Olympic pip Hakoah at Hensley
Sydney Olympic are back to winning ways with a hard-fought victory at Hensley Athletic Park as they overcame Hakoah Sydney City East to claim a 1-0 victory on Sunday evening.
It was the reigning Champions first win of the season after struggling to find their groove in the opening rounds of the NSW National Premier League Men’s competition.
Jack Stewart’s 64th minute strike was the only goal in a physical hit-out between the boys in blue with chances at a premium throughout the 90 minutes.
The result ended Hakoah’s two game winning run but keeps the Eastern Suburbs side among the top five.
Olympic stalwart Niko Tsattalios celebrated his 100th match for the club on Sunday evening, and initiated the first opportunity for the visitors in the third minute, whipping in an impressive ball which was well defended by Hakoah and kicked out of play.
Paul Henderson was called into action after just 12 minutes after a powerful strike was sent his way from the home side.
Henderson stretched to his limits to keep Hakoah at bay.
Nathan Roberts looked to score the opener in the 22nd minute, sending a powerful strike from afar towards goal but his effort ricocheted off the crossbar.
The first half saw plenty of possession for both sides as they moved from end to end before re-group during the half-time break.
Olympic came out firing, with the addition of Jinya An and Nikola Kuleski bringing some attacking prowess to the visitors in an effort to break down Hakoah’s defensive barriers.
Stewart saw a chance in the 56th minute, maneuvering his way into a dangerous position before curving a shot towards goal and to the hands of Ryan Norval.
An created another chance for Olympic just minutes later, driving the ball through the midfield before handing it off to Madonis whose shot was collected by Norval in the 58th minute.
The tide changed for Olympic in the 64th minute, with their attacking efforts cumulating to a goal from Stewart.
An sent a through-ball to Stewart in prime position, who sent one firing past Norval and into the netting.
Henderson pulled off another high-caliber save in the 72nd minute, keeping Hakoah at bay as they started to build pressure and push for an equaliser.
An came looking for a second for Olympic in the 82nd minute, letting off a powerful shot which ended up soaring over the woodwork.
Tensions boiled in the final minutes as Hakoah looked to keep themselves in the game and Olympic looked to maintain their advantage, with a scuffle breaking out between the two teams.
Dominic Cox had a final chance for Hakoah in the last moments of the game, but his powerful shot soared above the sticks.
Olympic coach Abbas Saad said he was happy to “get back to winning ways”
“Great result. We had to work hard and fight hard, they’re a difficult team to play against,” he explained.
“Credit to them they never stopped running or trying.
“It’s just nice to get a clean sheet and get back to winning ways.”
Match Stats
Hakoah Sydney City East 0
Sydney Olympic 1 (Jack Stewart 64’)
Sunday 31st March, 2019
Hensley Athletic Field, Eastgardens
Referee: T. Plasto
Hakoah Sydney City East: 1.Ryan Norval, 2. Connor Shaddock, 3. James Combes, 6. Dominic Cox, 7. Addison Sayan, 10. Nathan Roberts, 11. Jack Green, 16. Hristijan Tanoski (9. Shohei Okuno), 17. Harry Jones 14. Jordan Koton), 24. Amauri Gauthier, 60. Takayuki Noji (13. Robert Ezekiel)
Substitutes Not Used:, 5. Steven Katsionis, 25. Max Ephraim
Yellow Cards: Nathan Roberts 4’, Domincic Cox 78’, Shohei Okuno 80’, James Combes 90+2’
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Olympic FC: 1. Paul Henderson, 2. Thomas Whiteside, 7. Will Angel, 8. Jason Madonis, 9. Radovan Pavicevic (11. Jinya An), 12. Zach Mackenzie (6. Nicola Kuleski), 14. Alex Sanchez, 17. Jack Stewart, 19. Darcy Burgess (10. Harris Gaitatzis), 24. Hagi Gligor, 33. Nikolas Tsattlios
Substitutes Not Used:, 20. Eze Consoni, 23. Troy Danaskos,
Yellow Cards: Niko Tsattalios 76’, Nikola Kuleski 90+2’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Paul Henderson (SO)
2 – Thomas Whiteside (SO)
1 – Hagi Gligor (SO)
Written by National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Madeline Riley (@madelineriley23)
