Some kits carry more weight, more prestige, and a richer history than others. That’s certainly true for South Melbourne Hellas. The Greek Australian side clinched a thrilling 2-1 victory against Preston Lions, thanks to a cracking goal from star man Max Mikkola in the dying seconds of the derby.
South Melbourne fought tooth and nail from the first whistle, showing they wanted the three points more than anything. Their determination shone through even after falling behind in the 56th minute to a goal from Lauton. The South lads levelled the score in the 64th minute through an own goal by Anderson, before Mikkola’s absolute belter in the 90th minute turned the match on its head.
This hard-fought win has propelled Hellas to 9th spot on the league table, comfortably clear of the dreaded relegation zone.
Coach Anastasiadis’s mighty “Alexander” (Heidelberg United) has once again reached the top. The experienced coach’s “armada” seems determined to claim first place during the 2025 regular season, and no opponent appears capable of stopping their incredible run.
The Greek Australian team’s latest victim was Dandenong Thunder. The visitors, who had managed to defeat the “yellow and blacks” 3-2 in the first round of the championship (United’s last league defeat), arrived at Olympic Park aiming to cause problems and stay as close to the top as possible, maintaining their chances of winning the regular season.
However, they hadn’t accounted for United’s stars, Jamal Ali and Bul Juach. Ali opened the scoring in the 26th minute, netting his seventh goal of the season. This is an incredible number, considering the scorer plays as a right-back. Juach made it 2-0 in the 59th minute, sealing the victory for his team and sending them back, alone at the top, of the league table. It was another show of strength from the league leaders, who are demonstrating week after week that they will fight for the title until the final whistle of the season. They seem more capable than ever of returning to the golden pinnacle of Victorian football.
Champion Oakleigh Cannons suffered a shocking 2-5 home defeat against Melbourne Victory. The “Cannons” had the misfortune of one of their biggest weapons, the exceptionally experienced and one of the best goalkeepers in the league, Nick Feely, having a very bad day. The 33-year-old keeper was… absent on Friday night. If one were to look at the goals he conceded, they would think someone had taken a safety cone, dressed it in the Cannons’ goalkeeper kit, and set it up between the posts to pretend to be the goalkeeper. It was that simple.
The score by the 22nd minute of the game was already 0-3. Yes, you read that right. The champions, who usually concede goals sparingly, found themselves three goals down before even reaching the halfway point of the first half.
In the 24th minute, Salmon managed to reduce the deficit to 1-3 with a clever free-kick, but it seems they ran out of gas again there, as Gorevski restored his team’s three-goal lead in the 37th minute.
Chris Taylor’s shouts at halftime had some effect, as his players started the second half by again reducing the score to 2-4 after a goal from the captain, Joe Guest. However, they stayed there. The visitors not only were not threatened but even managed to score a fifth goal through Hoey, essentially putting an end to the Cannons’ dreams of a comeback and of claiming first place in the regular season.
After Friday’s defeat, the Oakleigh team remained a full 10 points behind league leaders Heidelberg United. A difference that will be very difficult to cover in the last five rounds of the championship.
The big derby between Port Melbourne Sharks and Melbourne Knights, which we watched on Friday night in… cool Port Melbourne, had everything. Despite the biting cold, the players from both teams managed to offer us ninety minutes full of the magic and passion that only the king of sports can provide. The goal for both was one: a victory that would lift them from the bottom of the table and revive any hopes they had of staying in the NPL. However, victory did not come for either side.
The visitors were the first to open the scoring in the 32nd minute after a big mistake by the Port Melbourne Sharks goalkeeper and an own goal by Maker Maker. However, the response came in the 44th minute with Delarno Pharoe scoring one of the most beautiful goals of the season. The fancy winger brought down a forty-meter pass with an incredible touch and, with a calm finish, sent the ball into the back of the Australian Croatian’s net. The score was 1-1 as the two opponents went into the dressing rooms for halftime.
The second half had a similar intensity to the first. The ball went back and forth, endless body-to-body duels, and unbridled thirst for victory coming from both sides of the pitch. The ball just didn’t want to go into the net. However, in the 80th minute, one of the most quality strikers in the league, Sheppard, appeared to make it 1-2 for the Knights and, if only temporarily, send his team’s fans to the heavens. However, the home side had not said their last word. A few seconds before the end, in the 93rd minute, Aiden Brown equalised the match and kept alive any hopes his team now has of staying in the top division. Thanks to the goal in stoppage time, Port Melbourne Sharks remained in 13th place in the table, three points away from Melbourne Victory, who are outside the dangerous zone. The only sure thing is that the last five rounds of the championship will be a real test for the Greek Australian team, which seems ready to fight tooth and nail to be in the NPL again next season.
VPL1
Bentleigh Greens couldn’t resist the superiority of Western United, losing with a score of 3-0. It was a below-average performance for Pankyprios, who will need to return to strong performances if they want to stay alive in the race for first place, which they currently share with Melbourne City
Brunswick City secured a huge 0-1 away win at George Cross’s home ground. The visitors were excellent on Saturday afternoon. They showed an incredibly competitive face against one of the best teams in the division and, thanks to claiming all three points, they “flew” back into the top six of the league table, filling their loyal fans with pride and optimism.
Northcote City failed to get a good result from their home match against Melbourne Srbija. Iraklis’s players had a bad day, resulting in a 0-1 defeat. It was a particularly negative result for the Greek Australian team at a very crucial point in the season. A failure that could prove disastrous for the home side’s effort to remain in the top six of the standings.
VPL2
Box Hill United managed to secure an important away draw last Friday. Historical Pythagoras managed to leave with a 1-1 score from one of the toughest grounds in the division, Springvale White Eagles’ home. It was a very important result that will help the Greek Australian team in their effort to move away from the dangerous zone of the league table.
NPL – Results
Heidelberg United – Dandenong Thunder 2 – 0 (26′ J. Ali, 59′ B. Juach)
Dandenong City – Green Gully 0 – 0
Port Melbourne – Melbourne Knights 2 – 2 (44′ D. Pharoe, 90+3′ A. Brown – 32′ M. Maker [A], 80′ K. Sheppard)
Oakleigh Cannons – Melbourne Victory 2 – 5 (24′ A. Salmon, 53′ J. Guest – 3′ A. Houridis, 8′ D. Lazarevski, 22′ L. Bourke, 37′ C. Gorevski, 62′ J. Hoey)
Avondale – St Albans Saints 2 – 2(11′ C. Cuba, 75′ D. Edwards – 16′ O. Dragicevic, 89′ J. Divin)
Altona Magic – Hume City 1 – 1 (71′ A. Gust – 53′ J. Okane)
South Melbourne – Preston Lions 2 – 1 (65′ A. Anderson [OG], 90′ M. Mikkola – 57′ B. Lauton)
NPL – Standings
1. Heidelberg | 18 | 44
2. Avondale | 18 | 43
3. Dandenong Thunder | 18 | 36
4. Oakleigh Cannons | 17 | 34
5. Hume City | 18 | 31
6. Preston Lions | 18 | 28
7. Dandenong City | 18 | 24
8. Green Gully | 18 | 23
9. South Melbourne | 18 | 19
10. Altona Magic | 18 | 18
11. Melbourne Victory | 18 | 15
12. St Albans Saints | 18 | 14
13. Port Melbourne Sharks | 18 | 12
14. Melbourne Knights | 17 | 10 VPL1 – Results 79
Northcote City – FC Melbourne Srbija 0 – 1
North Sunshine Eagles – Melbourne City 0 – 1
Langwarrin – Manningham United Blues 2 – 1
Caroline Springs George Cross – Brunswick City 0 – 1
Eastern Lions – Moreland City 6 – 2
Western United – Bentleigh Greens 3 – 0
Bulleen Lions – Kingston City (This game will be played on Monday evening 16.5)
VPL1 – Standings
1. Melbourne City | 17 | 38
2. Bentleigh | 18 | 38
3. George Cross | 18 | 36
4. Western United | 17 | 29
5. Northcote | 17 | 28
6. Brunswick | 18 | 28
7. Bulleen Lions | 16 | 26
8. North Sunshine | 18 | 24
9. Manningham | 18 | 22
10. Melbourne Srbija | 18 | 20
11. Langwarrin | 18 | 19
12. Eastern Lions | 18 | 17
13. Kingston City | 17 | 11
14. Moreland City | 18 | 11
