Manly thwarted by late Olympic equaliser
A Dimi Petratos goal in the dying minutes has helped Sydney Olympic rescue a 2-2 draw with Manly United in their National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash on Friday evening at Belmore Sportsground.
With Olympic eyeing off another crushing defeat with less than four minutes left on the clock, Petratos saved the day with a well hit strike from outside the 18 yard box.
Manly took the advantage twice in the game through Dejan Pandurevic and Scott Balderson, but Olympic cancelled out both of their goals through Mitchell Stamatellis and then Petratos at the death.
It was yet another frustrating result for either side who have struggled to make the most of their chances so far this season.
Both teams created their share of chances in the opening stages of the game, but the first goal came in the 35th minute, with Manly United taking the lead.
Brendan Cholakian received the ball deep in the half and while Olympic’s defensive line called for the offside flag he passed the ball in to Pandurevic who hammered it into the netting.
The first goal for the home side came in the 56th minute, with both central defenders combining to even the score.
Tom Whiteside connected with a corner kick, heading the ball in to Stamatellis in prime position in front of goal, who then headed home the equaliser.
Olympic came back for more just minutes later, but Madonis was brought down on the border of the 18-yard box by Cholakian.
Gaitatzis took the free kick, sending the ball in through the wall and towards goal but Dylan Mitchell was in position to collect.
Manly came close to another in the 66th minute, with Adam Parkhouse’s free kick connecting with the woodwork before tipping over the bar and out of play.
The second goal for the visitors came in the 75th minute with Balderson making a run in behind Olympic’s back line to send his shot past Paul Henderson.
The home side didn’t lose hope, building momentum in the closing moments of the game to score the final equaliser in the 87th minute.
After making his way onto the field just minutes earlier, Petratos found himself with the ball just outside the 18-yard box and knocked home the equaliser for Olympic.
Manly coach Paul Dee said he was pleased with his side’s performance but was disappointed they couldn’t hold on to the win.
“We came here to win the game, I think we both had attacking game plans, it was end-to-end,” he explained.
“I’m pleased with a lot of the elements in the game, it’s just that last result I think we should have hung on to.
Olympic coach Abbas Saad was pleased with his side’s performance despite some key injuries and a two-day turnaround from their FFA Cup game on Wednesday.
“They’re a tough opposition, very athletic and physical, you’ve got to run with them for 90 minutes,” he said.
“We created a lot more chances, probably better chances than them. In that stance it was very pleasing.
“We showed a lot of heart and if we can continue to show a lot of heart and when we get everybody on board then we’ll be fine.”
Match Stats
Sydney Olympic FC 2 (Mitchell Stamatellis 56’, Dimi Petratos 87’)
Manly United FC 2 (Dejan Pandurevic 35’, Scott Balderson 75’)
Friday 19th April, 2019
Belmore Sportsground, Belmore
Referee: Toby Plasto
Assistant referees: Scott Edeling & Joon Park
Fourth official: Nathan McOrist
Sydney Olympic FC: 1. Paul Henderson, 2. Thomas Whiteside (25. Dimi Petratos) 7, 4. Mitchell Stamatellis, 7. Will Angel, 8. Jason Madonis, 10. Harris Gaitatzis, 11. Jinya An, 17. Jack Stewart (9. Radovan Pavicevic), 19. Darcy Burgess (6. Nikola Kuleski), 22. Michael Gaitatzis, 33. Nikolas Tsattalios
Substitutes Not Used:, 23. Troy Danaskos, 30. Marley Beeston
Yellow Cards: Thomas Whiteside 50’, Nikolas Tsattalios 72’
Red Cards:
Manly United FC: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 2. Kieren Paull, 4. Travis Oughtred, 5. Sam Gallagher, 7. Sam Wilson (17. Lewis Miccio), 8. Dom Ferguson, 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Adam Parkhouse (12. Charles Mendy), 13. Scott Balderson (9. Nikola Taneski), 14. Dejan Pandurevic, 18. Bradley McDonald,
Substitutes Not Used: 6. Joseph Fox, 20. Samuel Benton
Yellow Cards: Kieren Paull 51’ Brendan Cholakian 60’, Dejan Pandurevic 80’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Mitchell Stamatellis (SO)
2 – Travis Oughtred (MU)
1 – Tom Whiteside (SO)
Written by National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Madeline Riley (@madelineriley23)
