The Great Alexander of Victorian football is sparking! John Anastasiadis’s team bounced back with a vengeance after last week’s defeat against Thunder, putting on a dazzling display of football against Hume City.
Despite going behind very early in the game, the ‘yellow-blacks’ kept their cool, got the ball down, banged in five stunning goals, and walked away from the Matildas’ home ground with three precious points.
The star of the show for Heidelberg United was none other than one of the league’s most gifted players, Asahi Yokokawa. The ‘Samurai’ of Alexander delivered perhaps his best performance since joining the Greek Australian side, sending the fans at Bundoora into raptures on Friday night. He bagged a hat-trick of beauties, was everywhere on the pitch, and showcased exactly why he’s considered one of Coach Anastasiadis’ favourite players.
A worthy partner in crime for the Japanese attacking midfielder was Bul Juach, who netted the first two goals for Alexander and played a pivotal role in securing this massive victory, filling the team with optimism for the rest of the season
Oakleigh Cannons suffered a shocking and deeply painful home defeat. The champions hosted St Albans in a match that turned into a real nightmare for the home side. You see, the 33 years that had passed since the Saints’ last away victory against the Greek Australian team had, quite logically, led the crowd to believe they would witness yet another comfortable win for the ‘Cannons’. But the visitors had other ideas. Peters’ quick goal in the 6th minute caught Chris Taylor’s team napping, who appeared on the pitch slightly more relaxed than the importance of the match demanded.
The ‘Saints’ goal abruptly shook the Cannons players out of their complacency. They immediately upped the tempo and, with Guest and Knowles leading the charge, began to unleash some of their attacking prowess on the pitch.
This pressure resulted in several set-pieces, which naturally created serious threats for the Saints’ defensive line. One of these led to the equalizing goal, scored by Cannons’ best player on Friday night, Ajak Deu. The towering defender capitalized on a well-taken corner from Joe Guest and headed home to make it 1-1 in the 22nd minute of the first half.
Oakleigh didn’t stop there. They tried to capitalize on the momentum gained from the equalizer, further increasing the pressure. The action moved in front of the St Albans’ goal, leaving Cannons’ goalkeeper, Nick Feely, essentially a spectator for most of the remaining time in the first half. However, the apparent complacency seemed to affect the experienced keeper, who was AWOL when needed.
In stoppage time of the first half, Gulevski picked up the ball about 10 meters outside the box and, without hesitation, unleashed a shot that slipped through Feely’s gloves and ended up in the back of the net.
The goal shocked the home fans. Chris Taylor’s tactics board must have been on fire during halftime. However, whatever plans he prepared didn’t seem to work.
His players tried in the second half but seemed unable to find openings towards the opposition goal. They reached the Saints’ box and then… blackout. Thus, slowly and painfully for the home fans, we reached the final whistle of referee Yannis Zisis, which saw St Albans clinch a historic away victory in Oakleigh, after 11,991 days, or about 33 years.
South Melbourne’s winless streak has stretched to four matches. The team suffered their third consecutive defeat, plunging them to 9th place in the league standings. Esteban Quintas’ side is going through a rough patch and needs to find a reaction soon if they want to stay within touching distance of the top spots.
On Saturday night, they faced Dandenong Thunder away in a match that looked like it should have been within their grasp. However, that wasn’t reflected on the pitch. Toothless attacks, few goal-scoring opportunities, and aimless passing in midfield characterized the first half. In the second half, the home side looked hungrier for the win, relentlessly searching for a goal, and finally found it in the 57th minute through Yuki Uchida. That was the only goal of the match, ultimately deciding the final result.
A bitter defeat that seems to be gathering more dark clouds over Lakeside Stadium, the home of Hellas.
Sharks on-field collapse is relentless. The Port Melbourne side can’t catch a break. Defeats and dismal performances are coming thick and fast, sinking the ‘Shark’ to the bottom of the league, far from where they want to be. On Friday night, they hosted Melbourne Victory in a match that, on paper, looked winnable. However, the result told a completely different story. The visitors did whatever they wanted on the pitch.
They banged in three goals, played slick football, and ultimately left the Port of Melbourne with all three points.
The season has started in nightmarish fashion for Nea Hellas. They need to change course immediately if they want any hope of staying in the top tier of Victorian football. Can they pull it off? Only time and their actions on the pitch will tell.
VPL1
Is Pancyprios soaring? They sure are!
George Katsakis’ team has set their sights on promotion and looks more ready than ever for a return to the top league.
Their latest victims were Langwarrin. The bottom-of-the-table side arrived in Cheltenham with high spirits and dreams of a good result. However, they hadn’t counted on the… ‘landlord’. The home side was determined to win, and this was evident in the second half when they upped the tempo, scoring two stunning goals that proved enough to secure the victory. A win that keeps Pancyprios firmly at the top of the league table.
Northcote City couldn’t muster anything positive from their match against Western United. The Greek Australian team fought hard on the pitch, but ultimately succumbed to the superior play of United’s youngsters and suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat.
VPL2
The historic Pythagoras is back! Box Hill, who hadn’t started the season in the best possible way, travelled to Brunswick on Friday night to face one of the best teams in the division, Juventus. There, inside the ‘black and whites’ home, the visitors threw a party!
They banged in three goals, showcased some footballing flair on the pitch, and boosted their morale ahead of a tough season. With this victory, United moved away from the lower reaches of the table, giving some much-needed breathing space to the team’s fans, who had started to worry about their team’s form in the early stages of the new season
NPL – Results
Green Gully – Melbourne Knights 3 – 0 (50′ J. Hope, 53′ S. Lochhead, 62′ G. Iannucci)
Heidelberg United – Hume City 5 – 1 (26′, 46′ B. Juach, 63′, 83′, 90+2′ A. Yokokawa – 8′ J. Okane)
Port Melbourne Sharks – Melbourne Victory NPL 0 – 3 (23′ P. Wall, 69′ A. Khamis [O], 83′ D. Lazarevski)
Oakleigh Cannons – St Albans Saints 1 – 2 (23′ A. Deu – 6′ E. Peters, 45+1′ J. Gulevski)
Avondale – Preston Lions 3 – 1 (42′ S. Valentini, 54′, 89′ M. Aguek – 49′ C. Bell)
Altona Magic – Dandenong City 0 – 0
Dandenong Thunder – South Melbourne 1 – 0 (57′ Y. Uchida)
NPL – Standing
1. Avondale 6 18
2. Dand Thunder 6 13
3. Preston Lions 6 11
4. Oakleigh Cannons 6 10
5. Heidelberg Utd 6 10
6. Hume City 6 10
7. Dand City 6 7
8. St. Albans 6 7
9. South Melbourne 6 7
10. Melb Knights 6 6
11. Altona Magic 6 5
12. Mel Victory NPL 6 5
13. Green Gully 6 5
14. Port Melb Sharks 6 3
VPL1 – Results
Bentleigh Greens – Langwarrin 2 – 0
Melbourne Srbija – Moreland City 4 – 4
Manningham United Blues – Caroline Springs George Cross 1 – 2
Western United – Northcote City 3 – 0
Melbourne City – Eastern Lions 3 – 1
Kingston City – North Sunshine Eagles (This match will be played on Monday night)
VPL1 – Standings
1. Bentl Greens 6 15
2. Melb City 6 14
3. Western Utd 6 13
4. Carol Springs 6 12
5. Bulleen Lions 5 9
6. Northcote 6 9
7. Brunswick City 5 8
8. Manningham 6 8
9. Kingston 5 7
10. North Sunshine 5 6
11. Melbourne SRBIJA 6 4
12. Moreland 6 4
13. Eastern Lions 6 1
14. Langwarrin 6 1
