Uganda Cranes forward John Paul Dembe single-handedly fired Hacken into the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, and you’d have to agree.
The KCCA FC development graduate struck a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to earn Hacken a crucial 2-2 draw against Trnava on Thursday night, a result that saw the Swedish side progress on a 3-2 aggregate.
Coming into the second leg, Dembe’s side held a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Slovakia last week, a match where he put in a solid shift for an hour.
Back at home in Sweden, it was far from a walk in the park, and the visitors came dangerously close to turning the tie around.
Hacken drew first blood in the 13th minute through Simon Gustafson, who converted from the spot to double their aggregate lead to 2-0, a scoreline that held until the break.
But the second half told a different story. On another day, Hacken could have easily been sent packing.
Roman Prochazka pulled one back for Trnava in the 65th minute, and in the 82nd, Giorgi Moistsrapishvili turned the tie on its head with a second for the visitors, making it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.
With extra time looming, it was Dembe who rose to the occasion, popping up in the 96th minute to slot home the equaliser and restore Hacken’s aggregate lead at 3-2. Trnava had no time to respond.
After fighting tooth and nail to stay alive, Hacken now gear up for a much tougher assignment in the next qualifying round.
They’ll be locking horns with Belgian giants Anderlecht, a proper European test and a golden opportunity for Uganda’s Dembe to further showcase his talent on a big stage.
