The weekend’s marquee clash between ladder-leaders Heidelberg United and tenth-placed South Melbourne ended in a thrilling 1-1 stalemate, delivering a proper spectacle for the punters at Olympic Park. It wasn’t just the two cracking goals that lit up the match—both sides served up a 90-minute feast of passion, fierce one-on-one battles, and an unquenchable thirst for victory.
South Melbourne, defying the form guide, stunned the home side by taking the lead in the 25th minute through Charlie Leech, silencing the already chilly Olympic Park. The goal shook Heidelberg awake, and they ramped up the tempo, pressing relentlessly across the pitch to level things before the break. But South Melbourne’s backline, marshalled by Sinisa Cohadzic, was rock-solid in the first half, sending the teams to the sheds with the scoreboard stuck at 0-1.
The second half saw Heidelberg come out swinging, hunting for the equaliser with ferocious intensity. Their persistence paid off in the 65th minute when James Ngor rose to meet a pinpoint delivery with a thumping header, restoring parity. From there, the match turned into a wild, end-to-end affair—a proper ding-dong battle. Both sides threw everything at it, but neither could find the decisive blow, settling for a hard-fought point apiece and sharing the plaudits.
Elsewhere, last season’s champions Oakleigh Cannons copped a rare defeat away at Dandenong City on Friday night. The home side, brimming with energy and purpose under Nikos Tolios, nicked a 1-0 win thanks to Gaku Inaba’s 48th-minute strike. Oakleigh dominated possession and racked up 14 shots but lacked the killer instinct in the final third, leaving them empty-handed. The result keeps the Cannons locked in fourth, a whopping 13 points adrift of top spot, while Dandenong City edge closer to the coveted top six, fuelling dreams of a finals berth.
Port Melbourne Sharks’ woes continued with another loss, this time a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Hume City. The Greek Australian side took a shock lead through former South Melbourne star George Mells in the 23rd minute, but it only served to spark Hume into life. The hosts flipped the script before half-time and ran riot in the second half, racking up four goals by the 70th minute. It’s another grim result for Port Melbourne, who now look destined for the drop to VPL2.
VPL1
In VPL1, Pancyprios are charging towards NPL promotion, and no one seems capable of stopping them. Their latest victims were Brunswick City’s Leonidas, who were brushed aside in Cheltenham. The Greek Australian side were outclassed as Pancyprios struck twice through Okamoto and Ellis, securing another three points to edge closer to their NPL dream.
The other Greek Australian derby of the round—Northcote City’s Iraklis against Kingston City’s Clarinda—was a one-sided affair despite its billing as a blockbuster. Iraklis were ruthless hosts, smashing seven goals past a hapless Clarinda to claim a 7-1 victory. The result lifts Northcote to eighth, four points shy of the top six, while Clarinda remain mired in 13th, five points from safety.
VPL2
Box Hill United’s Pythagoras couldn’t muster a response in their away clash against Suns, slumping to a 3-1 defeat. Despite a spirited effort, the Greek Australian outfit couldn’t match their opponents’ quality, leaving them eighth in the standings, seven points off the top six and with fading hopes of a finals push.
NPL – Results
Green Gully – St Albans Saints 2–2 (45+3′ J. Heaton, 68′ A. Abdallah – 10′ J. Monek, 29′ J. Colina)
Dandenong City – Oakleigh Cannons 1–0 (55′ G. Inaba)
Hume City – Port Melbourne Sharks 4–1 (30′, 67′ R. Harker, 45+3′ L. Isgrove, 57′ G. Debele – 23′ G. Mells)
Preston Lions – Melbourne Victory 1–0 (49′ J. Markovski)
Altona Magic – Avondale 0–1 (55′ L. Tevere)
Heidelberg United – South Melbourne 1–1 (65′ J. Ngor – 25′ C. Leech)
Dandenong Thunder – Melbourne Knights 4–0 (8′, 59′ Y. Uchida, 27′ K. Taylor, 34′ H. Jalloh)
NPL – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Heidelberg 23 55
2. Avondale 23 52
3. Dandenong Thunder 23 47
4. Oakleigh Cannons 23 42
5. Preston Lions 23 38
6. Hume City 23 34
7. Dandenong City 23 33
8. Green Gully 23 30
9. St Albans Saints 23 27
10. South Melbourne 23 27
11. Altona Magic 23 21
12. Melbourne Victory 23 15
13. Port Melbourne 23 15
14. Melbourne Knights 23 14
VPL1 – Results
Bentleigh Greens – Brunswick City 2–0
Moreland City – Bulleen Lions 1–0
Northcote City – Kingston City 7–1
Melbourne City – Caroline Springs George Cross 1–2
North Sunshine Eagles – Manningham United Blues 4–1
Eastern Lions – Langwarrin 1–2
Melbourne Srbija – Western United 1–1
VPL1 – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Bentleigh 23 49
2. Melbourne City 23 48
3. George Cross 23 48
4. Western United 23 40
5. North Sunshine 23 36
6. Brunswick 23 35
7. Bulleen Lions 23 33
8. Northcote 23 31
9. Melbourne Srbija 23 31
10. Langwarrin 23 29
11. Manningham 23 22
12. Eastern Lions 23 18
13. Kingston City 23 17
14. Moreland City 23 17
