In the opening round of the NPL Victoria season, Heidelberg United repeated their 0-3 win against South Melbourne with which they ended their previous regular season at Lakeside.

Giorgos Katsakis’ team proved that once again they will be the undeniable favourites for the premiership, as they faced little trouble against their opposition, who were only able to remain competitive for the opening minutes of the first half.

The home side started the game in good spirits and tried to create the right circumstances for a goal, but Heidelberg goalkeeper Theodoridis was always at the right place to keep them from reaching their target.

In one of the rare opportunities where the keeper was beaten, midfielder Sylaidos was unable to put the ball in the back of the net, blasting it over the crossbar.

As time went on, the visitors began to bring the game into balance and eventually gain control of the movement in midfield. They started to create chances and each one them looked more likely to break the deadlock.

The inevitable happened after half an hour of play, with MVP Lucas Derrick heading the ball into the back of the net. After that, it was all but over for the home side, who couldn’t appear to recover from the shock, as Heidelberg looked comfortable in the driver’s seat.

The second goal for the visitors came as a natural effect of the situation, with Dusan Bosnjak scoring on his debut for the club.
Derrick’s second goal in injury time was just salt on the wounds for the South Melbourne fans.

Meanwhile, at the JL Murphy Reserve, the Port Melbourne Sharks and the Melbourne Knights were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The game was marked by the serious injury of Port Melbourne midfielder Lachlan Reus, who will be forced to sit out the next three months as he suffered an ACL after a deadly tackle by Matthew Breeze, who was sent off.

Despite their disadvantage, the visitors were able to gain the lead with a Hamish Watson goal after 69 minutes, but the Sharks found the equaliser thanks to a Francesco Stella effort.

At the ABD Stadium, Hume City were able to get all three points against the Altona Magic thanks to a brace by Hewitt, with neither team able to end the game with eleven players on the pitch.

Danny Dixon of the home side and Hemmen and Sette from the visitors were all shown the red card.

NPL VICTORIA ROUND ONE RESULTS
Oakleigh Cannons-Avondale 3-1
South Melbourne-Heidelberg United 0-3
Port Melbourne Sharks-Melbourne Knights 1-1
Hume City-Altona Magic 2-0
Dandenong Thunder-Dandenong City 3-2

Today
5:00 pm St Albans Saints-Green Gully
6:00 pm Eastern Lions-Bentleigh Greens