Dandenong Thunder comes from two goals down, scores 92nd minute winner

Down two goals, Dandenong Thunder produced a stunning comeback against Altona Magic, scoring a 92nd minute winner to snatch an invaluable three points.

Wade Dekker in action for Dandenong Thunder.

First wins don’t come much sweeter than a come-from-behind, 92nd minute clincher.

Down two goals after 30 minutes, Dandenong Thunder stormed home to snatch a 3-2 win over Altona Magic at Paisley Park on Saturday, delivering the club’s first NPL Victoria points under new coach Adam Piddick.

Josh Karantz was the hero, rising high from a Birkan Kirdar free kick to head home in stoppage time.

Earlier, Kirdar scored just before half-time to give Thunder hope before Wade Dekker scored the equaliser, a classy volley finish, with 10 minutes remaining.

Piddick praised his team’s character for fighting on after conceding early goals.

Daniel Alessi in action for Dandenong Thunder.

“The boys kept believing, that’s good character, we could have quite easily thrown the towel in,” Piddick said.

“When you’re looking for the first win, it’s always tough to get, but the boys kept fighting and we got what we deserved.

“We actually started quite well, we could have easily been up 1-nil in the first 45 seconds and then they go down the other end and score, some sloppy defending.

“The next 20 minutes we were all over them but again they go up the other end, we don’t defend right, and we’re 2-nil down.

“Credit to the boys, we kept pushing, we rode our luck at times but once we got back to 2-all there was only one team that was going to win it.”

Altona’s Bul Juach opened the scoring in just the second minute, tapping in from close range after a Nuh Sehavdic header.

Also chasing a first win, the Magic doubled the lead in the 34th minute as Mohammed Elhawli curled one perfectly through traffic and into the left-hand corner.

However, Kirdar would response for Dandenong just nine minutes later, pouncing on a defensive error to slot his second goal of the campaign.

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The former Australia under-17 international and Melbourne Victory midfielder has been exceptional, despite a lack of pre-season.

“For someone who hasn’t played for a full year and didn’t do a pre-season (he’s good excellent),” Piddick said.

“His first game was coming off the bench in Round 1, didn’t play a pre-season game, so there’s obviously a lot more to come from him.

“He’s a talented footballer, his attitude has been terrific, he fell out of favour at Victory and I think fell out of love with the game and now he’s getting that back again, which is excellent.”

Thunder attacked in waves in the second half, chasing an equaliser, and it finally came through the brilliance of Dekker.

Latching on to a pin-point long ball from Mersim Memeti, the star striker controlled with his chest, let the ball bounce, before volleying past Hayden Browne, who got a hand to it but couldn’t pull off the stunning save.

Magic’s day got worse just seconds later when Darcy Anastovski was sent off, receiving a second yellow card for a high boot on Daniel Alessi.

Then with minutes left in the match, Karantz produced his moment of magic to claim all three points.

It had been a difficult start to the season for Dandenong, losing coach Sam Elmazi a fortnight before Round 1, and a controversial back-pass free kick denying it a point against Hume City.

Despite the winless start, Piddick saw enough to give him confidence the team would rise.

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“To be honest, I think we’ve been alright, except the Manningham game,” he said.

“The other two games we’ve been OK, considering the circumstances, so hopefully now there’s a bit of belief for the boys and we kick on.

“That’s football sometimes and hopefully it evens itself out during the year.”

Dandenong Thunder will look to keep the winning momentum going when it travels to Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night, while Altona Magic will chase its first win on the road against Green Gully.