Dan Ballard was Sunderland's hero as his last-gasp strike sent the Black Cats to Wembley for the Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
The centre-back's unorthodox header hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing into the net to level things on the night against Coventry, securing a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Sunderland are on their way to Wembley!! 🤩
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball)
The Sky Blues, who lost the first leg 2-1 on Friday night, grabbed a deserved equaliser through Ephron Mason-Clark in the 76th minute.
And it could have been a completely different story had Haji Wright struck from a free header with the last action of normal time - the forward instead directing it high and wide.
MASON-CLARK LEVELS THE TIE! 😰
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball)
GAME ON.
But Sunderland grew into extra-time and almost took the aggregate lead through substitute Romaine Mundle. He saw his fierce effort denied by Josh Eccles having beaten goalkeeper Ben Wilson.
Both teams were preparing for penalties when Sunderland were awarded a corner on 120+2'. Enzo Le Fée's cross was met by the unmarked Ballard, who mis-timed the jump but still managed to get the shot away.
The goal unsurprisingly sparked wild scenes among the Mackems in attendance, and they will be heading to the national stadium on Saturday May 24 for a meeting with Sheffield United.
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