Debutants do the business for Stallions against Wollongong
Marconi Stallions edged out Wollongong Wolves 2-1 on Saturday night at Marconi Stadium to get their season off to the perfect start.
James Temelkovski marked his first NPL Men’s NSW game for Marconi with a goal half an hour in before Lachlan Scott restored parity heading into halftime a couple of minutes later.
Milislav Popovic also enjoyed a dream debut for the hosts, scoring the winning goal in the final six minutes.
Wollongong got off to a purposeful start, putting Marconi under pressure with some aggressive pressing and won a free-kick on the left four minutes in.
Christopher McStay fired a powerful shot that cleared the wall, but Stallions’ goalkeeper, James Hilton, managed to grasp the ball.
The match burst into action midway through the half when a McStay spray out to the left found Takumi Ofuka, who drove into the box before his shot went wide of the near post.
The Stallions responded in the 25th minute when Franco Maya’s long-range effort rolled to Marco Jesic in the box, but the experienced striker dragged the ball wide of the left post.
Marconi kept the momentum going and opened the scoring five minutes later.
Domenic Costanzo latched onto a ball into the left channel and eventually swung it into the box for Temelkovski, who turned well to beat Harrison Buesnel before lashing it into the roof of the net.
It took the Wolves two minutes to get back on level terms.
Yagoub Mustafa ran through the centre of the pitch on the break and laid it to Scott, whose left-footed effort from the edge of the box bounced into the goal despite a touch from Hilton.
The half had a frantic finish, with both teams delivering dangerous set pieces, but they came to nothing, and the teams went into the break level.
Marconi started the brighter of the teams after halftime and nearly took the lead five minutes in.
Maya nearly made the most of an error from Samuel Riak in midfield, racing down the right, however, his strike was weak, and Vedran Janjetovic comfortably held on.
The game started to increase in intensity again, with both teams eager to snatch three points in their opening outing.
The dangerous Temelkovski made another opening for himself 66 minutes in, muscling his way past his marker to get on the end of a lofted ball into the box, but he volleyed wide.
Wollongong took the ball down the other end four minutes later as McStay lined up from outside the box; his strike flashing wide of the right post.
Stallions’ Popovic almost had an impact off the bench in the 76th minute when Costanzo clipped the ball into the area from the left, but the substitute headed over the bar.
Four minutes later, Popovic had the decisive moment in the match, bringing down a ball into the left of the box and slotting a neat finish into the bottom right corner past Janjetovic.
Wollongong looked to respond straight away through captain Scott with the striker hitting a shot wide of the left post from the edge of the box.
The Wolves had one last chance deep into injury time when McStay’s right-sided corner caused chaos in the Marconi box before the ball was eventually cleared.
The hosts held onto their lead in what remained to start their season with a win over a tricky Wollongong team.
Match Stats
Marconi Stallions FC 2 (James Temelkovski 30’, Milislav Popovic 80’)
Wollongong Wolves FC 1 (Lachlan Scott 32’)
Saturday 17 February 2024
Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Assistant Referees: Alessandro Llana and Thomas Gellatly
Fourth Official: Joshua Eiser
Marconi Stallions FC: 1. James Hilton (GK), 2. Nathan Millgate (3. Cameron Windust 85’), 4. Anton Mlinaric, 5. James Bayliss (23. Brandon Vella 36’), 6. Domenic Costanzo, 7. Franco Maya (17. Milislav Popovic 72’), 8. Daniel Bouman, 9. James Temelkovski, 10. Marko Jesic (C), 11. Hiroaki Aoyama, 11. George Daniel
Substitutes Not Used: 14. Dylan Susovic, 24. Mackenzie Syron, Jonathan Soares
Yellow Cards: Franco Maya 45+2’, Anton Mlinaric 63’
Red Cards: Nil
Wollongong Wolves FC: 20. Vedran Janjetovic (GK), 2. Harrison Buesnel, 3. Darcy Madden (8. Andre Takami 29’), 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. Samuel Riak, 7. Takumi Ofuka, 10. Yagoub Mustafa (11. Sebastian Hernandez 55’), 24. Lachlan Scott (C), 25. Alex Masciovecchio (9. Jake Trew 68’), 88. Christopher McStay
Substitutes Not Used: 11. Oliver Yates, 15. Dax Kelly, 27. Damon Gray
Yellow Cards: Christopher McStay 45+1’, Takumi Ofuka 61’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – James Temelkovski (MS)
2 – Milislav Popovic (MS)
1 – Christopher McStay (WW)
Report by Tim Gibson, on Twitter@Timg123_
