A chaotic match against Western United has ended 5-3 with the Western Sydney Wanderers falling to defeat at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium.
The Red & Black were down 3-0 in the 70th minute before staging a comeback in 10 minutes thanks to a cheeky backheel from Tass Mourdoukoutas and a brace from captain Mitchell Duke.
An early United onslaught saw the Wanderers fall two goals behind, with Josh Risdon and Besart Berisha finishing off well-worked team moves to hand their side a worthy advantage.
United moved into cruise control in the second stanza when Diamanti converted a perfectly-timed chipped goal.
But the Wanderers responded well to falling three goals behind, with Head Coach Jean-Paul de Marigny making four changes that brought his side well into the contest.
Bruce Kamau emerged from the bench to breathe life into the fightback, finding Mitch Duke with a dangerous cross which his captain duly converted.
With fifteen minutes to play two more Wanderers substituted combined once again, with Pirmin Schwegler laying a low cross from a set piece to Tass Mourdoukoutas, whose creative back-heeled flick squirmed into the bottom corner to reduce the deficit to one.
The dream then turned – but for a moment – into a genuine reality for the Red & Black when Duke fired home once more; his second goal of the night bringing the Wanderers level after trailing 3-0 earlier in the half.
But United hadn’t read the script which ended in the Wanderers favour.
A costly mistake at the back from Mourdoukoutas led to a fourth United goal scored by Max Burgess, and with the lead back in their hands Rudan’s side turned to their inspirational captain Diamanti for one more touch of class.
The Italian’s second chipped goal with just minutes to play wrapped up all three points for United in what was an eight-goal thriller.
