It was another thrilling round of the NPL championship this week. Nea Hellas travelled to Dandenong to face Thunder. The visitors were lucky to have Valli Cesnik in great condition, who put on a show, scoring four goals! Courtney-Perkins also had a great game, scoring two goals and making some impressive runs on the pitch. The Port team opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a close shot from Cesnik, and Courtney-Perkins made it 2-0 in the 40th minute. The home side managed to get a response, reducing the score in first-half stoppage time with a powerful header from Harley Orr. In the second half, Cesnik continued to impress, scoring three goals in five minutes and leaving the fans of both teams in awe. The Reds temporarily reduced the deficit to 2-5 in the 76th minute through Lino, before Courtney-Perkins sealed the victory with his second goal in the 81st minute. It was an incredible performance from the “Sharks” that left a lot of promise for the team’s continued competition.
At Oakleigh, last year’s champions Cannons welcomed a hard-nosed Hume City who, once again this year, looked tight at the back but lacked imagination in the final third. The hosts appeared somewhat affected by the absence of the team captain, Joe Guest, they did not easily find lanes to the “red” goal, and as a result they counted only four final attempts until the 40th minute of the first half, with three of them coming by Alex Salmon’s feet. In the 41st minute, however, Alexander Fiechtner’s football finesse spoke. The midfielder from Queensland received Wellsmore’s pass on the edge of the box, brought the ball to his right foot and opened the scoring minutes before the half-time break with a fine technical shot. In the second half the “blues” had a chattering superiority, they missed some important opportunities and if Fiechner had not come again in the 76th minute to double the goals for his team, we might now be talking about a completely different result, since the “Turks” seemed to increase the pressure as the minutes passed and we were getting closer and closer to the 90th minute. The visitors managed to reduce the score to 2 – 1 in the 87th minute with a penalty taken by Josh Bingham.
Alexandros had little difficulty against Pancyprios and continues to progress. The “Black and Yellow” opened the scoring in the 20th minute with Sean Ellis. The blond soccer player found himself in the visitors’ area and with a powerful shot, he had no difficulty finding the back of the net. The Greens showed they could fight back when they equalised in the 36th minute with Michael Rooke. However, the joy of the guests did not last long as just five minutes later, Alexandros regained the lead with Ajdin Fetahagic. Eoin Ashton scored the final 3-1 for Giorgos Katsaki’s team with a beautiful one-piece shot in the 81st minute of the match.
South Melbourne’s passage from St Albans on Sunday afternoon was tough but successful. It was a difficult match, with strong marking and few significant scoring opportunities in front of both goals. Maximilian Mikkola scored the winning goal for the visitors in the 50th minute of the match. With this victory, the “Greek” team remained in second place, just one point behind Avondale.
From the rest of the games, Avondale’s victory against the formidable Green Gully stood out with a score of 3-2. The “Italians” continue to play at a high tempo, remaining extremely efficient, which has allowed them to maintain their position at the top of the scoreboard.
Leonidas suffered a painful home defeat in the NPL2 championship. The Brunswick club welcomed Juventus, who opened the scoring with Everson in the 76th minute, and the same footballer “wrote” the final 0-2 in stoppage time.
Pythagoras suffered its second defeat in as many games in the dynamic NPL3 championship. The Box Hill team travelled to the north of the city to take on the North Sunshine Eagles. The “Albanians” were not very welcoming, as they defeated the “Greek” team 5-2.
From the state league groups, the great victory of Aris against Caulfield with a score of 4-0 and the draw between Yarraville and Upfield stood out.
NPL RESULTS
Melbourne Knights – Altona Magic 3 – 1 (7′ G. Albano, 76′ M. Bramwell, 81′ M. Sumaoro – 84′ J. Markovski [Π])
Heidelberg United – Bentleigh Greens 3 – 1 (20′ S. Ellis, 36′ A. Fetahagic, 83′ E. Ashton – 31′ M. Rooke)
Moreland City – North Geelong Warriors 4 – 1 (33′ A. Ukuno, 37′ C. Tharjiath, 72′ J. Latham, 76′ A. Ukuno – 74′ N. Salvatore)
Avondale – Green Gully 3 – 2 (42′ L. Boland, 57′ S. Zinni, 83′ L. Diaz – 63′ N. Bonada, 87′ A. Koudakpo)
Oakleigh Cannons – Hume City 2 – 1 (40′ A. Fiechtner, 76′ A. Fiechtner – 87′ J. Bingham [Π])
Dandenong Thunder – Port Melbourne Sharks 2 – 6 (45 + 1′ H. Orr, 76′ G. Lino – 6′ V. Cesnik, 40′ J. Courtney – Perkins, 54′ V. Cesnik, 58′ V. Cesnik, 59′ V. Cesnik, 81′ J. Courtney – Perkins)
St. Albans – South Melbourne 0 – 1 (50′ M. Mikkola)
NPL – Ladder
1. Avondale 6 16
2. South Melbourne 6 15
3. Oakleigh Cannons 6 14
4. Melbourne Knights 6 11
5. Green Gully 6 9
6. Port Melbourne 6 8
7. Moreland City 6 8
8. St Albans Saints 6 7
9. Dandenong Thunder 6 7
10. Heidelberg United 6 7
11. Hume City 6 6
12. Altona Magic 6 5
13. North Geelong 6 3
14. Bentleigh Greens 6 0
NPL2 RESULTS
Preston Lions – Melbourne City (Y) 1 – 1
Pascoe Vale – Langwarrin 1 – 4
Dandenong City – Manningham United 1 – 1
Brunswick City – Brunswick Juventus 0 – 2
Werribee City – Western United (Y) 0 – 1
Kingston City – Eastern Lions (Monday 27/03/23)
NPL2 – Ladder
1. Langwarrin 6 13
2. Pascoe Vale 6 12
3. Western United (Y) 6 12
4. Preston Lion 6 11
5. Kingston City 5 9
6. Eastern Lions 5 9
7. Manningham 6 8
8. Brunswick City 6 7
9. Brunswick Juventus 6 7
10. Northcote City 4 6
11. Werribee 6 5
12. Dandenong 6 5
13. Melbourne City (Y) 5 4
14. Bulleen 5 3
NPL3 RESULTS
Caroline Springs George Cross – Boroondara Carey Eagles 1 – 2
Doveton – Melbourne Victory (Y) 0 – 2
North Sunshine Eagles – Box Hill United 5 – 2
Nunawading City – Essendon Royals 3 – 0
Goulburn Valley Suns – Beaumaris 1 – 2
Ballarat City – Geelong 1 – 2
NPL3 – Ladder
1. North Sunshine 2 6
2. Nunawading 2 6
3. Melbourne Victory (Y) 2 6
4. Geelong 2 6
5. Goulburn Suns 2 3
6. Caroline Springs 2 3
7. Beaumaris 2 3
8. Boroondara 2 3
9. Ballarat 2 0
10. Doveton 2 0
11. Box Hill 2 0
12. Essendon 2 0
