Lazarevski is a name synonymous, not only with Preston Lions but Victorian football. On Tuesday night, that famous surname helped the NPL VIC giants complete one of the greatest comebacks in Australia Cup history.
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Preston found themselves 2-0 down inside 24 minutes on home soil – Mark Milligan’s defending champions had made a fast start through young gun Will Dobson and former Real Madrid youngster Nikos Vergos.
Then, Nahuel Bonada – who recently swapped rivals South Melbourne for Preston – turned the game on its head with two goals in six minutes.
With the game seemingly headed for extra time, Lazarevski popped up with the game-winning header in the third minute of stoppage time.
It was an extraordinary ending to Preston’s Australia Cup debut – a result clinched by a talented 20-year-old forward, who only joined the Lions from Melbourne Victory last month.
Lazarevski spent time in the academy systems of Victory and Western United, earned an A-League contract for the 2025-26 season, represented Australia at the AFF U16 Championship and featured for North Macedonia’s Under-18 national team.
On Tuesday, his unforgettable moment guided Preston to the Round of 16 at the expense of an A-League team gearing up for AFC Champions League Elite football in 2026-27.
Daniel Lazarevski has also kicked goals off the field. As a 10-year-old, he broke the junior world record with the catch of a 116kg tuna. He followed that up with another monster haul aged 13.