Dramatic finale as Magpies snatch equaliser in injury time

Mons Calpe 1-1 Magpies

Magpies, riding high in the league, came face to face with Mons Calpe, who had only just missed out on European football this summer.

Mons Calpe, sitting fourth, were looking to claw back points and maintain their challenge to stay within the top four of the table.

A tightly contested first half, which could have gone either way, saw the deadlock broken just three minutes from the interval.

A floated free kick into the goalmouth was flicked back by Peralta, with the ball dipping over the keeper and under the crossbar. Mons Calpe took a confidence-boosting lead into the break.

A tense second half saw Magpies looking for the equaliser. Mons Calpe were to hold on as the pressure piled on. There was no holding back as the challenges and physicality increased, with tensions running high.

Magpies were unable to find a breakthrough within the 90 official minutes of the match.

As the game entered injury time, Magpies piled on the pressure, with Mons Calpe forced to scramble the ball away from their goalmouth as the added minutes ticked by.

With eight minutes of injury time played, and just as Magpies looked destined to concede defeat, a curled cross from the right flank into the six-yard box was met by Van Dyk at the far post. Beating two defenders to the jump, and with the keeper out of position, his downward header was to squeeze past the post for the equaliser.

A further minute of injury time was not enough for Mons Calpe to respond, as Magpies and Mons Calpe shared the points. Magpies thus protected their points lead over Mons Calpe to remain in third place.