-working Orangemen unit.
The 4-4 draw and point gained will do wonders for the Suns’ chances heading into this weekend’s clash with Essendon Royals as the VPL2 season enters its second half.
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