Big first win for APIA over high-flying Spartans
ALL good things must come to an end, and so it proved as Blacktown Spartans’ amazing winning streak came to an end at the hands of APIA-Leichhardt Tigers.
There were heroes all over the park for APIA, who claimed their first win of the season and in doing so, brought the Spartans juggernaut to a shuddering halt.
There was Blake Powell, the two goal man up front. There was Franco Parisi, pulling the strings with aplomb behind him. There was Marc Warren, defensively strong and offensively threatening. And then there was the goalkeeper, Andrew Bazi.
He preserved a point with a penalty save late on last weekend, and here he did his very best to win all three.
His triple save early in the second half was the stuff of legend. Greg Kondek was one on one, and Bazi denied him, before saving a second time as he clawed away Kondek’s follow up effort. Then when it seemed certain that David Gullo would thrash the ball home, Bazi came from nowhere, heroically throwing himself lengthways to block Gullo’s close range blast.
It laid the platform for Powell’s brace and for an own goal from Nathan Millgate, all in the space of ten second half minutes after Gullo had given Spartans the lead from a Kondek cross.
It came after the most underwhelming of first halves at Blacktown Football Park.
Spartans were missing the suspended Emmanuel Giannaros, as well as the injured Brett Studman, Ray Miller and Elsid Barkousir.
Meanwhile, APIA were missing the suspended Matthew Mayora, while they also lost Travis Oughtred early on to a facial injury.
It took until the half hour mark for a genuine opportunity to be carved out and it fell Spartans way, when Luka Dukic headed over a free kick from Phil Makrys.
The two sides traded blows as Brad McDonald shot straight at Carlos Saliadarre.
A minute later Bazi made his first important save of the night, narrowing the angle to deny Corey Biczo at the back post after Gullo crossed from the left.
A dull game to life in the second half when Daniel Fogarty raced through, showing his lightning turn of pace to break free only to be denied by Saliadarre.
Then, in the 55′ minute came Bazi’s moment.
Kondek looked certain to score when he showed Michael West a clean pair of heels. After being twice denied by Bazi, it still seemed that a goal was a certainty, but Bazi made a third save to stop Gullo and the score remained level.
It would prove a critical juncture in the match.
Four minutes later, a cross from the left fizzed through the APIA six yard box and Kondek at the back post somehow failed to connect with a simple tap-in.
The Spartans pressure was building and eventually the pressure tolled when Kondek stood a cross up from the right.
Gullo was unmarked at the back post and showed a cool head to place his finish past Bazi.
He didn’t deserve to lose his clean sheet, but what followed was a scarcely believable ten minute period.
In the 65′ minute Parisi unleashed a shot from the edge of the area that cannoned off the cross bar and then the foot of the post.
It looked to have crossed the line but no goal was given, and when the ball rebounded into the penalty area, Powell reacted quickest to thump the ball home to level the score.
Seven minutes later, Powell and APIA doubled their money.
A beautiful ball from Parisi was threaded through to Jordan Simpson on the left. He showed good awareness to cut the ball back to Powell, who opened himself up to smash a wonderful first time finish past Saliadarre and into the very top corner of the net.
The APIA bench went into delirium a few minutes later when Parisi’s corner from the right was flicked goalwards by makeshift centre half Brad Bartels.
Millgate was in two minds and could only scramble the ball into his own net under pressure from West.
It was goodnight to Spartans’ streak, but it could well be the awakening of APIA’s previously dormant season.
Match Stats
Blacktown Spartans 1 (David Gullo 60′)
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 3 (Blake Powell 65′, 72′, Nathan Millgate OG 76′)
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Blacktown Football Park, Rooty Hill
Referee: Adam Susz
Assistant Referees: Andre Giev and Kearney Robinson
Fourth Official: Lachlan Keevers
Blacktown Spartans: 1.Carlos Saliadarre (C); 2.Luke Austin, 3.Nathan Millgate, 5.Luka Dukic, 6.Greg Kondek (14.Jacob Ott 76′), 7.Phil Makrys (28.Conor Evans 88′), 11.David Gullo, 13.Corey Biczo, 15.Kingsley Williams, 17.Kieran Dalton (24.Benjamin Tosi 83′), 18.Zachary Freeburn
Substitutes not used: 19.Reid Taylor, 21.Aaron Liddell (GK)
Yellow Cards: Corey Biczo 43′, Luke Dukic 58′
Red Cards: Nil
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 1.Andrew Bazi; 2.Travis Oughtred (19.Jordan Simpson 24′), 4.Bradley Bartels, 5.Michael West (C), 6.Marc Warren, 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Brad McDonald, 9.Blake Powell, 10.Franco Parisi (20.Ali Nasreddine 90+1′), 11.Daniel Fogarty, 13.David D’Apuzzo
Substitutes not used: 40.Stefan Giglio (GK), 16.Michael Cimino, 14.Mathew Casali
Yellow Cards: Marc Warren 45+1′
Red Cards: Nil
Player ratings:
3- Blake Powell (APIA)
2- Andrew Bazi (APIA)
1- Marc Warren (APIA)
– By Matthew Lopez, National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 Editor, at Blacktown Football Park
