South Melbourne – Hume City
South Melbourne needs to put the brakes on. They have lost the belief they had in themselves all these months; their effectiveness has hit its lowest point, along with the psychology of the group. Everyone in and around the historic club is searching for a way to stop the free fall the team has been in for the last few weeks.
Last matchday, the Cannons crushed South Melbourne’s hopes. This weekend, Hume thwarted Esteban Quintas and his team’s plans.
Last year’s grand final finalists welcomed Hume City on Sunday afternoon. Jack Painter Andrews opened the scoring for his team after just 5 minutes, passing any opposition in front of him and calmly placing the ball into the net.
Hume had other plans for the match, as Birhan Elibol equalized in the 38th minute due to the Greek defense’s inactivity and a close header. Then, Josh Gulevski achieved the complete reversal in the 55th minute with an improbable long shot. Max Mikkola managed to level the match in the 88th minute, but this was a painfully negative result for the South Melbourne side, who now sit third in the table behind Avondale and Oakleigh Cannons.
Altona Magic – Heidelberg
Altona Magic welcomed United on Saturday afternoon west of Melbourne in a match full of passion, football spectacle, and beautiful goals.
Cian Cuba opened the score for Altona Magic in the 25th minute, but Antonis Theodorakopoulos equalized with a well-placed penalty in the 33rd minute. Sean Ellis then put Alexandros in front of the score in the 67th minute. However, Markovski equalized for the visitors in the 77th minute and Anastovski completed the triumph with the winning goal in the 90th minute.
The visitors’ keeper is also responsible for failing to properly protect the closed corner of his goal. Despite their efforts, United missed the opportunity to collect precious points from the side of the “Greek” club.
Bentleigh Greens – Oakleigh Cannons
The “Cannons” sped through the courts with mathematical precision, collecting three-pointers and drawing closer to the top of the standings.
Pancyprios was their latest victim.
Before kick-off, the Bentleigh ground was filled with a strong feeling that the Greens might be able to get something good out of the match against Chris Taylor’s side. However, in the fourth minute, Valentini, one of the best wingers in the league, destroyed the beautiful atmosphere and the dreams of the “Cypriots” by opening the scoring with a precise spot kick. Salmon made it 0-2 in the thirty-first minute with a free kick two to three meters outside the big area, putting a definitive end to the Greens’ appetites.
The home side tried to produce some football in the second half, and Scot Francis Hilliar pulled one back in the sixty-seventh minute. But the “blues” seemed to wake up from the reduction of the score, turned up the gears and finally made it 1-3 with Daniel Clark in the eighty-sixth minute, bringing the curtain down on another football performance from coach Taylor’s well-worked machine.
St Albans Saints – Port Melbourne Sharks
Luca Tevere opened the scoring for the “Greek” team in the 6th minute, and Chris Duggan doubled the lead with a successful penalty kick in the 20th minute, as the breezy Port Melbourne passed through St Albans in comfort and style.
The port team managed the match intelligently, circulating the ball beautifully and tightening their defensive line, and they held on to their lead until the referee’s final whistle, securing a huge win for the ‘Hellenic’ club and consolidating their position in the top five of the league table.
NPL2
It was a heartbreaking afternoon for Kingston City, as they were knocked out of the race for a win by a resolute Pascoe Vale side.
From the 28th minute, Kingston found themselves playing catch-up after a goal from Pascoe Vale opened the scoring, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to find the equalizer. The “Greek” club finally managed to score a goal in the 59th minute, but it was too little too late, and they eventually slumped to a heavy 1-3 defeat. The disappointment was etched on their faces as they left their headquarters, having failed to make their mark on the game.
The big winner of the “Greek” NPL2 derby was Northcote. The historic club prevailed over Brunswick City with a score of 3-0. With this victory, Northcote climbed to 9th place in the standings, just three points away from the first privileged six.
NPL3
The Goulburn Valley Suns inflicted a heavy 4-1 defeat upon Box Hill United in the NPL3 championship, as the footballers of the “Hellenic” club were unable to withstand the onslaught. United left Shepparton with their heads down and another defeat in tow.
The State Leagues
Yarraville suffered a painful home defeat against Altona City. The league leaders did not leave any room for reaction to the “Hellenic” club, as they completely dominated on the pitch, scoring four goals, proving that their position in the table is not just by chance.
The taste left in the mouths of the two “Greek” teams in the Southeast Group this weekend was bad.
Malvern suffered a 1-2 home defeat against the White Eagles while Aris failed to clear the Gippsland United hurdle, after being stuck at 2-2 and sharing the points and impressions.
NPL – Results
St Albans – Port Melbourne Sharks 0 – 2 (7′ L. Tevere, 20′ C. Duggan [P])
Avondale – Dandenong Thunder 5 – 1 (20′ K. Trajceski, 47′ S. Zinni, 54′ Y. Ahmed, 60′ S. Zinni, 89′ G. Ott – 61′ J. Davies)
Moreland – Green Gully 1 – 1 (67′ C. Thomas – 90+3′ J. Lampard)
Bentleigh Greens – Oakleigh Cannons 1 – 3 (67′ SF Hilliar – 4′ S. Valentini, 31′ A. Salmon, 86′ D. Clark)
Altona Magic – Heidelberg United 3 – 2 (25′ C. Cuba, 77′ J. Markovski, 90′ D. Anastovski – 33′ Antonis Theodorakopoulos [P])
North Geelong Warriors – Melbourne Knights 0 – 3 (11′ L. Kolic, 26′ A. Kinnander [Π], 45′ I. Franjic)
South Melbourne – Hume City 2 – 2 (5′ J. Painter – Andrews, 85′ M. Mikkola – 38′ B. Elibol, 55′ J. Gulevski)
NPL – Table
1. Avondale 21 56
2. Oakleigh Cannons 21 51
3. South Melbourne 20 50
4. Melbourne Knights 21 38
5. Port Melbourne 21 37
6. Altona Magic 21 32
7. Green Gully 21 31
8. Dandenong Thunder 21 24
9. Hume City 21 21
10. Heidelberg United 20 20
11. St Albans Saints 21 16
12. Bentleigh Greens 21 14
13. Moreland City 21 13
14. North Geelong 21 13
NPL2 – Results
Brunswick Juventus – Preston Lions 0 – 0
Northcote City – Brunswick City 3 – 0
Western United (Y) – Melbourne City (Y) 1 – 3
Langwarrin – Dandenong City 2 – 3
Manningham United Blues – Werribee 2 – 1
Kingston City – Pascoe Vale 1 – 3
Bulleen Lions – Eastern Lions 20:15***
***The match will be held on Monday (10/07)
NPL2 – Table
1. Kingston City 21 37
2. Dandenong 21 36
3. Western United (Y) 21 35
4. Preston Lions 21 35
5. Manningham 21 32
6. Eastern Lions 19 30
7. Melbourne City (Y) 21 29
8. Langwarrin 21 29
9. Northcote City 20 27
10. Werribee 21 26
11. Brunswick Juventus 21 25
12. Bulleen 20 23
13. Brunswick City 21 23
14. Pascoe Vale 21 23
NPL3 – Results
Beaumaris -Essendon Royals 3 – 1
Goulburn Valley Suns – Box Hill United 4 – 1
Doveton – Ballarat City 1 – 2
Boroondara Carey Eagles – Nunawading 2 – 3
Geelong- North Sunshine Eagles 0 – 2
Melbourne Victory (Y) – Caroline Springs George Cross 0 – 2
NPL3 – Table
1. Melbourne Victory (Y) 17 38
2. Caroline Springs 16 34
3. Goulburn Suns 17 31
4. Nunawading 16 28
5. North Sunshine 17 28
6. Boroondara 17 26
7. Doveton 17 23
8. Box Hill 17 18
9. Beaumaris 17 18
10. Essendon 17 17
11. Geelong 17 16
12. Ballarat 17 11
