Blacktown City and United 58 play out thrilling score draw

Blacktown City and Sydney United 58 played out an entertaining 2-2 draw on Easter Sunday at Landen Stadium.
Former Blacktown City star Carlos De Oliveira put United 58 ahead in the 20th minute, but Jak O’Brien equalised just before halftime.
Shunta Nakamura put the away side back in front soon after halftime, but Lachlan Campbell’s late goal ensured the points were shared in the end.
Four minutes in, the visitors got the game’s first shot away.
Nakamura turned well on the edge of the box and fired goalwards, but the ball bounced comfortably for City goalkeeper Tristan Prendergast who held on.
Blacktown were millimetres away from going in front in the 17th minute.
A well-worked move found Tyren Burnie in the right of the box. He drove towards the middle and found Jak O’Brien, who struck the right post from close range.
United 58 had a chance two minutes later when Aiden Milicevic found space on the right and took aim from a tight angle, requiring Prendergast to palm it away.
The side took the lead seconds later.
Patrick Antelmi was slipped into the right channel of the box and hit a shot across goal that bounced off the far post.
The ball rebounded conveniently for De Oliveira, who slotted it into a vacant net against his former side.
City nearly responded straight away through Joey Gibbs. The forward brought down a long ball in behind the United 58 defence but edged the subsequent shot wide of the left post.
United 58 returned fire midway through the half when De Oliveira eyed off a second from range, however, Prendergast was equal to it.
They could have been two up half an hour in when Milicevic took on a curler from outside the box on the left that dipped onto the crossbar.
Blacktown had a great opportunity for an equaliser three minutes later.
Jak O’Brien raced in behind and slid the ball across to Gibbs on the edge of the box, facing only the goalkeeper, yet dragging it narrowly past the right post.
City broke their opponents’ resilience in the 44th minute as Martin Fernandez steamed through the middle of the pitch.
Fernandez played the ball out to the right for Jak O’Brien, and from there, the striker executed an accurate finish past United 58 goalkeeper Oliver Kalac low into the left of the goal.
Blacktown’s late equaliser saw the teams go in the sheds level after an exciting first half.
Seconds into the second half, United 58 were back in front.
Milicevic capitalised on an error at the back from Nicholas O’Brien on the right before playing the ball across the edge of the box to Nakamura.
The attacking midfielder hit a powerful left-footed strike past Prendergast that nestled inside the left post.
Matthew Hatch then looked to double United 58’s advantage moments later, forcing Prendergast into a low save.
Opportunities continued to flow for both teams, and 62 minutes in, Fernandez flashed a shot past the right post for City.
United 58 had a shot of their own a couple of minutes later when Antelmi’s left-footed strike bounced just past the right post.
In the 67th minute, the away side’s Hatch burst into the left of the box and fired goalwards, but Prendergast batted the ball away strongly.
The teams continued to toil away, with the hosts chasing an equaliser heading into the final 10 minutes.
Blacktown restored parity for the second time in the 90th minute.
Mitchell Mallia’s right-sided free-kick found Campbell’s head in the middle, and the defender guided the ball past Kalac.
City then turned their attention to a winner, pumping the ball into the box, but United 58 held firm and kept the scores level at the final whistle.
Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden said he was disappointed with what his side showed, despite fighting back to equalise late on.
“I think it’s a couple of points probably thrown away,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot more in us than that.
“An entertaining game for the crowd to watch, but a very frustrating game for the coach the watch.
“I thought we created a lot of decent chances, but I don’t think we executed well enough in the final third.
“Obviously, a poor mistake right after halftime to gift them a goal and then you’re chasing the game from thereon.”
Crittenden also said that he is looking for more consistency from his team, highlighting the need for improvement in defence.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our defence. At the moment, we are conceding way too many goals for what I would like,” he said.
“We’ve got to defend better and make life a bit easier for ourselves.”
Match Stats
Blacktown City FC 2 (Jak O’Brien 44’, Lachlan Campbell 90’)
Sydney United 58 FC 2 (Carlos De Oliveira 20’, Shunta Nakamura 46’)
Sunday 31 March 2024
Landen Stadium, Seven Hills
Referee: Jake Rose
Assistant Referees: Matthew Harris and Amirhossein Hosnani
Fourth Official: Nicolas Kour
Blacktown City FC: 1. Tristan Prendergast, 4. Lachlan Campbell, 5. Grant Lynch, 6. Adam Berry, 7. Travis Major, 8. Jak O’Brien, 12. Tyren Burnie, 16. Ben Berry, 17. Martin Fernandez (14. Mitchell Mallia 68’), 18. Nicholas O’Brien (22. Jacob Maniti 79’), 23. Joey Gibbs (9. Reuben Awaritefe 79’)
Substitutes Not Used: 19. Julian Rodriguez, 20. Cayden Henderson, 29. Zachary Butler
Yellow Cards: Joey Gibbs 37’
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney United 58 FC: 1. Oliver Kalac, 3. Bailey Rule, 4. Adrian Vlastelica, 5. Anthony Tomelic (13. Alessandro Lacalandra 68’), 8. Shunta Nakamura (6. Adam Zervas 90+4’), 9. Patrick Antelmi (22. Stephan De Robillard 90+4’), 10. Carlos De Oliveira (7. Jordan Ivancic 79’), 11. Matthew Hatch, 14. Liam McGing, 15. Tariq Maia, 19. Aiden Milicevic (21. Dejan Bakrdanikoski 68’)
Substitutes Not Used: 17. Mathew Nikolovski
Yellow Cards: Carlos De Oliveira 51’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Shunta Nakamura (SU58)
2 – Tristan Prendergast (BC)
1 – Aiden Milicevic (SU58)
Report by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_