Heidelberg United, led by gaffer John Anastasiadis, threw an absolute party on Friday night. The “yellow and blacks” welcomed ladder-leaders Avondale in a match that turned into a one-sided affair for the hosts.
The Greek Australian outfit ran riot on the pitch, bossing possession and slotting three goals in the first half. Had they not taken their foot off the gas in the second, the scoreline could’ve been even more brutal.
The fun began in the 20th minute when star man Bul Juach opened the scoring at 1-0, paving the way for a massive win. In the 36th minute, Jamal Ali made it 2-0 with a cracking one-time strike and James Ngor sealed the first-half rout with a tidy finish in stoppage time for 3-0.
Luckily for Avondale, the ref’s whistle for half-time gave them a chance to regroup. The second half saw a shift, with Heidelberg tightening up and slowing the tempo to lock in the result and conserve energy for the tough road ahead.
All Avondale could muster was a consolation goal in the dying seconds, making it 3-1. The lone strike barely fazed Heidelberg’s fans, who watched their side humble one of the division’s heavyweights and close the gap to the top to just two points.
Oakleigh Cannons, the reigning champs, capitalized on Heidelberg’s win, grabbing another hard-fought victory on a tricky away day. Chris Taylor’s men stormed Altona Magic’s ground with intent, showing their hunger from the first whistle.
Skipper Joe Guest was the orchestrator once again. In the 4th minute, he threaded a beauty of a through ball to Dench, who was brought down by Magic’s keeper in the box. Guest coolly converted the penalty for 0-1, giving his side the early edge.
That scoreline held until the break. After the interval, the Cannons pushed for a second to kill off the game, and they delivered. In the 78th minute, Guest’s sublime curling pass found Salmon, who drove into the box and lobbed the keeper with a stunning chip for 2-0, effectively burying Altona’s hopes. George Tsitsiranis pulled one back for Magic in the 95th minute at 1-2, but it was too little, too late.
South Melbourne are stuck in a rut. The Greek Australian side suffered yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Green Gully. With Leigh Minopoulos, formerly Esteban Quintas’s assistant, on the touchline, South fought for a result but fell to a painful 1-0 loss.
Green Gully’s English playmaker Paul Hodges scored the decisive goal in the 50th minute. The classy midfielder danced through the defence and rifled a shot past Lopez to clinch the three points for his side.
This latest defeat leaves South Melbourne languishing in 11th place with nine points, just three above the drop zone.
Port Melbourne Sharks are in dire straits at the bottom of the table. The “Sharks” are struggling to find form, failing to score freely while leaking goals left and right.
On Friday, they were thumped 5-2 away at Dandenong City. City’s star man Kenjok Athiu stole the show with a hat-trick, proving once again why he’s a key weapon for coach Tolios up top. For the Sharks, Thomas Alisandratos was the lone bright spark, bagging a goal and showing he’ll be crucial in their fight to stay up.
VPL1
The VPL1 round was pure chaos.
The headline act was the big “blue and white” derby between Northcote City and Brunswick City. Northcote ran out 4-1 winners in a match they dominated from start to finish, leaving no room for doubt. The victory propelled Northcote to fourth in the standings, sparking dreams of promotion among their passionate fanbase.
Bentleigh Greens couldn’t seal the deal against Manningham United. George Katsakis’s side battled tooth and nail but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after a hard-fought contest.
Kingston City’s slide continued with yet another loss, this time 2-1 to Moreland City. Tangalakis and Tsolakis’s “red and whites” are causing concern among fans, sitting 10th in the table, just three points clear of bottom-placed Langwarrin.
VPL2
Box Hill United’s Pythagoras couldn’t avoid defeat away at Whittlesea. The historic club pushed for a result against United but fell 3-2. Maximo Naveiro was the standout for Pythagoras, scoring a screamer and showing belief in a better outcome. Despite his efforts, Box Hill now sit 10th, four points above last-placed Geelong.
NPL – Results
Altona Magic – Oakleigh Cannons 1 – 2 (90+5′ G. Tsitsiranis – 5′ J. Guest, 78′ A. Salmon)
Green Gully – South Melbourne 1 – 0 (50′ P. Hodges)
Heidelberg United – Avondale 3 – 1 (20′ B. Juach, 36′ J. Ali, 45′ J. Ngor – 90+3′ F. Fulton)
Dandenong City – Port Melbourne Sharks 5 – 2 (55′, 76′, 90′ K. Athiu, 23′ Y. Mustafa, 57′ T. Atherinos – 53′ A. Brown, 72′ T. Alisandratos)
Preston Lions – St Albans Saints 2 – 1 (10′ J. Romero, 32′ G. Albano – 15′ M. Grgic)
Hume City – Melbourne Knights 2 – 1 (39′ J. Bingham, 56′ M. Ochieng – 80′ C. Bramwell)
Melbourne Victory – Dandenong Thunder (To be played on Monday night, 28.4)
NPL – Standings
1. Avondale 11 27
2. Heidelberg Utd 11 25
3. Oakleigh Cannons 11 25
4. Dand Thunder 10 22
5. Preston Lions 11 18
6. Hume City 11 17
7. Green Gully 11 15
8. Dand City 11 13
9. Mel Victory NPL 10 12
10. St. Albans 11 10
11. South Melbourne 11 9
12. Melb Knights 11 9
13. Altona Magic 11 7
14. Port Melb Sharks 11 6
VPL1 – Results
Bentleigh Greens – Manningham United Blues 1 – 1
Northcote City – Brunswick City 4 – 1
Moreland City – Kingston City 2 – 1
North Sunshine Eagles – Western United 1 – 1
Eastern Lions – Caroline Springs George Cross 2 – 3
Melbourne SRBIJA – Langwarrin 1 – 0
Melbourne City – Bulleen Lions 1 – 1
VPL1 – Standings
1. Melb City 11 27
2. Bentl Greens 11 22
3. Western Utd 11 21
4. Northcote 11 21
5. Bulleen Lions 11 20
6. Brunswick City 11 19
7. Carol Springs 11 18
8. Manningham 11 13
9. North Sunshine 11 12
10. Kingston 11 10
11. Melbourne SRBIJA 11 8
12. Moreland 11 8
13. Eastern Lions 11 8
14. Langwarrin 11 7
