We wish we had a thousand eyes to feast on Hellas. The South Melbourne lads turned in perhaps their best shift of the season against Excelsior. The “blues” hit sky-high levels of performance, dishing out an emphatic 2-0 win that kept them alone at the top of the table in Group A of the new national championship.
The star of the show in Hellas’ victory was the side’s number 10, the magnificent Manny Aguek.
The forward not only slotted home the opener for 1-0 in the 49th minute, but when things looked like they might go pear-shaped for his team, he pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
In the 87th minute – with the hosts down to 10 men after Bonada’s sending-off – Aguek picked up the ball in the middle of the park, looked up, and unleashed an absolute thunderbolt that nestled in the back of the net for the visitors. It was a moment of pure football magic that’ll be etched in the memories of Hellas fans for years to come.
With this win under their belt, South Melbourne keep leading the charge in Group A and will now turn their sights to the next round, when they face Broadmeadow away from home. That clash is set for Sunday, 26 October, at 1 pm.
We caught up with the president of the historic club, Bill Papastergiadis, to get his take on the team’s majestic display.
“Hellas is playing an exciting brand of football that has brought the crowd and the atmosphere to our stadium. Hellas was deserved winners with multiple chances. The standard of football is high and we are proud of the players and coaches efforts. The Australian Championship is quickly becoming the home of football in our country. Congratulations to our head of football (Kokodis) and Co President (Mesourouni) for their off field leadership. As for Manny’s second goal, what can we say. It could be the goal of the Championship”.
Sydney Olympic vs Broadmeadow
In a match that had everything, Broadmeadow Magic edged out Sydney Olympic 3-2 in Round 2 of the Australian Championship.
The visitors came flying out of the traps and grabbed an early lead. In the 18th minute, they broke the deadlock after a well-worked move to make it 0-1. Sydney Olympic fought back, knocking the ball about and carving out chances, but Broadmeadow’s backline was rock-solid and well-drilled. The first half wrapped up at 0-1, with the hosts bossing 61% possession but failing to turn it into goals.
The second half followed the same script. Magic doubled their tally in the 65th minute with a second strike. The hosts upped the ante and pulled one back in the 78th minute, cutting the deficit to 1-2. The pressure kept coming, but Broadmeadow hit back sharpish in the 86th minute to make it 1-3. Sydney Olympic refused to chuck in the towel and netted again in the 88th minute, bringing it to 2-3.
Around 1,500 punters packed the ground, which was buzzing with intensity right until the final whistle.
Broadmeadow Magic climbed to second spot in Group A on three points, while Sydney Olympic stayed rooted to the bottom without a point. Next up for Sydney Olympic is a home clash with Moreton City Excelsior, slated for Sunday afternoon, 26 October, at 1 pm.
