Heidelberg United – South Melbourne
In a battle of the titans, Heidelberg United emerged victorious against South Melbourne, leaving their opponents yellow-faced and black-hearted.
With a ferocious determination, United relentlessly pursued every chance and proved their dominance on the field.
Asahi Yokokawa’s epic goal within minutes set the tempo for the match and United’s defense was like a well-trained “cerberus”, fiercely guarding their fragile but crucial 1-0 lead.
Despite a red card giving South Melbourne a numerical advantage, coach John Anastasiadis had his team locked down tighter than a bank vault.
In the end, United’s unrelenting efforts paid off with a glorious win, adding more spice and thrills to an already epic season.
Dandenong Thunder – Oakleigh Cannons
The Oakleigh Cannons had a rather lackluster performance during their visit to the Thunder’s home ground. It seemed like they were just there for the free grass, as they failed to put up a decent fight. The Thunder, on the other hand, were in complete control of the game, leaving the Cannons in the dust. They effortlessly earned themselves a well-deserved victory by taking advantage of the defensive gaps created by their opponents.
In the 20th minute, Dekker gracefully opened up the scoring with a header, followed by Jay Romanovski’s slick goal just a couple of meters away from the Greek-Australian’s “no trespassing” sign. Despite the best efforts of the Oakleigh team, the Thunder’s defense was rock solid, leaving no room for any retaliation.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Thunder decided to have some fun in the second half by generously offering the Oakleigh team more opportunities to mess up defensively. Joshua Karantz gladly accepted the invitation and sealed the deal with a goal in the 68th minute.
The Cannons did manage to salvage some dignity with Joe Guest’s late goal in the 94th minute, but let’s be real, it was more of a consolation prize. With their second consecutive defeat, they’ve fallen behind in the race for first place. Looks like they need to up their game if they want to stay in the top three of the table.
Manningham United – Port Melbourne Sharks
Saturday’s match between Manningham United and the Port Melbourne Sharks was like watching a heated ping-pong game, with both teams fiercely trying to gain the upper hand.
Alas, a draw was the final score. The first half was full of action, with non-stop counters and lightning-fast ball exchanges, but no one could score. It wasn’t until the second half that things got spicy.
In the 50th minute, Port Melbourne’s Fraser Dunlop finally broke the stalemate with an impressive solo goal, landing them a 0-1 lead. But the hosts weren’t ready to give up just yet.
In a matter of minutes, Turgut leveled the playing field and teammate Ben Everson added fuel to the fire with another goal, igniting the home fans’ excitement. From then on, Manningham played it safe, relying on the clock to run out and holding possession like it was their favorite possession.
But little did they know, the star of the Sharks, Jackson Courtney Perkins, had one more trick up his sleeve. With just seconds left, he weaved his way through the United defense with ease and netted a phenomenal goal, securing his team a valuable point in the tie. Now that’s what we call a thrilling finish.
VPL1
In the battle for bragging rights, Herakles of Northcote vanquished Pancyprios in a civil derby. It was a timed match of pure athleticism, with the City squad charging in with fervor and netting the first goal in the 27th minute thanks to Warde’s impressive vertical pass and Domfeh’s flawless finish.
The game soon found a steady pace in the midfield, but the visiting team’s desperate attempts to level the score only left them exposed to the cunning home team. Uchida nailed an artful cross in the 86th minute, allowing Domfeh to seal the deal with a smashing header and secure a victorious 2-0 for his squad.
Brunswick City Leonidas put up a valiant effort in their away match against Werribee, but sadly, the victory champagne remained untapped as they returned home with a 2-1 loss.
VPL2
Box Hill United conquered Essendon Royals on their home turf, with their Pythagoras-like skills ensnaring victory with a 1-2 score. This win will undoubtedly boost United’s spirits and have them seeing the bright side of the pitch for the foreseeable future.
NPL – RESULTS
Manningham United – Port Melbourne Sharks 2 – 2 (64′ A. Turgut, 72′ B. Everson – 50′ F. Dunlop, 90+4′ J. Courtney – Perkins)
Avondale – Hume City 5 – 0 (17′ S. Zinni, 45+3′ K. Kur [P], 85′ K. Trajceski, 88′ J. Chinnama, 90+1′ J. Chinnama)
Dandenong City – Melbourne Knights 2 – 5 (27′ W. Bower, 58′ K. Athiu – 17′ M. Hore, 43′ J. Webster [A], 66′ C. Bramwell, 84′ S. Sakhi, 90+ 2′ G. Albano)
Moreland City – St Albans Saints 0 – 1 (S. Bakkor)
Altona Magic – Green Gully 0 – 0
Dandenong Thunder – Oakleigh Cannons 3 – 1 (20′ W. Dekker, 23′ J. Romanovski, 68′ J. Karantz – 90+4′ J. Guest)
Heidelberg United – South Melbourne 1 – 0 (6′ A. Yokokawa)
NPL – TABLE
1. South Melbourne 18 44
2. Avondale 18 42
3. Oakleigh Cannons 18 37
4. Heidelberg Utd 18 36
5. Hume City 18 33
6. Port Melb Sharks 18 29
7. Dand City 18 25
8. Melb Knights 18 22
9. Altona Magic 18 21
10. Green Gully 18 20
11. Dand Thunder 18 18
12. Manningham 18 11
13. St. Albans 18 10
14. Moreland 18 7
RESULTS – VPL1
Werribee City – Brunswick City 2 – 1
Northcote City – Bentleigh Greens 2 – 0
Eastern Lions – Western United 0 – 4
North Geelong Warriors – Melbourne Victory 2 – 3
Langwarrin – Melbourne City 2 – 2
Kingston City – Preston Lions 8.30pm*
Bulleen Lions – Caroline Springs 8.30pm*
*These matches took place on Monday night (17/06)
VPL1 – TABLE
1. Melb Victory 18 41
2. Western Utd 18 36
3. Northcote 18 35
4. Preston Lions 17 32
5. Bentl Greens 18 25
6. Langwarrin 18 25
7. Melb City 18 24
8. Bulleen Lions 17 24
9. Brunswick City 18 19
10. Kingston 17 18
11. Eastern Lions 18 18
12. Carol Springs 17 16
13. Werribee City 18 15
14. North Geelong 18 10
VPL2 – RESULTS
Brunswick Juventus – Doveton 1 – 0
Essendon Royals – Box Hill United 1 – 2
Beaumaris – North Sunshine Eagles 1 – 1
Nunawading City – Pascoe Vale 1 – 2
Boroondara Carey Eagles – FC Melbourne Srbija 1 – 1
Altona City – Goulburn Valley Suns 1 – 1
VPL2 – TABLE
1. Nth Sunsh. Eagles 14 30
2. FC Melb. Serbia 14 30
3. Brun Juventus 14 29
4. Altona City 14 27
5. Pascoe Vale 13 21
6. Boroondara Eagles 14 20
7. Essendon Royals 14 19
8. Box Hill 14 18
9. Nunawading City 14 16
10. Goulburn Valley 14 9
11. Doveton 13 7
12. Beaumaris 14 5
