Peterborough’s place in the League One promotion final should have been a foregone conclusion for less than five minutes, but Sheffield Wednesday performed an incredible feat on their home field.
Sheffield Wednesday celebrated Liam Palmer’s equalizer in the eighth minute of added time. PDO
The English League One teams Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough United fought on Thursday evening for the final place in the promotion qualification. Already in the first leg, Peterborough got its foot in the door of the promotion qualifying final at Wembley, when it beat Sheffield Wednesday at home 4–0.
However, Sheffield Wednesday showed no intention of giving up. Already in the first half, it had narrowed the gap to 4–2 by Michael Smith hard and Lee Gregory on the finish line. In the second period Reece James brought Owls goal twenty minutes before the final whistle, but the sand in the hourglass was dwindling.
However, Sheffield’s players did not lose faith despite their desperate position. Perseverance was rewarded at the very end of the match, when Liam Palmer with the fourth goal that Sheffield Wednesday needed and at the same time level the match with his 90+8 minute strike from the last situation of the actual game time.
We started looking for a solution in the follow-up match. Dan Butler was saving Peterborough’s skin when he scored at the end of the first half of the relegation match for Peterborough 4–1. However, Sheffield Wednesday, who were playing in a frenzy, were saved again Callum Peterson with a goal in the 112th minute.
The overtime match ended 5–1, and the pair of matches was finally decided in a penalty shootout with the total score 5–5.
Sheffield Wednesday crowned their fairytale rise to the top and over by winning the penalty shootout 5-3. The warrior of Peterborough’s misfortune was Butler, who scored his team’s only goal of the night, whose shot from the spot hit the top bar.
– We believed! Sheffield Wednesday with a Twitter account rejoiced.
The Sheffield Wednesday players did not fail in their attempts, so Owls proceed to the promotion final at Wembley. Coming from a four-goal deficit was a historic feat, as no team has previously turned a two-goal deficit into victory in the history of League One’s promotion playoffs.
In the final at Wembley, Sheffield Wednesday will face either Bolton Wanderers or Barnsley. The final will be played on Monday, May 29.
Sheffield Wednesday’s home stage, Hillsborough Stadium, burst into jubilation. The winner of the final played at Wembley will advance to the Championship next season. PDO