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Final Series Week Two – NPL NSW Men’s Review

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Sydney Olympic is only one game away from claiming a historic National Premier Leagues Premiership and Championship double after securing their place in this season’s grand final with a win against Sydney United 58. 

Next week they will find out their opponent as United 58 take on APIA Leichhardt Tigers who progressed with an incredible 8-2 demolition of Rockdale City Suns on Saturday night.
It was a euphoric end to a massive week for APIA as they keep their Championship hopes alive.
Sydney United 58 were given a major reality check on Sunday against Olympic but have one final chance with a rematch of their week one fixture in the Preliminary final.
It’s very much the business end of the season and the stakes are only going to get higher.
 
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 8 – Rockdale City Suns 2 at Lambert Park.

APIA Leichhardt tigers have flexed their National Premier Leagues NSW Championship credentials with an incredible 8-2 demolition of Rockdale City Suns at Lambert Park on Saturday.

Tigers’ fans thought they had seen it all in Tuesday night’s FFA Cup giant-killing of reigning A-League Champions Melbourne Victory, but the Lambert Park faithful will be pinching themselves again after witnessing their side move one game away from the grand final with a truly one-sided triumph. 

The incredible rout began with the fifth-minute dismissal of Rockdale defender Blake Ricciuto, who was given straight red after tripping the goal-bound Sean Symons. APIA stalwart Themba Muata-Marlow buried the resulting penalty kick, and the floodgates opened.

Franco Parisi’s glorious run and pass saw a rare goal for fullback David D’Apuzzo, while FFA Cup hero Tasuku Sekiya added a third from close range after Symons’ shot had cannoned back off the foot of the post.

And when Howard Fondyke volleyed the Japanese attacker’s cross past Ante Covic at the back post five minutes later, the Tigers were in dreamland.

The misery continued for Rockdale in the second stanza. Symons headed D’Apuzzo’s centre home, and Paul Reid’s side were reduced to nine when Aleksandar Canak was dismissed for his second booking.

Substitute Samuel Gulisano opened his first-grade account from the penalty spot after a Suns handball and soon had a brace – and APIA’s seventh – after rifling in a deflected effort that left Covic rooted to the spot.

Rockdale pulled two consolation goals back via Alexander Malfara and Michael Neill, before Sekiya clinched his double, and fifth goal in a week, with a delightful lob over the former Western Sydney Wanderers gloveman.

Sekiya’s dink proved to be the final kick of a crazy encounter, and undoubtedly an NPL NSW clash that will live long in the memory.

 
Sydney Olympic 4 – Sydney United 58 FC 0 at Lambert Park
 

Sydney Olympic is one game away from securing a historic National Premier Leagues NSW Championship double after defeating Sydney Olympic 58 4-0 in the Major-Semi Final at Lambert Park on Sunday.

 

A hat-trick to Spanish import Alex Sanchez, along with one goal to Olympic skipper Jason Madonissecured the win for the blues, with their robust defence keeping Sydney United 58 off the scoreboard.

 

The victory for Olympic was their third consecutive win over Sydney United 58 and capped off their Premiership winning season with a direct run to the Grand Final.

Sanchez would be the first on the scoreboard in the 20thminute, heading home a goal.

Madonis doubled the lead for Olympic only ten minutes later, capitalising on a clearance from Sydney United 58 which saw the ball fall to his feet outside the box.

Sanchez made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute, landing a ball in the back of the net just two minutes later.

An incredible hat-trick for Sanchez came 30 minutes from full-time after he slalomed through the United 58 defence before cooly finishing to wrap up the 4-0 victory.

Olympic will have a week off next week as they prepare for the Grand Final, whereas Sydney United 58 will play-off against APIA for a place in the decider.

 

Sydney Olympic Grand Final Bound After Defeating United

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Sydney Olympic is one game away from securing a historic National Premier Leagues NSW Championship double after defeating Sydney United 58 FC 4-0 in the Major-Semi final at Lambert Park on Sunday.

A hat-trick to Spanish import Alex Sanchez, along with one goal to Olympic skipper Jason Madonissecured the win for the blues, with their robust defence keeping Sydney United 58 off the scoreboard.

The victory for Olympic was their third consecutive win over Sydney United 58 and capped off their Premiership winning season with a direct run to the Grand Final.

Sydney United 58 were determined to make a positive start to the game, sending three shots towards goal in the first 12 minutes, but Paul Henderson proved staunch in defending the sticks.

Chris Payne created the first chance for United 58 in the 6th minute but sent the ball flying over the bar.

The visitors had another opportunity in the 10th minute, with Payne making a promising forward run, which was cleaned up by the Olympic custodian.

Max Burgess looked for the first for Olympic in the 15th minute, sending a shot blazing towards goal, but Thomas Manos managed to deny Burgess the opener.

Sanchez would be the first on the scoreboard in the 20th minute, heading home a goal.

Max Burgess sent a shot towards the sticks which was deflected to Radovan Pavicevic.

Pavicevic then sent a header to Manos, who deflected the ball back out to Sanchez, who was able to knock the ball to the back of the net.

Madonis doubled the lead for Olympic only ten minutes later, capitalising on a clearance from Sydney United 58 which saw the ball fall to his feet outside the box.

The skipper fired a powerful shot into the back of the net to take the lead to two.

Sanchez didn’t wait long to further extend the lead, landing a ball in the back of the net just two minutes later.

Some brilliant teamwork from Olympic saw the ball work its way from Henderson to Pavicevic on the wing, who slid the ball to Sanchez.

The striker sent the ball over Manos into the back of the net to score his second of the night.

Despite some promising opportunities from the visitors, Sydney United were unable to get on the scoreboard, hitting the sheds for the break without a goal.

Max Burgess kicked off the second half with promise, making a run towards goal, but sent his shot to the hands of Manos.

Sanchez landed the trifecta in the 63th minute, working his way through United 58’s defence to score.

The Spaniard was met with a standing ovation from Olympic when he made his way off the field in the 77th minute, after a sensational performance.

Sydney United 58 coach, Miro Vlastelica, explained that despite another loss to Olympic, his team would move forward and prepare to take on APIA for a second time in finals next weekend.

“I thought the first 20 minutes we were definitely in the game and there were a few lapses in concentration and they punished us.”

“A good side like Olympic is going to do that. 

“Once you concede in finals football it’s always hard.

“We just move on now, work hard through the week and prepare for APIA.”

Olympic coach, Abbas Saad, was very pleased his team took the simplest road to the Grand Final.

“I’m very happy, excited obviously for the boys.”

“We didn’t want to fall at this stage and that was the message throughout the week.”

Looking toward the Grand Final, Saad explained he would prepare for either opponent. 

“We’ve just got to worry about ourselves, we’ll prepare for United or APIA.

“The Grand Final is just a special day and it’s a one-off game and I think the team that’s going to turn up and play the better football will probably win, and that’s what we’re preparing for.”

Match Stats

Sydney Olympic 4 (Alejandro Sanchez 20’, 32’, 63’, Jason Madonis 30’)

Sydney United 58 0

Sunday August 26, 2018

Lambert Park, Leichardt

Referee: M Weiner 

Assistant referees: N Backo & J Adabjou 

Fourth offical: D Stack

Sydney Olympic: 1. Paul Henderson, 2. Tom Whiteside, 7. William Angel (33. Niko Tsattalios), 8. Jason Madonis, 9. Radovan Pavicevic (18. Brendan Hooper), 10. Max Burgess, 11. Jinya An, 12. Zachary Mackenzie, 14. Alejandro Sanchez Lopez (5. James Demetriou), 19. Darcy Burgess, 23. Riley Woodcock

Substitutes Not Used: 20. Eze Consoni, 21. Stephen Athanaseris

Yellow Cards: Will Angel 53’

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney United 58: 2. Christian Gonzales (7. NaimRahimi), 3. Jordan Roberts, 6. Christopher Payne, 8. Matthew Sim, 11. Yianni Perkatis (4. Luke Vlastelica), 12. Shannon Cole, 14. Nick Stavroulakis (5. Anthony Vrlic), 15. Tariq Maia, 18. Glen Trifiro, 21. Thomas Manos, 22. Yianni Fragogiannis

Substitutes Not Used:  13. Sam Perre, 40. John Hall

Yellow Cards: Christopher Payne 65’, Nick Stavroulakis 65’, Luke Vlastelica 83’

Red Cards: Nil

By National Premier Leagues reporter Madeline Reilly

Finals Week One Review – NPL NSW Men’s U20

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Qualifying Final

Sydney FC v Sutherland Sharks, Saturday 4.30pm at Lily Homes Stadium

Sydney FC underlined their championship credentials after defeating Sutherland Sharks 5-0 in a classy performance at Lily Homes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

First half strikes from Benjamin Koop and Hamish Lamberton put Sutherland to the sword early on, while a second-half double from Jordan Swibel and last-minute strike from Evan Tsaskos put the finishing touches on a comprehensive display.

It means Sydney have booked a preliminary final date with Blacktown City, who sealed the 2018 Premiership in round 21, next weekend.

Meanwhile, Sutherland will take on Sydney United 58 in a do or die showdown.

The Sky Blues should enter that fixture teeming with confidence after a performance that saw the side marry their free-scoring ability with a determined defensive display.

Sydney FC have often been exposed by a soft underbelly throughout the regular season, but despite a few early wobbles, Italiano’s men were more resolute than ever.

They broke the deadlock with a lovely passing move down the right flank involving Guiseppe Tilio and Hamish Lamberton, with the latter sliding a ball across for Koop to dispatch from close range.

And the Sky Blues doubled their advantage before the half hour mark through a classic counter attack to assert their authority. So often Sydney’s weapon on the transition, Marco Tilio streamed forward with the Sutherland defence caught upfield and released Lamberton through on goal, who confidently stroked home his 19th goal of the season.

That two-goal deficit proved unassailable for Sutherland. The 2017 Premiers have endured a rocky finish to the season and outside a few flashes of quality in the opening half, the Sharks attack was cramped and lacked the fluidity that saw them stroll to the double last year.

The same could not be attributed to Sydney. The Sky Blues have outgunned all their competitors this season, and Italiano’s substitution of Jordan Swibel from the bench midway through the second half highlighted the depths of their attacking arsenal.

Swibel scored 13 goals throughout the regular campaign and claimed a double in no time as Sydney turned on the style. The striker first powered home a low effort after a collecting a scramble in the box and clinched his second eight minutes later, tapping home unmarked after the Sky Blues pounced on a Sutherland error.

It got even better for Sydney in the last minute of normal time. With Sutherland pressing for a consolation, the Sky Blues broke through Evan Tsaskos who bolted half the length of the pitch and finished with aplomb.

Match Stats

Sydney FC 4 (Koop 17’, Lamberton 30’, Swibel 71’, 79’)

Sutherland Sharks 0

Saturday 18th August 2018

Lily’s Football Centre, Seven Hills

Sydney FC: 24. Daniel Blachura, 1. Mitchell Evans, 29. Thomas Fay, 18. Benjamin Koop, 27. Hamish Lamberton, 5. Patrick Scibilio, 23. Callum Talbot, 19. Guiseppe Tilio, 17. Marco Tilio, 22. Harry Van Der Saag, 26. Ben Van Meurs

Substitutes: 28. Paolo Bonanni, 40. David Malishev, 9. Daniel Maskin, 13. Jordan Swibel, 32. Evan Tsaskos

Yellow cards: N/A

Red cards: N/A

Sutherland Sharks: 42. Mario Aleksic, 12. Blair Brown, 31. Gabriel Contigiani, 10. Joshua Da Silva, 6. Lachlan Everett, 17. Leroy Jennings, 23. Deren O’Brien, 33. Thomas Papa, 27. Harrison Quirk, 26. Harry Sutherland, 16. Ryoga Suyama

Substitutes: 53. Kuot Maliet, 24. Adam Massoud, 3. Richard Stewart, 38. Thomas Sutton, 47. J Gjorevski

Yellow cards: Maliet

Red cards: N/A

Elimination Final

Sydney United 58 3-0 Wollongong Wolves, Saturday 3.30pm at Lambert Park

Sydney United 58 were victorious in the weekend’s elimination final at Lambert Park, defeating Wollongong Wolves 3-0.

It was a resounding display from the Reds, who have now won four in a row without conceding on their way to next weekend’s do or die clash with Sutherland Sharks.

Goals from Ivan Ozanic, Nathan Manno and Anthony Pedavoli saw United 58 on their way, with Wollongong unable to find a reply.

Final Series Week One – NPL NSW Men Review

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Week one of the National Premier Leagues NSW finals are in the books and only four teams remain after a weekend of shock results.
 
Blacktown City’s season is over after Rockdale City Suns claimed a surprise victory at Lily Homes Stadium on Saturday night.
 
Once again Blacktown struggled to play their best football and were outdone by a determined Rockdale outfit.
 
The twists and turns continued at Lambert Park as a ten-man Sydney United 58 triumphed against APIA Leichhardt Tigers 5-3 on penalties after the matched finished 1-1 after extra-time.
 
It was a match which mired in controversy after Sydney United 58 had the wrong player sent off on the cusp of halftime.
 
A last ditch APIA equaliser deep into added time kept the match alive before a clutch save from Thomas Manos during the shootout completed the upset.
 
The results mean United 58 will meet Premiers Sydney Olympic next week, while APIA stay alive in the finals and take on Rockdale City Suns.
 
 

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 1 – Sydney United 58 1 at Lambert Park.

(Sydney United win 5-4 on penalties)
An inspired display from Thomas Manos has helped a 10-man Sydney United 58 take out a controversial win against APIA Leichhardt after a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory at Lambert Park on Saturday.
 
With the game locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, Manos wrapped up his man of the match performance by making a save in the shoot-out to give United 58 a shock win and move them to only one game away from a grand final beth.
 
It was a game full of twists and turns as well as a moment of madness which is sure to be talked about for weeks to come.
 
Patrick Antelmi gave the visitors the lead on the cusp of halftime but he shouldn’t have even been on the field after escaping punishment for lashing out off the ball with Chris Payne was sent off instead in a case of mistaken identity. 
 
Manos was playing like a man possessed making save after save as the Tigers looked to take advantage of their man advantage with relentless waves of attack. 
 
It took APIA until the final moments of the match to find an equaliser when Nathan MIllgate sent the home support into pure jubilation with a clutch goal at the death.
 
But Manos, and United 58, would have the final laugh as to hand APIA their second defeat in as many weeks.
 
Blacktown City FC v Rockdale City Suns

Harris Gaitatzis fired a brace in two first half minutes to lead Rockdale City Suns to a 2-0 victory over Blacktown City at Lily’s Football Centre on Saturday evening.

Rockdale’s mercurial attacker fired home from the edge of the box midway through the first half and coolly dispatched a penalty kick 64 seconds later as Paul Reid’s side established an unassailable two-goal advantage in the first half.

That damage proved terminal for Blacktown City, who were rocked by the visitors’ quick-fire double and were unable to match Rockdale’s intensity throughout the contest. 

Mark Crittenden’s men have been among the benchmark outfits of the NPL NSW in recent years, but there will be plenty for the hosts to rue after concluding their campaign convincingly beaten on home soil.

It was the second straight season City had hosted Rockdale at Seven Hills in the first week of the finals, and it yielded a similarly emphatic away victory for the team from Ilinden.

Round 22 – NPL NSW U20 Men’s Review

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The NSW NPL Men’s 20s competition has come to an end ahead of the finals series,with just one change to the top five at the conclusion of Round 22.

Hakoah Sydney City East slipped out of the finals places after a loss to APIA Leichhardt in this week’s Match of the Round, while Sydney United 58’s 4-0 win over Sydney Olympic ensured they jumped up to fourth ahead of fifth-placed Wollongong.

Elsewhere, Blacktown City and Sutherland Sharks played out a 1-1 draw at Lily Homes Stadium, while Sydney FC rebounded from defeat in Round 21 to smash Rockdale 5-1 at Ilinden Sports Centre.

 

Match of the Round: APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 2-0 Hakoah Sydney City FC, Sunday 1pm at Lambert Park

Hakoah Sydney City East fell agonisingly short of the top five on the final day of the regular season after a 2-0 defeat to APIA Leichhardt Tigers at Lambert Park.

Sydney United 58 were into a 3-0 lead over Sydney Olympic by kickoff in Leichhardt, leaving Hakoah needing a win to keep their place in the top five. They were pushed back by the hosts from the first whistle and were ultimately undone by two late goals, the first an own goal from Jordan Lewis and the second a wonder strike by Luca Kmet.

Jordan Koton took the initiative to launch the first attack of real danger for the visitors, bursting through on the right flank before drawing a sharp save from Blake Tuxford in the APIA goal.

A ball in from the left was touched on towards goal by Luca Kmet but was cleared to safety before Hakoah broke down the other end to put Tuxford under pressure with a clearance; the keeper skewing the ball straight to Harry Jones who hit a snapshot wide of the post from distance.

Kmet had another half-chance when he tried to loop a volley back across the goalkeeper at the back post, but he could only whack an inelegant shot over the bar.

Gino Cerasoli came desperately close to opening the scoring with a header across goal before Jack Armson had a solid shot blocked away by the Hakoah keeper – the visitors might’ve need a win, but APIA were the only side the looked like scoring as the halftime whistle sounded.

Still, the score remained 0-0 and Hakoah came out of the sheds charged up with their season on the line, with Joshua Orchard heading against the crossbar from a corner shortly after the restart.

Nicholas Azzone almost broke the deadlock after getting up to stab a shot at goal only for the goalkeeper to bat the ball away, before Kmet had another chance after clever hold-up play from Matthew Taverniti, but his effort was dealt with easily.

Hakoah looked to barely be hanging on as the match approached the final ten minutes and surely enough APIA opened the scoring to almost certainly end their opponents’ challenge for a place in the finals. Luca Kmet crossed from the left and a deflection off Jordan Lewis sent the ball spinning into the net to give the Tigers a late lead.

Hakoah pushed forward in numbers, now needing two goals in ten minutes, but were undone when Luca Kmet broke upfield before sending the ball flying past a stranded goalkeeper to put APIA up by two. There was to be no late heroics from the visitors, meaning both sides end their seasons here – APIA in eighth, and Hakoah missing out on the finals on goal difference to Wollongong.

APIA’s Matthew Michael was smiling after a solid win on the final day of the season, one capped off by a spectacular goal by Luca Kmet. “He’s a fantastic player,” said Michael. “His creativity, he gives us an edge. But they all work well together, there’s a lot of good players in that team and it’s great to see them playing at their full potential.

“We’re here to win, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the last game or the first game. That’s the mentality we’ve got and we did the job – there’s always something to play for.”

“We knew the other result,” said Hakoah’s David Shaddock. “We knew we had to win the game, which is why we went for it and ended up conceding that second goal.

“The season was up and down. We had a bad start, we came good in the middle and then we faded out near the end. Still, we’ve blooded a lot of young kids – we had a 16-year old come on today – so we can look back on stuff like that and be proud.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 2 (Lewis OG 77’, Kmet 84’)

Hakoah Sydney City East FC 0

Sunday August 12, 2018

Lambert Park, Leichhardt

 

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC: 5. ADATTINI Stephan, 32. ARMSON Jack, 26. AZZONE Nicholas, 28. CERASOLI Gino, 13. D’APUZZO David, 30. KMET Luca, 12. MCCARRON Benjamin, 35. REGAN Zander, 39. TAVERNITI Matthew, 22. TUXFORD Blake, 25. MELLINO Nathan

Substitutes: 31. KAMARA Kalilou, 40. KAMARA Mustafa, 7. PRISUDA Zeke, 24. LITSAS Bill, 34. FOTOPOULOUS Harris

Yellow cards: Kmet 38’

Red cards: N/A

Hakoah Sydney City East FC: 40. FIGUEIRA Michael. 17. JONES Harry, 15. KATSIONIS Steven, 22. KNIGHT Mitchell, 18. KOTON Jordan, 35. MAHACHI Dairai, 27. MAKRIDOPOLUS Jordan, 16. ORCHARD Joshua, 12. ROBERTS Nathan, 24. TURRALL Peter, 33. LEWIS Jordan

Substitutes: 23. JOVANOVSKI Jake, 31. KOLT Satchel, 28. USTIMENKO David, 29. HANCOCK Nathan

Yellow cards: Lewis 74’

Red cards: N/A

 

Sunday

Sydney Olympic FC 0-4 Sydney United 58 FC, 12pm at Belmore Sports Ground

Sydney United 58 secured their place in the finals series on the last day of the regular season, with a 4-0 win over Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sports Ground helping them leapfrog Hakoah and Wollongong into fourth.

The visitors raced to a 3-0 lead at the break, by which time Hakoah were kicking off against APIA across town. A fourth goal in the second half was icing on the cake, with Hakoah having slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Lambert Park to drop out of the five.

Sydney United 58 can look ahead to their first finals match next Saturday afternoon when they take on Wollongong at Lambert Park, while Sydney Olympic’s season comes to a disappointing end with their fourth consecutive defeat.

 

Manly United FC 0-0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles, 1pm at Cromer Park

Manly United and Bonnyrigg White Eagles played out a 0-0 draw at Cromer Park on the final day of the season for both sides; neither having qualified for the finals.

The scoreless draw did little for either side’s position on the last day, as Manly finish ninth – and ultimately five points from fifth place – while Bonnyrigg finish tenth, well above Rockdale and Olympic at the bottom of the ladder but relegated to the NPL 2 by the Club Championship table nonetheless.

 

Rockdale City Suns FC 1-5 Sydney FC, 1pm at Ilinden Sports Centre

Sydney FC bounced back from defeat last weekend to smash Rockdale 5-1 at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon, with Giancarlo Italiano’s men back in dangerous form ahead of their first finals match against Sutherland Sharks next week.

Evan Tsakos registered a hat trick, while Hamish Lamberton and Ryan Teague rounded out the scoring for the competition’s most prolific side. Alexander Malfara scored the only goal of the game for his team, keeping Rockdale in the hunt at the break before their opponents blew them away with three in the second half.

Sydney FC could only finish as high as second after their 4-0 defeat to Blacktown City last week and duly secured their position to set up their clash with Sutherland next Saturday, while Rockdale’s season ended in familiar disappointment; the side from Ilinden Sports Centre rooted to the bottom of the ladder after a difficult year.

 

Blacktown City FC 1-1 Sutherland Sharks FC, 1pm at Lily Homes Stadium

Blacktown City celebrated their Premiership win at in front of a home crowd but were held to a 1-1 draw by Sutherland Sharks in the last match of the season before both sides begin their respective finals campaigns.

Lewis Fraser had the Premiers ahead at halftime but Sutherland fought back with a goal from Kuot Maliet to hold Blacktown to a draw and stop their three-match winning streak in its tracks.

Blacktown have a week’s rest after sealing their first place finish last weekend, while Sutherland continue their tricky run into the finals when they take on Sydney FC at Lily Homes Stadium.

 

Marconi Stallions FC 2-1 Wollongong Wolves FC, 1pm at Marconi Stadium

Marconi edged a 2-1 win over Wollongong in the last round of the regular season, with results elsewhere combining to shift the Wolves down into fifth ahead of the finals.

Martin Fernandez and Kye Soares scored for the hosts, while Taylor McDonald’s goal wasn’t enough to inspire Wollongong to snatch a point late in the game.

Only goal difference kept the visitors in the finals places ahead of Hakoah Sydney City East, and Wollongong will need to pick themselves up in order to rebound against a resurgent Sydney United 58 next week at Lambert Park.

Marconi, meanwhile, end their season on a relative high, having finished two points outside of the five in seventh place.

-By Max Grieve