APIA strike late for first win of the 2012 season
The visiting side were unable to take anything from three solid performances in the opening rounds, but their resilience finally paid dividends as Michael Hawrysuik found the back of the net in the 90? minute, much to the relief of the Tigers supporters.
APIA controlled much of the game after recovering a one-goal deficit and coach John Turner believes the result was justified:
?I was a bit disappointed the last three weeks, I thought we deserved something from each game but lady luck wasn?t on our side,? Turner said.
?We deserved everything we got tonight, we dominated the second-half.
?We are getting better and there are improvements every game.?
But it wasn?t all smooth sailing for Turner?s men and the coach admitted it took a half of football to assess how to break Parramatta down:
?We changed a few things at half time because I haven?t seen Parramatta before,? he added.
?You see where you can expose teams, we knew they were happy with a 1-1 draw but we came here for three points not one.?
The result pushes Parramatta FC into eleventh position, with the side still yet to win this year. Coach Lee Sterrey says his team were intent on attacking but made too many costly errors:
?We played a front three because we have got some good pace and some good youngsters in the team,? Sterrey said.
?They dominated a long period of the second half, we had one in our pockets going into half-time and we dropped it.
?When you drop your intensity in the Premier League, you get punished.?
Both sides looked eager to attack the game early and the first 10? minutes saw the ball move swiftly from end to end. APIA settled early on in the Parramatta half, but they were unable to make anything of their opportunities on the edge of the box.
The home side had a tough time breaking down APIA?s defence, and it was rightly so that their first chance game from outside the box on 6? minutes. Akiyoshi Saito received the ball from 20-yards out and sent a rocketing shot at goal which was parried away by former Parramatta FC keeper Anthony Costa.
The visitors then looked to make their mark on the game with a series of passes on the edge of the box. It was all to no avail though as the Parramatta defence held firm and broke away through a trademark run down the left flank by Kwabena Appiah-Kubi in the 11? minute.
Just a few seconds later, Parramatta midfielder Saito tried his luck from distance again, forcing a great save from the APIA shot-stopper.
From there, Parramatta were unable to hold onto possession and the long ball proved costly as APIA broke away on the counter. David D?Apuzzo attacked with real intent and Sydney FC on-loan midfielder Hiro Moriyasu darted around the Parramatta defence.
D?Apuzzo had the best chance for APIA in the 22? minute as a long throw found its way to the midfielder in the box, however he was unable to connect with the ball.
APIA were given plenty of time on the ball and a 29? minute shot from Hawrysuik outside the box was a clear indication of their frustration.
Appiah-Kubi looked lively for Parramatta and when he released Andy Matloub down the left flank in the 33? minute, Parramatta looked threatening. Matloub?s shot skewed across goal but Appiah-Kubi put Parramatta ahead just three minutes later.
Nicolas McInerney put the striker through on goal and Appiah-Kubi made the most of his chance, sending a delightful chip over the head of Anthony Costa to make things 1-0.
The remainder of the half belonged to APIA and they would have gone into the break as the happier side when striker Franco Parisi squared things up on the stroke of half-time with a well drilled close range volley.
An APIA corner was headed against the crossbar, leaving El Jamal to blast in the rebound from close range.
APIA started the second-half the way they finished the first with three shots on goal in as many minutes when play resumed. Appiah-Kubi continued pressuring the opposition defence and after a stagnant period in the game, he had the best chance on 64? minutes when he latched on to a curling cross from Saito only for his shot to be parried away.
But APIA made the second-half their own and on-loan Sydney FC player Hiro Moriyasu became more involved in the game.
On 78? minutes, he received the ball on the edge of the box and curled a low shot to the left corner, giving Parramatta ?keeper Matthew Nash with plenty to do.
Parramatta were clearly content with a point as APIA continued to dominate possession. Midfielder Franco Parisi tried his luck for the visitors as the corner tally piled up in their favour.
But as so often happens in football, fate paved the way for a last minute upset as APIA intercepted the ball in the midfield and worked the ball down the left flank. Michael Hawrysuik met a lovely weighted cross on the volley and the ball took a deflection to give APIA a 2-1 win.
Match Stats
Parramatta FC 1 (Appiah-Kubi 36?)
APIA-Leichardt Tigers 2 (Parisi 45?, Hawrysuik 90?)
Saturday April 21st, 2012
Melita Stadium, South Granville
Parramatta FC: 1.Matthew Nash; 2.Nicolas McInerney (Aous Altaee 82?), 3.Andy Matloub, 4.Domenic Trimboli, 5.Mark O?Reilly, 18.Nicholas Napoli, 8.Bryan Soane, 10.Akiyoshi Saito, 11.Bruno Pivato, 14.Kwabena Appiah-Kubi, 17.Hassan Daramy (Aaron Peterson 69?)
Substitutes Not Used: 7.Patrick Dixon, 12.Ehsan Popal, 20.Michal Sakowicz (GK)
Yellow Cards: Bryan Soane 38?, Akiyoshi Saito 66?
Red Cards: Nil
APIA-Leichardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 3.Adel El Jamal, 5.Michael West, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 10.Franco Parisi (20.Wandi Jajaw 85?), 12.Andrew Bevin, 13.David D?Apuzzo, 15.Brad Bartels (7.Stephen Kayes 73?), 16.Michael Hawrysuik, 18.Brendan Riley, 14.Hiro Moriyasu
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Stefan Giglio, 17.Sam Salameh
Yellow Cards: Michael West 51?, Andrew Bevin 12?
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Kwabena Appiah-Kubi (PFC)
2 ? David D?Apuzzo (ALT)
1 ? Akiyoshi Saito (PFC)
-By Mitchell Grima
