After a scoreless draw to begin the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season, Melbourne Victory headed to Etihad Stadium for the first of its massive Melbourne Derby clashes in Round 2.
It was billed as a blockbuster, with more than 40,000 fans witnessing one of the games of the season.
Victory struck first when Fahid Ben Khalfallah’s shot was deflected in after 23 minutes, and Kosta Barbarouses doubled the advantage with a well-directed header early in the second half.
But the visitors hit back, with Bruno Fornaroli and Stefan Mauk scoring goals within four minutes of each other to set up a tense final 20 minutes.
Enter Besart Berisha, who stole the show in the last minute of regular time with a tap-in from close range, sending Victory fans into delirium.
Melbourne Victory 3 (Ben Khalfallah 23′, Barbarouses 57′, Berisha 90′)
Melbourne City 2 (Fornaroli 68′, Mauk 71′)
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Attendance: 40,217
What Kevin Muscat said: “We get ourselves in front, and then we go on and get the second. Generally when that happens, everyone thinks you’re going to go on and shut the game out.
“That’s the beauty of these games. We spoke about it before the game, to expect anything. Anything can happen in these games.”
