Newcastle Croatia and Wallsend Red Devils played out a 6:6 draw in the semi-finals of the NPL Northern New South Wales on Saturday evening. The match finished 6:6 after twelve goals were scored across ninety minutes plus stoppage time. Both sides had been in strong form going into this encounter.
The opening exchanges produced goals at seven and thirteen minutes. By then, it was clear this would not be a tactical battle decided by set plays. The first twenty minutes alone saw three goals, and here's the thing about semi-finals — teams tend to have nothing to lose when the stakes are this high.
Minute twenty brought another goal at twenty-one, followed by strikes at twenty-four and twenty-five. Gagnon would later say he remembers this stretch because the game opened up in a way that caught the camera operators off guard. Wallsend Red Devils were rolling the dice with an attacking approach, and Newcastle Croatia answered in kind. The pattern at twenty-seven and twenty-eight minutes confirmed what anyone watching had suspected.
The second half started with goals at forty-nine and fifty-five minutes. The momentum had swung both ways throughout the afternoon, and neither side could close the game out. To be fair, both teams had created more chances than they converted, and the scoreboard told only half the story.
Sixty-one and seventy-six minutes added to the tally before the final whistle approached. The old head in either dressing room would have recognised this as a match that could go either way until the last kick. Then came the goal at ninety-three minutes, ensuring the semi-final would not produce a winner that day.
The draw means both teams advance on aggregate or penalty shootout — the format remains to be confirmed by the competition authorities. What is certain is that neither side will claim dominance after a match decided by twelve goals. The line has barely moved in the standings, but the semi-final narrative has been rewritten.