Tense affair as Sydney United 58 bag maximum points
Sydney United 58 appear to have reignited its 2024 National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW season following a tense 3-2 victory over St George FC in what was a thrilling display of football from both sides at the Ilinden Sports Centre on Saturday.
The match was an entertaining affair and provided five goals for the Saturday night faithful.
The visitors led all the way but were pegged back twice from two goals up to a solitary goal each time, to set up a real grandstand finish.
Patrick Antelmi and Matthew Hatch gave Sydney United 58 FC a two goal-lead at the break before St George FC got one back through Nikola Skataric. The visitors pulled way again through Carlos De Oliveira before Aedan O’Shea once again narrowed the margin for the home side.
The first real chance belonged to St George FC and came courtesy of a nice move in the 4th minute. Skataric fed the ball to an unmarked captain Troy Danaskos on the left and his shot slid across the face of goal and just wide of the mark.
In the 21st minute Sydney United 58 FC took the lead when Hatch fed the ball from an acute angle on the left for Antelmi in the middle who, from close range, made no mistake for the visitors in his return game to top flight football after an injury.
Sydney United then doubled their lead in the 33rd minute with a truly great goal. A cross from the right by Aidan Milicevic was fisted away by goalkeeper Daniel Axford but only as far as Hatch who, with a superb powerful drive from outside the box, blasted it into the back of the net with some style.
In the 42nd minute Hatch was proving elusive again down that left flank when he fired in a long distance diagonal shot that was well neutralised in the end by Axford in goal.
The first chance of the second half arrived virtually straight after the resumption of play with De Oliveira firing over the crossbar for Sydney United 58 FC.
However, St George FC got one goal back in the 60th minute in fortuitous circumstances when Tariq Maia slipped and Skataric took full advantage by sprinting unhindered towards goal and, in the end with a curling shot, was able to put the ball out of the reach of a diving Oliver Kalac.
In the 66th minute though Sydney United 58 FC took back their two-goal lead. Alessandro Lacalandra from the right put in a low cross almost from a position of slow motion and De Oliveira in the middle of the box met it sweetly with his right foot to drive it home.
St George FC substitute Aedan O’Shea got the home side back to within a goal in the 75th minute as the encounter oscillated back and forth. As Skataric had the ball on the edge of the box it was O’Shea who basically stole it off his teammate and then fired it straight into the corner of the net with a great diagonal shot.
Both sides then threw everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at each in the last 15 minutes of play but were unable to break through at either end.
Afterwards United 58 Head Coach Zeljko Kalac was very happy with his side’s display.
“It was a great performance,” said the former AC Milan goalkeeper.
“We just leaked some silly goals with two slips. They did well to get into the match because we just couldn’t finish the match off.
“We had some really good chances, it was played at a good tempo and there was good ball speed. We knew it was going to be difficult because they have been playing well but I am really proud of my boys because they are playing good football and creating chances.
“It was great to get the three points but we have been playing very good football all season. Now we are scoring goals, creating chances and getting the rewards”.
St George FC coach Jane Talcevski was also very positive about his side’s efforts.
“We’ve stepped up a league and if you give good quality players half a chance they take them, and that was evident tonight” he stated.
“I felt that we started very well and controlled the ball well, and we found ourselves in good areas even though we didn’t threaten.
“However, they stepped forward after about 15 minutes and started applying more pressure on our defensive line when we had the ball and we turned it over.
“Their first goal came from a great striker in Antelmi in close and their second was a great strike. We then fought back, scored the goal and we slowly got back into the game. We then unfortunately conceded in transition and had to fight back again with another goal, but in the end time ran out”.
Match Stats
St GEORGE FC: 2 (Skataric 60’, A. O’Shea 75’)
SYDNEY UNITED 58 FC: 3 (Antelmi 21’, Hatch 33’, De Oliveira 66’)
Saturday 16th March 2024
Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale
Referee: Sebastian Brennan
Assistant Referees: Alessandro Llana, Cameron Wright
Fourth Official: Blake Sanchez-Cruz
St GEORGE FC: 20. Daniel Axford, 2. Caio De Godoy, 3. Troy Danaskos, 5. Nicholas Kalogerou, 6. Patrick O’Shea, 8. Conor Quilliganx (13. Aedan O’Shea 69’), 9. Peter Grozos (11. Anthony Morabito 87’), 18. Mark Rodic, 19. Nikola Skataric (7. Jesse Sprang 81’), 23. Evangelo Souris, 27. Jayden Seeto.
Substitutes not used: 1. Andrew Di Blasio, 10. Harry Jones, 15. Mitchell Heapy.
Yellow Cards: Seeto 62’, Souris 88’
Red Cards: Nil
SYDNEY UNITED 58 FC: 1. Oliver Kalac, 3. Bailey Rule, 4. Adrian Vlastelica, 5. Anthony Tomelic, 8. Shunta Nakamura, 9. Patrick Antelmi (13. Alessandro Lacalandra 62’), 10. Carlos De Oliveira, 11. Matthew Hatch, 14. Liam McGing, 15. Tariq Maia (21. Dejan Bakrdanikoski 82’), 19. Aidan Milicevic (6. Adam Zervas 82’).
Substitutes not used: 7. Jordan Ivancic, 17. Mathew Nikolovski, 52. Ali El-Sabeh
Yellow Cards: McGing 49’, Lacalandra 67’, Hatch 71’, De Oliveira 88’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Carlos De Oliveira (SU)
2 – Matthew Hatch (SU)
1 – Nikola Skataric (StG)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
