Heidelberg United – Hume City
Heidelberg United had a huge home win against Hume City on Friday night. The “Warriors” of Coach Katsakis showed great self-sacrifice, put their souls on the pitch, resisted the attacking desires of the “Turks” and finally managed to score a golden goal with Kenny Athiu in the 71st minute.
The “Yellow and Black” were fortunate to have their keeper, Eres, on an amazing day, who, with excellent interventions, kept a clean sheet. This was a hugely important win for the historic Alexandros which will help the club look towards the immediate future with much more optimism.
South Melbourne – Green Gully
The stakes were high on Sunday afternoon at Albert Park, as South Melbourne and Green Gully squared off in a match full of intensity, nerves, and hard duels.
South Melbourne’s coach was ejected from the pitch due to protests against the referee, but that didn’t stop the home team from breaking through the visiting team’s tight defense.
In the 29th minute of the match, Jack Painter-Andrews scored the golden goal, giving South Melbourne the 1-0 victory. This was the seventh consecutive win for Esteban Quintas’ team, keeping them at the top of the table alongside “Italian” Avondale. Avondale also continued their winning streak, easily overcoming Altona Magic with a score of 2-5.
Oakleigh Cannons – Melbourne Knights
Last year’s champions, the Oakleigh Cannons, welcomed the Melbourne Knights to their home on Friday night for a match that could be described as a derby due to where the two opponents stand.
At the break nothing indicated that the fate of the game would change. It seemed that again the Cannons would have an easy and quiet afternoon at home.
The “Knights” had other plans. The visitors appeared more focused on the pitch, and passed the ball around skilfully to reduce the score in the 53rd minute with a stunning one-piece shot from Corey Sewel.
The Greek team did not to the message; they continued to chatter with the ball at their feet, and showed no inclination to change gears in an attempt to score a third goal and clear the match. Mohammed Sumaoro equalized in the 76th minute, taking advantage of Cannon’s poor performance.
From then on, the hosts not only failed to threaten the Croatian team, but they were almost defeated when, in the 85th minute, the team’s goalkeeper, Lachlan Hart, managed to block Albano’s close shot.
This was a disappointing performance for the Oakleigh side, who saw Avondale slip away in the standings by seven points.
Port Melbourne Sharks – North Geelong Warriors
The Port Melbourne Sharks spent a carefree afternoon at home hosting the trailing North Geelong Warriors.
The Port Club quickly opened the scoring in just the 8th minute after a beautiful team effort and a powerful drive shot by George Mells.
The 2-0 came in the 34th minute with a close-range shot by Mohamed Adam while Kristian Bombaci made it 3-0 seconds before the end of the half, with an improbable shot from about 35 meters away.
The home side eased the tension somewhat in the second half, did a good job of maintaining their strength, and finally scored a fourth goal in the 71st minute after a beautiful individual effort and accurate left-footed shot from Daniel Edwards.
With this victory, Adam Piddick’s team came within seven points of the Melbourne Knights, who are in fourth place in the standings.
Bentleigh Greens – Moreland City
Yet another nightmare afternoon unfolded at home for the Bentleigh Greens as they were unable to capitalize on their previous away victory against North Geelong. Facing Moreland, a match that initially seemed like a golden opportunity for the “Greens” to secure three valuable points, turned out to be a disappointment.
Right from the beginning, it became evident that the visitors had different plans for the game. They quickly took the lead with a goal from Fulton in the 4th minute, swiftly followed by Apai Ukuno doubling their advantage in the 6th minute.
However, just before halftime, the hosts managed to narrow the deficit with a well-executed penalty kick from their dependable player, Theodorakopoulos. This goal injected some hope and enthusiasm into the “Cypriots,” who believed that the second half could yield a better outcome for their team.
Unfortunately, reality struck like a heavy blow, shattering the dreams of the “Greens.” Despite their efforts, they failed to equalize and witnessed the guests further extend their lead through a goal scored by Jamie Latham in the 47th minute.
This defeat has plunged the “Cypriot” club even deeper into their slump since the beginning of the season, intensifying their struggles in the competition.NPL2
Kingston City – Brunswick City
Kingston City swept through Brunswick like a storm. The “Red and Whites” demolished Juventus with a score of 1-5, maintaining their position in the top three of the standings, a breath away from Preston Lions and Western United.
Despite being down to ten men from the 42nd minute, Northcote City showed their strength against Langwarrin.
Langwarrin scored in the 57th minute, but Heracles played beautifully layered football which enabled them to equalize in the 77th minute and then turn the match around in the 80th minute, just ten minutes before the end of the exciting game.
The “Greek” team put on a great performance, leaving a lot of promise for the club’s immediate future.
NPL3
It was a nightmare of a Saturday afternoon for the Box Hill team. Pythagoras travelled to Bulleen, where they suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Boroondara Eagles.
State Leagues
Yarraville suffered a heavy away defeat to Westgate, losing 4-0 and missing a great opportunity to place in the top three of the North West group standings.
Aris achieved a very important away victory. The “Yellow and Blacks” went through Richmond’s house with a 0-2 score, continuing their positive performances.
Malvern also achieved a positive result, drawing 0-0 with Mornington. The “blue and white” club may not have won, but surely one point against one of the most powerful clubs in the division cannot be considered a failure.
NPL – Results
Oakleigh Cannons – Melbourne Knights 2 – 2 (21′ A. Mlinaric, 42′ A. Salmon – 53′ C. Sewell, 76′ M. Sumaoro)
Heidelberg United – Hume City 1 – 0 (71′ K. Athiu)
St Albans Saints – Dandenong Thunder 0 – 4 (21′ M. Memeti, 38′ L. Adams, 45+1′ G. Damen, 58′ K. Hallam)
Bentleigh Greens – Moreland 1 – 3 (45+2′ X. Theodorakopoulos – 4′ F. Fulton, 6′ A. Ukuno, 48′ J. Latham)
Port Melbourne Sharks – North Geelong Warriors 4 – 0 (8′ G. Mells, 34′ M. Adam, 45+4′ K. Bombaci, 71′ D. Edwards)
Altona Magic – Avondale 2 – 5 (85′ J. Markovski, 89′ J. Markovski [P] – 38′ L. Boland [P], 54′ Z. Guy, 58′ S. Zinni, 90+1′ Z. Guy, 90+3′ Z. Guy)
South Melbourne – Green Gully 1 – 0 (29′ J. Painter – Andrews)
NPL – Table
1. Avondale 15 40
2. South Melbourne 15 40
3. Oakleigh Cannons 15 33
4. Melbourne Knights 15 31
5. Port Melbourne 15 24
6. Dandenong Thunder 15 22
7. Green Gully 15 18
8. Hume City 15 17
9. Altona Magic 15 17
10. Heidelberg United 15 16
11. St Albans Saints 15 13
12. Moreland City 15 12
13. Bentleigh Greens 15 9
14. North Geelong 15 7
NPL2 – Results
Dandenong City – Pascoe Vale 3 – 2
Preston Lions – Werribee City 1 – 3
Brunswick Juventus – Kingston City 1 – 5
Langwarrin – Northcote City 1 – 2
Manningham United Blues – Eastern Lions 0 – 0
Western United (Y) – Brunswick City 1 – 2
Melbourne City (Y) – Bulleen Lions 0 – 1
NPL2 – Table
1. Preston Lions 15 27
2. Western United (Y) 15 27
3. Kingston City 15 26
4. Dandenong 15 26
5. Eastern Lions 15 25
6. Northcote City 15 23
7. Werribee 15 22
8. Langwarrin 15 22
9. Manningham 15 20
10. Brunswick City 15 20
11. Melbourne City (Y) 15 19
12. Pascoe Vale 15 17
13. Bulleen 15 16
14. Brunswick Juventus 15 11
NPL3 – Results
Essendon Royals – Caroline Springs George Cross 0 – 1
Ballarat City – North Sunshine Eagles 0 – 3
Beaumaris – Geelong 2 – 1
Goulburn Valley Suns – Melbourne Victory (Y) 2 – 1
Doveton – Nunawading 1 – 0
Boroondara Carey Eagles – Box Hill United 6 – 1
NPL3 – Table
1. Melbourne Victory (Y) 11 25
2. North Sunshine 11 22
3. Nunawading 11 21
4. Goulburn Suns 11 20
5. Caroline Springs 11 19
6. Boroondara 11 17
7. Doveton 11 16
8. Geelong 11 14
9. Beaumaris 11 14
10. Box Hill 11 11
11. Essendon 11 9
12. Ballarat 11 1
