Marconi Stallions edged out Wollongong Wolves 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at WIN Stadium, with Marko Jesic’s first-half brace enough to get them over the line.
Jesic scored his first goal six minutes into the game and added a second just after the half-hour mark in a commanding first half from the Stallions.
Wollongong clawed back some control in the second period, but Andre Takami’s late goal failed to inspire another Wolves turnaround.
Marconi capitalised on an early error from the Wolves at the back to take the lead six minutes in.
Domenic Costanzo’s effort from the left of the box was spilt by Wollongong goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic centrally into Jesic’s path.
From there, Marconi’s skipper controlled the ball and prodded it home.
A goal conceded inside the first 10 minutes set the tone for the Wolves’ first half as they struggled to get into a rhythm at both ends of the pitch.
Regardless, three minutes later, they sought a quick response in front of the WIN Stadium crowd through Sebastian Hernandez.
The tricky attacker jinked inside from the left and took on a curler that sailed over.
Jesic continued to cause Wollongong problems after this, as his free-kick flashed wide of the right post 20 minutes in.
The game remained open as both teams looked to take advantage of transitional moments.
Marconi proved more potent in these moments, with Daniel Bouman and Jesic both denied by top saves from Janjetovic over the next 10 minutes.
The familiar Marconi combination of Costanzo and Jesic doubled the Stallions’ advantage 34 minutes in.
Costanzo drilled the ball in from the left of the area, where it dropped at the feet of Jesic, who passed a simple finish into the left side of the goal from point-blank range.
Marconi were relentless and kept pushing for further goals before halftime, as Janjetovic pulled off a superb right-handed reaction save from Jesic’s close-range effort in the 37th minute.
He then palmed wide Franco Maya’s audacious shot from inside his own half to keep the Wolves in the game a couple of minutes later.
Hernandez’s running from the left had proven Wollongong’s best outlet in the first period.
And he raced at the Marconi defence again 39 minutes in, but his shot was straight at Marconi goalkeeper James Hilton.
Wollongong captain Lachlan Scott nearly gave his side a lifeline heading into the break.
He followed Hernandez’ lead by mazing his way through the Marconi right and rattling the crossbar from a tight angle inside the box.
Despite two late chances for Wollongong, they had been second-best and found themselves with a mountain to climb in the second period following a clinical Marconi performance.
Wollongong started the second half better, but by the 70th minute, they only had Dylan Ryan’s overhead kick that cleared to the bar and Ofuka’s saved free-kick to show for it.
Anton Mlinaric was proving unbeatable in central defence for Marconi with a series of last-ditch challenges keeping the visitors’ clean sheet intact.
The Stallions had soaked up their opponents’ pressure well and picked their moments to get forward.
They could have sealed the game in the 83rd minute when Jesic pounced on a Banri Kanaizumi slip on the edge of the area, but the forward missed the chance for his hat-trick by shooting over.
Wollongong were not out of the game yet and started to find space down the left.
In the 87th minute, Christopher McStay’s cross was glanced just wide by Jake Trew and moments later, the hosts halved the deficit.
Scott stood up a left-sided ball into the middle, where late substitute Takami waited to bury his header into the goal.
The Wolves switched off from the kick off and almost conceded when Maya slid in to poke the ball past Janjetovic but the goalkeeper got enough on it to keep it out.
Takami’s goal proved too little too late for the home side as Marconi held on to secure the three points.
The Stallions’ win keeps them fighting for top places as they pass through the mid-point of the 2024 NPL Men’s NSW Season.
Coach Peter Tsekenis said the team played well in the first half and that while he targeted more goals in the second half, the Wolves responded well to push them back.
“First half, I think we were fantastic. We played some really good football and could have scored a few more,” he said.
“My instructions [for the second half] were we need goals – we need a better goal difference than what we currently have.
“It doesn’t always work that way, and sometimes you have to defend.
“Away from home against Wollongong at 2-0 up – it’s never safe and credit to them in the second half. They gave it a red-hot crack.”
Both of Marconi’s goals came from Costanzo and Jesic combining, and Tsekenis said this was the product of hard work in training.
“What you saw today is a lot of hard work on the training pitch – it doesn’t just happen,” he said.
“It probably doesn’t happen enough for us and that’s my challenge to them that we continue to do it and be better at it every week.
“Once we get it right, it’s pretty good.”
Wollongong goalscorer Andre Takami came on to significant effect getting the team back in the game heading into the dying embers.
He said he was brought on to have that sort of impact, but the side’s poor start proved to be defining in the end.
The Wolves have been an inconsistent team in 2024, with six wins from 16 games, and Takami said they could turn it around if they improve the details throughout the week.
“It was a hard start to the game – it kind of killed us at the start, but we’ve come back from those kind of results in the first half, and then we bounce back in the second half,” he said.
“As soon as I came on it was just trying to bring us back into the game.
“All we can do is do the little things better.”
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves FC 1 (Andre Takami 89’)
Marconi Stallions FC 2 (Marko Jesic 6’ 34’)
Sunday 26 May 2024
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Referee: Karl Davies
Assistant Referees: Reece Edwards and Lachlan Brownscombe
Fourth Official: Hayden Michlmayr
Wollongong Wolves FC: 20. Vedran Janjetovic, 3. Darcy Madden (8. Andre Takami 84’), 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. Samuel Riak, 7. Takumi Ofuka, 10. Yagoub Mustafa, 11. Sebastian Hernandez (27. Damon Gray 64’), 24. Lachlan Scott, 25. Alex Masciovecchio (9. Jake Trew 40’), 88. Christopher McStay
Substitutes Not Used: 13. Oliver Yates, 15. Dax Kelly, 29. Thomas Dunn
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Marconi Stallions FC: 1. James Hilton, 3. Cameron Windust, 4. Anton Mlinaric, 6. Domenic Costanzo, 7. Franco Maya, 8. Daniel Bouman, 10. Marco Jesic, 11. Hiroaki Aoyama (2. Nathan Millgate 45’), 16. Liam Youlley, 18. George Daniek, 23. Brandon Vella
Substitutes Not Used: 17. Milislav Popovic, 21. Jakov Malbasa, 29. Luke Raso, 36. Aleksandar Gvozdenovic, 40. Patrick Williams
Yellow Cards: Franco Maya 65’, Cameron Windust 90’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Marko Jesic (MS)
2 – Anton Mlinaric (MS)
1 – Domenic Costanzo (MS)
Report by Tim Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
