Dan Ballard says he visualised Didier Drogba’s iconic Champions League ultimate objective simply seconds earlier than steering in a duplicate to take Sunderland to Wembley.
The 25-year-old former Arsenal teenager headed in a nook on the close to put up to beat Coventry within the ultimate seconds of additional time within the Championship play-off semi-final on the Stadium of Mild on Tuesday.
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It got here 13 years to the week after Drogba produced the same end from a nook to grab an 89th-minute draw for Chelsea within the Champions League ultimate towards Bayern Munich, and Ballard stated he had visualised it earlier than Enzo Le Payment swung within the set-piece which he stooped to go residence in unorthodox trend in mid-air.
He instructed BBC Radio 5 Dwell: “I did not know what number of minutes had been put up, I used to be centered on the sport, I knew it will be one of many final alternatives.
“I pictured, I do not know why, Didier Drogba’s objective within the Champions League ultimate. I believed ‘I will grasp round on the close to put up and attempt to get half a yard and flick it into the highest nook’.
“It was an excellent ball from Enzo and that is what occurred. All of it labored out completely.”
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Ballard admitted Drogba’s header, which paved the way in which for the Blues to win the match on penalties, was his favorite objective rising up, including: “The corners earlier than hadn’t labored out so effectively and I wasn’t getting my timing fairly proper – I had that image in my head.”
Ballard stated the celebrations after his winner on the Stadium of Mild have been “simply an outpouring of emotion”.
“The noise within the stadium, the response of the followers, gamers and employees – I believe everybody misplaced management a bit of bit,” he stated.
“It was actually emotional, truthfully simply pure pleasure and I believe each fan within the stadium felt that as effectively and the noise in there was simply unimaginable.
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“When the ball got here off the again of my head, I simply had a sense it was entering into, though it as unusual approach I simply had a sense and when it hit the again of the online I misplaced all management and I believe everybody else did as effectively.”
Ballard stated he had been greatly surprised by the response to his objective on Wearside, admitting: “I’ve had hundreds of messages saying it was the best evening of their life and their biggest soccer second. I in all probability did not realise the importance of it on the time. Just a few days go by and I realise the impression it had on town.”
Ballard helped Blackpool earn promotion from League One at Wembley in 2021 whereas on mortgage from Arsenal and stated the expertise will assist when the Black Cats tackle Sheffield United on 24 Might.
He stated: “4 or 5 have been right here with Sunderland after they went up from League One in 2022. Even profitable the EFL Trophy in 2021 is all expertise of enjoying at Wembley. It was daunting the place I first performed there. A little bit of expertise within the dressing room will assist massively.”
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Ballard stated Sunderland will “take lots of confidence” from each of their league video games towards the Blades into the ultimate.
“Though we had a 1-0 defeat away from residence I believed we performed rather well,” he stated. “I wasn’t concerned on the Stadium of Mild however the lads have been terrific. They have been powerful video games however we are able to take lots of confidence from them.”