Travis Dodd's fourth minute goal for Adelaide United against Melbourne Victory at Docklands Stadium on Sunday evening looked enough to send Adelaide United into the A-League Grand Final, until an added-time header by substitute James Robinson following Danny Allsopp's equaliser early in the second half gave Victory a last-gasp win. It was a finish which would make a Boys' Own Annual writer blush were it to be submitted for publication.
Not only did Robinson come off the bench with three minutes left to play to net the winner, he'd been signed from a local Victorian club part-way through the season to provide cover. His previous game-time had been fleeting.
"In a way (Adelaide's early goal) worked for us," said Victory coach Ernie Merrick after the game. "We played really good football for the next ninety-two minutes. I have to say I thought we'd run out of opportunities to score, and it just wasn't going to go in for us. But the fitness showed through, the determination, their fighting spirit - it just all came together."
Adelaide now needs to beat Newcastle Jets at home next week if it wishes to claim a rematch. It will need to get over its disappointment at being just seconds away from being in Victory's position.
"(The players) are going to pick themselves up," said Adelaide coach John Kosmina after the game. "They're mature, responsible, and professional enough to do that."
"What am I supposed to do?" Kosmina asked rhetorically. "Slit my throat? You've got to get on with it."
Captain Ross Aloisi - who had a strong influence on the match providing bite and endeavour in the United engine room - was clearly disappointed at the outcome. "We're obviously shattered. To lose like that with two minutes to go is ridiculous. The way things were going tonight, we were through."
A near-capacity attendance of 47,413 saw an engrossing encounter - the largest attendance yet at any national Finals game. With the Grand Final to be held at that same venue, Melbourne's football aficionados are bound to break that record yet again.
Dodd's early goal however silenced the crowd, and meant Melbourne would need two for the win. As games between this pair had always been tight, and Melbourne's recent home performances unconvincing, Melbourne's task was significant and the Victory support were mightily aware of that.
Diego had run into a good position up the left wing after Fred had lost the ball as Melbourne pressed and crossed to the far post. Dodd lobbed his header over Michael Theoklitos into the net on the opposite side.
Victory's formation had meant there was no wide right midfielder as Fred was occupying a more forward and central role. Diego's run had exploited that deficiency. His cross was perfectly struck and only Dodd could have reached it. There was still some work to do as the angle was tight, but Dodd chose the correct option, looping his header beyond Theoklitos' despairing stretch.
The clubs were locked scoreless after the first leg in Adelaide last week, meaning this game was in the balance from the start, and the first team to take initiative would gain a significant advantage. Dodd's header gave Adelaide the edge and ensured the contest would be settled without the need for extra-time. Melbourne now also had a clock to defeat.
Victory did not panic in the chase, setting about its job with patience. Indeed, its first real opportunity took almost half an hour to eventuate. It required a first-class save from Daniel Beltrame to keep it out. Kevin Muscat had set up Grant Brebner who in turn found Allsopp at the forward edge of the penalty-area. Allsopp's quick spin took him wide and into space from which he let loose a thunderbolt stopped only by Beltrame's diving block.
Fred and Archie Thompson beavered away without penetration. The Adelaide defence, capably marshalled by Ange Costanzo, stood stalwart. Fred's frustration at his inability to make headway against it boiled over just before the end of the first-half, and he was correctly cautioned for a blatant dive inside the Adelaide penalty area.
The tie was eventually brought back into balance, and the crowd re-enlivened, within minutes of the restart. Allsopp's storming run into the penalty-area and left-foot cannonball sent the ball crashing high into the net for the equaliser. Allsopp is a bull of a man and on his way he burst through challenges from Carl Veart, Matthew Kemp, and Ross Aloisi - none of them small or retiring men themselves. He still had Michael Valkanis in front of him, but shimmied his way to a tiny space and shot truly.
The advantage however was still with Adelaide courtesy of its away goal.
Melbourne now pushed forwards, pinning Adelaide back for long periods and requiring some desperate United clearances to relieve the pressure. Fred's trickery on the right wing was now wholly legitimate and breathtaking. Nathan Burns and Matthew Kemp often found themselves chasing shadows. But the Reds' defence stood.
Diego had United's only second-half effort after breaking through a pressing Melbourne midfield, then Archie Thompson's good work up the left set up Kristian Sarkies with a half-chance, the crossed ball only just eluding the Young Socceroo.
Adelaide's endeavour was the more meritorious as it had entered the second leg missing two players who'd participated in the first. Winger Bobby Petta was forced to leave that game before the first half ended suffering an ankle injury. His replacement, Jason Spagnuolo, managed to injure himself during a subsequent training session.
Just as it seemed it would pull off the win, Robinson reprised Dodd's early headed lob when his looped header two minutes into added time described a perfect parabola over the stranded Beltrame and into the net. A scarcely believing home support erupted in joyous celebration.
Adelaide had failed to clear a free-kick taken by Kristian Sarkies and played into the box and the ball fell to the unmarked Robinson.
Adelaide still had a chance and Dodd again could have netted a minute later when his stretched attempt was scrambled clear by Theoklitos as the Victory defence seemed to melt away like a meringue left in the rain. It would have made the script even more unbelievable than that which had been played out before nearly 50,000 incredulous pairs of eyes.