Aussies Abroad: Langerak rescues draw with 97th-minute penalty save
Mitch Langerak was Nagoya’s saviour after he rescued his side from the jaws of defeat thanks to his penalty save in second half injury time, while several other Socceroos were in action across the globe.
Langerak was in fine form for Nagoya Grampus in their J League affair away to Consadole Sapporo on Saturday night.
The Aussie shot stopper put in a man of the match performance, saving a spot kick in the 97th minute to ensure that his side escaped with a 0-0 draw.
He has now gone over 330 minutes without conceding a goal in the Japanese top flight.
His spectacular form between the sticks has no doubt been a contributor to his side’s incredible start to the season which sees them sit in 4th place on the table with games in hand on the teams above them.
Thomas Deng played 78 minutes for Urawa Red Diamonds as they registered a 2-1 win at home to Oita Trinita on Saturday night.
A quick fire double just after the half hour mark was enough for Urawa to hold onto the win after they went behind in the opening 10 minutes.
The Red Diamonds occupy 5th position on the ladder and have a meeting with 4th placed Cerezo Osaka next time out.
Over to Serbia where Milos Degenek put in a full shift for FK Crvena Zvezda as they raced to a 5-0 victory against TSC Backa Topola in the Serbian SuperLiga on Monday morning.
His side’s five star performance mean that they stay top of the table with their perfect record still intact after six matches.
Adam Taggart and Terry Antonis’ Suwon Bluewings came from behind to secure a 3-1 win against Busan I’Park on Saturday night.
Antonis put in a full shift in the heart of midfield while Taggart started and played 85 minutes in his usual role up front.
The Bluewings’ first victory in over a month sees them remain in 11th position on the league ladder with 17 points from their 18 matches.
In the Scottish Premiership, Martin Boyle played the full game for Hibernian as they suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 1-0 to Aberdeen on Monday morning.
His side still hold onto 2nd spot on the league table despite the loss, however both Celtic and Aberdeen below them have two games in hand over the Edinburgh club.
In the Belgian Pro League, Danny Vukovic was in between the sticks for Genk as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Club Brugge on Sunday night.
Their first defeat of the season sees them drop to 10th place on the league ladder.
Trent Sainsbury’s wait to make his debut for Kortrijk will go on after he was an unused substitute in his side’s 1-0 win away to Cercle Brugge on Sunday morning.
The three points propels Kortrijk into 4th spot on the table with seven points collected from their first four matches this season.
In the Saudi Professional League, Craig Goodwin featured for 70 minutes for Al-Wehda as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Al-Faisaly on Monday morning.
The loss dealt a blow to Al-Wehda’s top three aspirations with Goodwin’s side currently occupying 4th position with two rounds left to be played.
Mitch Duke has officially signed with Al-Taawoun after completing the mandatory quarantine period in Saudi Arabia.