Beaten 0-4 in the first leg by Peterborough in the semi-finals of the Championship accession play-offs, Sheffield Wednesday overturned the mountains and regained their delay Thursday evening, during the second leg, to finally win on penalties (5-1, 5-3 tabs)
On the evening of May 12, you had to be an inveterate supporter of Sheffield Wednesday to still hope for the Owls to qualify for the final of the Championship accession play-offs. Martyred, humiliated and crushed on the lawn of Peterborough (4-0), the players of Darren Moore were that evening completely missed their match. However, they still had a return match to hope for. Thursday evening, in their den of Hillsborough, they seized their chance and wrote a new page in the history of the club by winning on penalties (5-1, 5-3 on pens).
Things went very quickly with a first goal scored from the penalty spot by Michael Smith in the eighth minute. Enough to ignite the more than 31,000 spectators who came to witness a feat. A hope that took a little more shape when Lee Gregory doubled the lead for the locals (2-0, 25th). At the break, half the way was already done. And less than half an hour after the resumption, Reece James’ goal once again shook the spans of a stadium in fusion (3-0, 71st). But would the fourth goal come, while the visitors failed to score one?
Folie pure
Yes, it was coming. And when! With only one final action left to play, Liam Palmer took advantage of a scramble by his opponents to equalize at 4-4 over the two matches… in the 90th+8 minute of play! Enough to definitely blow up Hilborough. The time for extra time then struck, with once again a crazy scenario since Peterborough finally scored on a csc from Lee Gregory (4-1, 105th). More than a quarter of an hour to play, but only seven minutes will have been necessary for Callum Paterson to bring the Owls up (5-1, 112th).
Sheffield Wednesday came back from 4-0 down to draw the game level at 4-4 and even when they went down again in extra time to 4-5, they equalized again to make the game 5-5, going on to win it on penalties.
It’s the way they equalized it for me, they made it 4-4 in the 6th… pic.twitter.com/8CNlU2OlzN
— SportsDokita (Odogwu ☝️) (@Sports_Doctor2) May 19, 2023
Result, everything was decided on a roll of the dice during a penalty shootout imbued with a rare tension. The only one to fail will be Peterborough’s second draw. Unhappy, Dan Butler will find the top of the opposing bar, like a Luigi Di Biagio in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup against France. A final shot on goal scored by Jack Hunt and the madness ended up winning over everyone. Overgrown lawn, general jubilation, Sheffield Wednesday, third in the League One regular season, justified its status (in extreme pain) and qualified for the play-off final which it will play on May 29. It will be against Barnsley or Bolton.
