Altona Magic – South Melbourne
South Melbourne seems to be pushing the accelerator to the floor, taking advantage of opportunities where their rivals have dropped points, as they easily beat Altona Magic.
The home team started the game with a bang, scoring in the 13th minute with the league’s top scorer, Jonas Markovski. However, the visitors responded in the second half, with Max Mikkola sending the ball into the heart of the opponent’s area and Ajak Riak sending it into the back of the home team’s goal with a deflected shot.
Marcus Schroen then found himself alone in the heart of the big area and with a beautiful right-footed shot, he put South Melbourne in front of the score. In the 65th minute, the newly acquired Mustafa scored another goal, and in the 72nd minute, Marcus Schroen received the ball at the penalty spot and, between three opponents, managed to send the ball into the corner of the Magic goalkeeper with a precise placement.
South Melbourne looks determined to go top before the end of this year’s league regular season. Who can stop them?
Oakleigh Cannons – Avondale
Oakleigh and Avondale tied 0-0 in a matchday derby, with the spirited footballers’ endless duels and the two coaches’ somewhat fearful tactical management deciding the result.
Avondale coach Zoran Markovski’s choice to keep his defensive line low for the entire 90 minutes showed his respect for the “Greek” team, as he settled for the one point draw.
The evening began with a shock when Lachlan Hart, the “Cannons” goalkeeper, was injured during the warm-up. Giorgos Bitzios, the young Greek goalkeeper, then confidently kept a clean sheet at home.
The match had a wild beauty, but the phases in front of the two goalposts were minimal. Both teams relied on their tight defenses, hoping their attackers would take advantage of the few opportunities that arose. However, Guest and Zinni’s offensive lines failed to find a way to the goal.
Bentleigh Greens – Port Melbourne Sharks
Bentleigh Greens and Port Melbourne put on a great show in Cheltenham, leaving the field with a draw and shared impressions.
Unfortunately for the hosts, the draw sent them back into the relegation zone.
Luka Cesnik opened the scoring for the visitors in the 13th minute, and Daniel Dixon leveled the match with a penalty in the 41st minute.
Christos Droutsas then turned the match upside down in the 68th minute, scoring a beautiful goal from outside the area.
It looked like the home team would take a deep breath in their fight to stay in the division, but Jalil Regague had other plans, stealing the one point with a goal in the 92nd minute.
Moreland City – Heidelberg United
Moreland secured a hard-fought victory over Heidelberg, as Jamie Latham scored in the 85th minute to secure the win.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 20th minute, courtesy of Jaiden Brown, making it difficult for Giorgos Katsakis and his players.
The visitors fought back with attractive and intricate football, eventually equalising in the 81st minute through Antonis Theodorakopoulos.
Despite goalkeeper Clark’s best efforts, the “Black and Yellow” could not keep their opponents away from the goal and conceded a second goal a few minutes before the end of the match.
NPL2
Western United’s youngsters inflicted a heavy 4-1 defeat on Kingston City, causing the “Greek” team to drop two places in the standings to third, behind Dandenong City and Western United.
Northcote also failed against Dandenong City, falling behind in the fourth minute. However, the “Greek” club fought back and equalised in the thirtieth minute, before having to play the remaining fifty-six minutes with ten players after a red card. Dandenong City regained the lead in the sixty-fourth minute and sealed the victory in the ninety-first minute.
Brunswick City also experienced a tough home defeat, with Werribee leaving the field with the three points.
This was a painful setback for Leonidas, leaving them just one point above the relegation zone.
NPL3
Box Hill United secured an impressive win this weekend as they hosted Ballarat in a one-sided match. The hosts displayed their determination by putting in a strong performance in both halves, which ultimately led to a 2-0 victory.
The State Leagues
Yarraville and Corio kept the score at 0-0 as both teams prioritised their defense, lacking the power and imagination to create many chances for goals.
Aris earned a great away win against Casey Comets, prevailing 0-1 and taking the three vital points of victory.
NPL – RESULTS
Oakleigh Cannons – Avondale 0 – 0
Moreland – Heidelberg United 2 – 1 (20′ J. Brown, 85′ J. Latham – 81′ A. Theodorakopoulos)
Bentleigh Greens – Port Melbourne Sharks 2 – 2 (41′ D. Dixon [P], 68′ X. Droutsas – 13′ V. Cesnik, 90+2′ J. Regague)
St Albans – North Geelong Warriors 2 – 0 (19′ M. Grgic, 90+1′ M. Zwed)
Altona Magic – South Melbourne 1 – 4 (13′ J. Markovski – 48′ A. Riak, 49′ M. Schroen, 65′ Y. Mustafa, 72′ M. Schroen)
Hume City – Melbourne Knights 2 – 4 (16′ J. Rezai, 90+3′ J. Gulevski – 25′ L. Kolic, 30′ G. Albano, 32′ G. Albano, 65′ G. Albano)
Dandenong Thunder – Green Gully 1 – 0 (68′ G. Damen [P])
NPL – Table
1. Avondale 24 61
2. South Melbourne 23 59
3. Oakleigh Cannons 24 52
4. Melbourne Knights 24 44
5. Port Melbourne 24 41
6. Altona Magic 24 38
7. Green Gully 24 37
8. Dandenong Thunder 24 33
9. Hume City 24 34
10. Heidelberg United 23 22
11. St Albans Saints 24 19
12. Moreland City 24 16
13. Bentleigh Greens 24 15
14. North Geelong 24 14
NPL2 – Results
Dandenong City – Northcote City 3 – 1
Pascoe Vale – Eastern Lions 0 – 1
Preston Lions – Bulleen Lions 1 – 2
Brunswick City – Werribee 0 – 1
Melbourne City (Y) – Langwarrin 1 – 5
Manningham United Blues – Brunswick Juventus 4 – 3
Western United (Y) – Kingston City 4 – 1
NPL2 – Table
1. Dandenong 24 44
2. Western United (Y) 24 42
3. Kingston City 24 41
4. Manningham 24 38
5. Eastern Lions 23 36
6. Preston Lions 24 35
7. Bulleen 24 33
8. Northcote City 23 33
9. Melbourne City (Y) 24 33
10. Langwarrin 24 31
11. Werribee 24 30
12. Brunswick City 24 27
13. Brunswick Juventus 24 26
14. Pascoe Vale 24 23
NPL3 – Results
Essendon Royals -Boroondara Carey Eagles 4 – 1
Nunawading – Goulburn Valley Suns 3 – 0
North Sunshine Eagles –Beaumaris 1 – 2
Doveton – Caroline Springs George Cross 1 – 5
Box Hill United -Ballarat City 2 – 0
Geelong -Melbourne Victory (Y) 1 – 1
NPL3 – Table
1. Caroline Springs 19 43
2. Melbourne Victory (Y) 20 42
3. North Sunshine 20 33
4. Goulburn Suns 20 32
5. Nunawading 19 32
6. Boroondara 20 29
7. Doveton 120 27
8. Box Hill 20 25
9. Beaumaris 20 21
10. Essendon 20 20
11. Geelong 20 18
12. Ballarat 20 17
