Bulls and St George unable to finish chances in captivating draw

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The Bulls FC Academy and St George City  shared the points in a fascinating fixture that saw both sides’ defences come out on top at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday afternoon as the final result ended at 0-0.

The first half saw both sides engage in an arm wrestle for possession and chances, with neither outfit unable to crack the solid defensive lines.

The final 45 minutes gave the fans plenty of entertainment with a handful of chances coming in quick succession, leaving the defences into some stellar challenges to keep the scores level.

With the game heading towards an inevitable draw, St George goalkeeper Alex Burke was shown a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Sebastian Hernandez, which left the hosts with the chance to steal the game.

As the following free kick bounced back off the wall, both sides left with a sense that a win was left on the field.

Both sides showed plenty of promise in attack as the game progressively picked up into a fast, counter-attacking style in the opening stages.

Despite this, neither team could muster a genuine chance at goal leaving the goalkeepers with little work to do at either end.

Presley Ortiz came closest to opening the scoring for the visitors when he cut through the Bulls’ defence and attempted to curl a shot into the back post but couldn’t get the desired angle to find the back of the net.

After a stint of attacking spark, the Bulls were called into action on defence after being forced to deny Paolo Mitry’s effort from inside the box.

The hosts quickly turned defensive pressure into an attacking chance as Ali Auglah pounced a poorly hit clearance but had his hard work undone by a poor touch, denying him of an opportunistic shot on goal.

Aiden Mostofi very nearly found the opener in the dying stages of the first half after getting past the Bulls’ defence with a masterful cut back, leaving him with an open shot that sailed past the back stick.

The game was held at a tense deadlock as the referee blew his whistle for the end of the first half, ensuring a thrilling second half of action for the fans.

The Bulls started off the second half on the front foot, forcing the opposing defence deep into their own half whilst having a handful of promising chances.

Daniel Alessi came to his side’s rescue as he heroically stopping Auglah heading into the path of his keeper, after the Bulls’ striker was on the backend of a darting run from his own half.

Auglah continued to be his side’s target man in attack and came agonisingly close to the first goal of the game after Mason Wells picked him out in the box, only for his shot to be deflected out for a corner.

Ortiz continued to make his presence on the game felt after forcing Alex Robertson in a sensational close-range save as he attempted to pick out the back stick in a one-on-one situation.

The final 20 minutes of the game was a very frustrating one for either side, with both teams engaging in an arm-wrestle of dominance for stints of time before eventually giving the ball away and being forced onto the back foot.

With what looked to be the last chance of the game, Maki Petratos broke through the Bulls’ defence and powered his way into the box only for his powerful effort to slam into the side netting.

On the other side of the field, Auglah found himself in a similar situation that unfortunately for the Bulls ended in a very similar fashion.

Alex Kyriacou was left stunned in the final minute of regular time after seeing his powerful strike denied by Robertson, a chance that could have sealed the game for the visitors.

With the seconds ticking away, The Bulls were given a golden opportunity at the win when Nicholas Burke was shown a straight red card for a last-man challenge that denied Sebastian Hernandez an open shot at goal.

Auglah stepped up from 19 yards out but agonisingly saw his shot bounce back off the wall as the referee blew his whistle in a frustrating game for both sides.

Bulls’ coach Zeljko Kalac gave credit to both sides’ defences at the completion of the game but note his disappointment in his side’s ability to finish off chances.

“Two very competitive teams, both aggressive, I thought both defences were very good, it was just a very competitive football game,” Kalac said.

“I keep saying the same thing, it’s just that final pass, the final third entry, the decision making, that’s what you get with young kids, we just have to keep on working on it.

“They’re playing very well, they’re competing in all the matches, as the season goes on we will get better because it’s a hard league and they need to adapt to it… a point was probably fair for both teams.”

Match Stats

Bulls FC Academy 0

St George City FA 0

Saturday 25th March, 2023

Sydney United Sports Centre, Edensor Park

Referee: Danny Horstead

Assistant Referees: Ayad Naji and Daniel Drewitt

Fourth Official: Joel Crawford

Bulls FC Academy: 30. Alexander Roberston, 2. Anthony Krillic, 7. Ali Auglah, 8. Mason Wells (18. Sebastian Hernandez 84’), 16. Oliver Jones 19. Jesper Webber (23. Flynn Madden 69’), 20. Adrian Knez (23. Flynn Madden 69’), 21. Lachlan McDonald, 22. Edward Caspers, 32. Isaac Hover, 52. Joel Bertolissio

Unused subs: 40. Griffin Barry, 5. Jonathan Maras, 12. Charlie Ragg

Yellow cards: Auglah 82’

Red cards: nil

St George City: 1. Nicholas Burke, 3. Daniel Alessi, 6. Tarik Ercan, 7. Nathan Roberts (23. Franco Maya 61’), 8. Dominic Cox, 10. Paolo Mitry, 14. Dean Pelekanos, 20. Aiden Mostofi (9. Marley Peterson 69’), 24. Alex Kyriacou, 30. Presley Ortiz (12. Jack Kenny 90+3’), 99. Matthew Keremelevski (70. Maki Petratos 45’)

Unused subs: 4. Brendan Hooper, 25. Andrew Vlahadamis

Yellow cards: nil

Red cards: Burke 93’

Player Ratings:

3: Daniel Alessi (SGFA)

2: Alexander Robertson (BAFC)

1: Joel Bertolissio (BAFC)

By NPL NSW Men’s Reporter Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti