Sunderland’s play-off semi-final looked to be heading to penalties when the clock ticked into the final minute of stoppage time at the Stadium of Light.
However, with the final action of the game, Enzo Le Fee swung in a corner from the left, and Dan Ballard forced the ball home via the underside of the crossbar.
The goal sparked a delirious reaction inside Sunderland’s home stadium – and set up a Wembley final against Sheffield United a week on Saturday.
“It was absolutely fantastic,” said Le Bris. “To score this late in the game, with such an important equaliser, and to win the opportunity to play at Wembley is absolutely fantastic. You play football for these emotions, I think.”
Sunderland had been hanging on for the vast majority of the game, with Ephron Mason-Clark’s 76th-minute volley cancelling out the one-goal advantage the Black Cats had secured in the opening leg at the CBS Arena.
The Black Cats gradually turned the game in their favour in extra-time though, with the introduction of Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle from the substitutes’ bench enabling Le Bris’ side to gain more control.
“Before that, it was a tough game,” said Le Bris. “Coventry played really good football, I think. They were very strong, especially with the ball. They controlled the game.
“We were between two attitudes, I think. We wanted to protect our lead because we were 1-0 up after the first leg. We were probably a bit nervous. We have a young team and it is not easy to manage these moments.
“But we were really well connected. We defended with a strong energy in the team, and we knew that for the last 30 minutes, we had subs to change the dynamic, modify the game and get another shape. We changed the dynamic during the extra-time period.”
Le Bris reserved special praise for Ballard, who defended superbly in both legs as he returned to the starting side following a hamstring injury.
The Northern Ireland international was a defensive rock alongside Luke O’Nien, before popping up with the most dramatic of winners.
“We needed his (Ballard) physicality in the backline,” said Le Bris. “We were playing against strong forwards and, in the backline, this kind of player is always very important.
“Ballard was so good, to control, to dominate in the air, to be strong in the duels and to give confidence to his team-mates. He scored at the end, and that is another quality. If you have this opportunity to score from set-pieces, it can make a difference.”
