APIA’s rocky form continues as Olympic reignite Premiership hopes
Premiership contenders Sydney Olympic earned crucial points against an out-of-form APIA Leichhardt who have failed to win in the last five matches with a 1-0 victory on Sunday evening in a clash of the former NSL giants at Lambert Park.
A Roy O’Donovan header early in the second half was the difference between the two teams despite a 90-minute battle that proved to be a tight affair befitting the occasion of a grand clash between two historic giants.
If three points are the name of the game then Sydney Olympic certainly achieved that, but APIA Leichhardt will be disappointed not to have secured a point in the inner-west derby between two of the oldest and proudest clubs in Australia.
The first opportunity of the encounter arrived in the 15th minute when a free kick from Darcy Burgess sailed over the crossbar.
The visitors were at it again shortly afterwards when a delightful cross by Sam McIllhatton from near the corner flag on the right had APIA’s goalkeeper Ivan Necevski pushing the ball away from a dangerous position.
APIA replied through Diego Celis who met a corner with a glancing header but he couldn’t steer the ball into the net.
It was De Celis again in the 25th minute who snapped a shot on the turn but once again he forced the ball just wide of the mark.
In the 33rd minute a cross by McIllhatton for Olympic from the left side this time forced Necevski to knock the ball away, but only as far as Burgess who blasted a shot straight at an APIA defender.
The last chance of the first half belonged to the home side when Jason Romero, who had only just made his way onto the field for the injured Josh Symons, found Jack Armson in the middle who with a spectacular volley brought out the best in ‘keeper Chris Parsons.
In the second half Sydney Olympic took the lead in the 48th minute when a perfect cross from the right by Oliver Puflett found O’Donovan in the middle and the Irish striker timed his jump superbly to head home for the visitors.
Three minutes later Olympic tried the same play when another Puflett cross from the right reached the middle but the header by Nikola Ujdur was just over the crossbar.
The game continued chess-like until the 74th minute when the ball made its way to O’Donovan in the middle, but his effort was not powerful enough and goalkeeper Necevski pounced on the ball to deny him his second of the evening.
Two minutes later Olympic went close again when Puflett found Mathieu Cordier who blasted just over the crossbar from close range in what would have given the visitors a two-goal buffer.
APIA came close in the 86th minute when a long free kick by Adrian Uchino reached Themba Muata-Marlow, who got to the ball first with his head beating ‘keeper Parsons, but he wasn’t able to direct it in sending it only a fraction high for the home side.
Right at the death, Adam Parkhouse had a diagonal shot after a great run down the left channel but it finished just wide of the post.
After the game, Sydney Olympic coach Ante Juric was very happy to have secured all three points at Lambert Park against a tough APIA Leichhardt side.
“It was obviously a big game because we are close on the ladder,” he said.
“In the last couple of weeks we have been unlucky not to have secured better results, so that was also in us today as motivation.
“We are very happy to have all three points here but we have also been playing good football recently despite the scores. It was only a matter of time that things would come good because we knew that if we kept doing the right things, then the result would come, which it did today.”
His counterpart meanwhile at APIA Leichhardt Danial Cummins was disappointed to have lost the game but was still very proud of his side even though the club has failed to win in their last five matches.
“It was a pretty ordinary game but I am proud of the boys,” he stated.
“We are out on our feet a bit because we have boys playing who shouldn’t be playing and we have others who are still struggling from COVID.
“We threw the kitchen sink at them today because we knew how important it was to win, but now the realisation of a loss will hit home. We need to re-group for Tuesday and then next week against Marconi.
“It doesn’t get any easier in this competition because it is a tough competition and in some ways we are just starting to run out of legs a little.”
Match Stats
APIA Leichhardt 0
Sydney Olympic 1 (O’Donovan 48’)
Sunday 17th July 2022
Lambert Park Leichhardt
Referee: Hassan Jomaa
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and Joon Park
Fourth Official: Rebecca Mackie
APIA Leichhardt: 1. Ivan Necevski, 4. Josh Symons, 5. Nick Azzone (10. Franco Parisi 84’), 7. Matthew Cahill (16. Sean Symons 54’), 8. Diego Celis (9. Jason Romero 40’), 14. Jack Armson, 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 19. Fabian Monge (18. Adrian Ucchino 46’), 21. Michael Kouta, 23. Walter Scott, 38. Yianni Nicolaou.
Substitutes Not Used: 22. Luke Turnbull, 3. Paul Galimi.
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Olympic : 20. Chris Parsons, 3. Nikola Ujdur, 4. Ben Van Meurs, 5. Michael Glassock, 6. Mathieu Cordier, 8. Sam McIllhatton, 9. Oliver Puflett (24. Hagi Gligor 92’), 11. Adam Parkhouse, 19. Darcy Burgess (10. Brendan Cholakian 82’), 23. Daniel Dias, 99. Roy O’Donovan.
Substitutes Not Used: 2. Tom Whiteside, 17. Marley Peterson 22. Fabio Ferreira, 90. Evan Hemele
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
