Resurgent Wolves sink United 58 in tantalising contest
A perfectly taken brace from one of the competition’s highly regarded marksmen Lachlan Scott has given Wollongong Wolves its first win of the 2024 National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW competition after a thrilling clash against Sydney United 58 at the Sydney United Sports Centre on a hot Sunday afternoon.
With the late afternoon heat having a massive impact, both sides didn’t shy away from keeping the intensity up throughout the entirety of the game.
In a fiery and fast-paced affair, where nine yellow cards were issued, it was the visitors who managed to get the upper hand to start with Scott bagging the opener in the 17th minute.
United 58 were held out by a resilient Wolves’ defence, until the 77th minute when substitute Stephen De Robillard converted from the penalty spot to level the game.
Scott popped up once again for his side with just minutes remaining, putting away his chance from close range to seal the victory for the visitors.
Tariq Maia had the first real chance of the match after he gracefully got past a couple of Wolves defenders before getting off a low-driven shot that skimmed past the back post.
It was a very even opening period with neither side having an abundance of chances. Wollongong looked more dominant to start but had to remain wary of the United 58 counterattack which continued to look more dangerous as the game progressed.
After beginning to take hold of the game, Wolves finally cracked the gritty United 58 defence in the 17th minute. It was Jake Trew who made a darting run down the by-line before playing a perfect ball across to Scott, who had a near-open net to finish his chance in.
Wollongong continued to apply pressure after opening the scoring, but the hosts slowly worked their way back into the game shortly after.
United 58’s was stunningly denied their best chance of the half after former Reds keeper Vedran Janjetovic proved his worth, denying Marco Arambasic from point-blank range. Arambasic got the nod to lead the United 58 line following the suspension of Patrick Antelmi.
Arambasic struck the ball with incredible power from close range, so much so that Janjetovic had to stay down to receive treatment after making the save.
The United 58 striker continued to make his presence felt, narrowly dragging his shot wide of the back stick moments before the break.
As the referee blew for halftime it was Wollongong who held a one-goal lead, but the game was continuing to open up for both sides.
United 58 came out of the blocks firing in the second half and nearly levelled proceedings with their first chance as Shunta Nakamura narrowly missed an open header from a corner.
Wolves looked to double their lead and came agonisingly close when Bailey Rule deflected away a promising effort from Alex Masciovecchio, on the back of a picture-perfect counterattack from the visitors.
Needing a response in a timely manner, Zeljko Kalac looked to his bench and made four substitutions within five minutes, a move that proved to work tremendously in his favour.
The hosts looked rejuvenated and began to amplify the pressure on their opponents. United 58 came close after Anthony Tomelic narrowly missed a headed chance, whilst Wollongong replicated the scenario at the other end with Mustafa coming within inches of a second goal.
United 58’s persistence was finally rewarded in the 77th minute when Samuel Riak brought down Adam Zervas in the box, gifting the hosts a penalty.
De Robillard stepped up for his side and powerfully buried his chance just past the outstretched hand of Janjetovic to level the score.
With both sides exchanging blows in front of goals, it was the visitors who stunned United 58 with a late winner. Banri Kanaizumi calmly headed a long ball down into the path of Scott, who made no mistakes tucking his chance away to give Wollongong the lead back.
Wollongong was under immense pressure in the final stages of the game with United 58 throwing just about everyone forward in search of a late equaliser.
However, it wasn’t to be for the hosts after being unable to break down the solid defensive line of their opponents in the last minutes of the game.
Reflecting on his side’s first win of the season, Wolves coach David Carney didn’t hide his happiness in the result but credited a tough United 58 outfit.
“It was a great result, first half we played well, I thought we deserved to be one-nil up, second half they came at us, to be fair to them they were pushing and pushing, they had a couple of decent chances,” Carney said.
“Overall, we probably just deserved a win but credit to Sydney United, they’re a good team at home and to come away with three points is massive.”
Meanwhile, United 58 coach Zeljko Kalac admitted whilst he was frustrated with the end result, he saw plenty of positives from the performance.
“Difficult to swallow when you create that many chances, I thought we played ok, we just didn’t have the end product today, disappointed that we lost obviously but I think the boys can hold their heads high,” Kalac said.
“They were well setup, they made it hard for us to play and they waited for their chances, it was a good, disciplined performance from them.
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 1 (De Robillard 77’)
Wollongong Wolves FC 2 (Scott 17’, 85’)
Sunday 25th February 2023
Sydney United Sports Centre, Edensor Park
Referee: Brodie Merchant
Assistant Referees: Jackson Mackie and Alessandro Llano
Fourth Official: Hadi Al-Nakeeb
Sydney United 58: 1. Oliver Kalac, 3. Bailey Rule, 4. Adrian Vlastelica, 7. Jordan Ivancic (22. Stephen De Robillard 58’), 8. Shunta Nakamura, 10. Carlos De Oliveira (5. Anthony Tomelic 64’), 11. Matthew Hatch, 12. Marco Arambasic (13. Alessandro Lacalandra 58’), 14. Liam Mcging, 15. Tariq Maia, 19. Aidan Milicevic (6. Adam Zervas 58’)
Unused Subs: 17. Matthew Nikolovski, 21. Dejan Bakrdanikoski,
Yellow Cards: Rule 85’, Maia 90’
Red Cards: Nil
Wollongong Wolves FC: 20. Vedran Janjetovic, 2. Harrison Buesnel, 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. Samuel Riak, 8. Andre Takami, 9. Jake Trew (27. Damon Gray 90’), 10. Yagoub Mustafa (11. Sebastian Hernandez 73’), 24. Lachlan Scott, 25. Alex Masciovecchio (7. Takumi Ofuka 53’), 88. Christopher McStay
Substitutes Not Used: 13. Oliver Yates, 15. Dax Kelly,
Yellow Cards: Ryan 33’, Scott 37’, Masciovecchio 53’, Mustafa 73’, Riak 78’, McStay 83’, Janjetovic 90’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3: Lachlan Scott (WW)
2: Banri Kanaizumi (WW)
1: Shunta Nakamura (SU)
-By Dom Criniti
