Heineken Cup: Benetton Treviso hit Ospreys with two late tries to secure the win
Ospreys ended their Heineken Cup campaign on a low note following a last-gasp 17-14 defeat to Benetton Treviso.
Last Updated: 20/01/13 6:34pm
The Welsh club were well-placed to secure the win as they led 14-3 with only 22 minutes left in the contest.
However, tries in the closing stages from Alessandro Zanni and Andrea Pratichetti, both converted by Kris Burton, capped a remarkable turnaround.
Treviso put the first points on the board with a Kris Burton penalty after four minutes, but Dan Biggar, in line to pull on the number 10 jersey for Wales in the RBS 6 Nations, slotted two quick penalties in reply to give Ospreys the lead.
Both sides threatened in a frantic close to the half but the score remained unchanged.
The Ospreys almost surged further in front with Kahn Fotuali'i powering through. The scrum-half, who is being courted by a number of top European clubs, bundled through several defenders from the back of a rolling maul but was held up short.
Steve Tandy's men continued to pile on the pressure following the ensuing scrum and they eventually settled for a Biggar drop-goal.
They took a major stride towards victory on 58 minutes as Isaacs raced clear. Ben John burst through Ludovico Nitoglia and offloaded inside to Fotuali'i, who demonstrated quick hands to release Isaacs for the score.
Treviso, who flexed their muscles with several rolling mauls throughout the clash, rumbled over on 70 minutes but replays were inconclusive and referee Greg Garner was unable to award the try.
But they eventually manufactured a breakthrough as Zanni powered over to set up a tense finale.
And with their tails up, Treviso rampaged up field with Giulio Toniolatti and Valerio Bernabo both prominent in the build-up to Pratichetti's match-winning score at the death.