In a moment that will be replayed for years, Stockport County snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory over Stevenage in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final—thanks to one of the most bizarre goals the EFL play-offs have ever seen.

The deadlock was broken in the dying seconds when Ben Osborn poked home the winner. The chaos started when Stevenage goalkeeper Benony Andresson stumbled on a one-on-one, leaving the ball loose in the box. As the home defense scrambled to clear, Osborn was there to prod it over the line, sending the traveling Stockport fans into delirium.

For 90 minutes, it looked like this semi-final would end in a stalemate. Both sides were cautious, with the tension of knockout football keeping things tight. Stevenage actually had the better chances in the first half—Jordan Roberts saw his hooked volley tipped over by Corey Addai, and from the resulting corner, Carl Piergianni headed wide when he should have hit the target.

After the hour mark, Stockport began to find their rhythm. Adama Sidibeh fired two efforts just wide, while Oliver Norwood's free-kick clipped the wall and bounced onto the roof of the net. Filip Marschall also had to be alert to deny Odin Bailey from a set piece. Stevenage had their moments too, with Dan Kemp breaking through only to see his chance go begging.

Speaking after the match, Stockport boss Dave Challinor didn't hide his feelings about the winning goal. "It's one of the ugliest goals the play-offs has ever seen, but it's valuable because it puts us ahead in the tie," he told Sky Sports. "The jeopardy in these games is enormous. Stevenage are very good at making the game look like they want it to—they ask you questions. We've got to be a bigger threat, but we've got a goal which puts us in a decent position. The tie is certainly nowhere near over."

Stevenage manager Alex Revell was left frustrated but defiant. "Of course it's frustrating to lose to a goal like that—we could have dealt with the situation a lot better," he said. "But it's half-time. No matter what, we would have had to go to Stockport and try to win the game. It doesn't really change, even though they got the goal."

With the second leg on the horizon, this tie is far from decided. But for now, Stockport have the edge—and a goal that will be talked about for years to come.