Goals galore as APIA return to winning ways over Wanderers
APIA Leichhardt have returned to winning ways with an exciting 5-3 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers at Lambert Park.
It was the Wanderers who threatened first, with Marcus Fernandez going close with a shot from range inside two minutes, before a low shot from Awan Lual forced an early save from Anthony Bouzanis.
In a fast start to the match, APIA then forced two saves from Tristan Vidackovic, with Ben Gibson unable to convert a one vs one from an acute angle and Vidakovic making a good save off an attempted chip from Jack Armson after being released in behind.
But it was the away side who opened the scoring, capitalising on a quick attacking transition in clinical style.
Receiving the ball in space, Luke Nieuwenhof strode forwards before playing a sublime, outside-of-the-boot pass to release Phillip Gigliotti in behind.
Entering the box, Gigliotti cleverly spotted the free Awan Lual at the far post and calmly squared the ball across goal, allowing the forward to open the scoring at Lambert Park.
However, APIA produced a lightning-fast response two minutes later, capitalising on a Wanderers error to draw level.
A misplaced pass from Western Sydney incidentally found the feet of Ben Gibson in between the lines, who quickly released Jack Armson, who was free and through on goal.
Armson allowed the ball to roll across his body before producing a pin-point, left-footed strike to crucially bring APIA right back into the match.
And in the 16th minute, APIA found themselves ahead.
An incisive run from Jack Stewart inside allowed him to then find Rory Jordan on the left, who then found Seiya Kambayashi.
Kambayashi looked to drive the ball to the by-line before cutting it back to Stewart on the edge of the box, who calmly placed the ball into the bottom-left corner to give APIA the lead.
The match, however, continued to remain chaotic, and in the 24th minute the Wanderers tied the match up once more.
A swift, progressive move from the Wanderers allowed them to find Lual in a central pocket of space, who turned before playing the overlapping run of Ryley Hollingdale.
The midfielder quickly placed an accurate cutback across goal, finding the free Phillip Gigliotti in the box, who calmly tapped the ball home for Western Sydney.
APIA went close to responding after another loss of possession for the Wanderers in their defensive third, whereby a tackle from Seiya Kambayashi allowed him to feed Gibson in behind, but the forward couldn’t find the target from inside the box.
In the 33rd minute, however, APIA took the lead once more, with the goal made by some sensational work from Gibson.
Picking up the ball inside his defensive third, Gibson strode forwards, elegantly beating three players before finding the run of Stewart in behind with a beautiful trivela pass.
Driving into the box, Stewart sat down his marker by cutting back onto his left foot, before driving the ball into the back of the net, as the game continued its mayhem with five goals scored before halftime.
Six minutes into the second half, APIA scored once more in the most curious of fashions.
From deep in his half, an attempted through ball from Dakota Askew missed Ben Gibson, but the striker than charged down the pass after Vidackovic came out to sweep.
The goalkeeper looked to shepherd the ball out over the sideline to earn his team a throw and alleviate any danger, but the ball didn’t cross the line as Gibson nicked the ball, before then breezing past a defender in a run towards goal.
After touching the ball almost to the by-line, Gibson somehow found the back of the net with an exceptional finish, while being taken out in the process.
It was a goal made of pure determination, and was crucial for APIA, who now found themselves a step closer to their first win in five matches.
However, in the 59th minute, the Wanderers clawed a goal back as they capitalised on an error from APIA goalkeeper Anthony Bouzanis.
In build-up, a back pass from Themba Muata-Marlow put Bouzanis under pressure, and the goalkeeper didn’t clear first time, letting the ball roll behind him before being tackled by Gigliotti.
The winger made no mistake in passing the ball into the open net, and it was game on once more at Lambert Park.
In the 69th minute, APIA responded to continue the streak of this topsy-turvy clash, as substitute Alex Denmead added his name to the scoresheet.
A purposeful drive from Maksim Kasalovic was followed by a pass in behind to Gibson, who received the ball with space to attack down the right channel.
The striker drove forwards before playing a perfect low cross to the back post, which was tapped home by Denmead to re-establish APIA’s two goal advantage.
In the 85th minute, APIA were presented with a strong chance to make it six, after a beautiful flick on from Luigi Ditroia released Nicholas Azzone in behind.
Azzone drove forwards before engaging in a one on one with Vidackovic, but was prevented by a good save from the Wanderers goalkeeper.
“Three points were very important at this stage so we’re very happy with that, scoring five goals is fantastic as well,” said APIA coach Franco Parisi.
“Some of the goals we scored were exceptional and a lot of the football was very good.
“Credit to Wanderers, every time we play them they make you work for your points, they score goals, they move the ball and they do a lot of good things, and clearly them scoring three goals is representative of that.
“But I was super impressed with our boys and how they played, of course we want a clean sheet but the performance, the points, the goals – we’re very happy with all that.”
Match Stats
APIA Leichhardt FC 5 (Armson 14’, Stewart 16’, 33’, Gibson 51’, Denmead 69’)
Western Sydney Wanderers FC 3 (Lual 12’, Gigliotti 24’, 59’)
Saturday 3 August, 2024
Lambert Park
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant Referees: Maggie Price and Isaac Liu
Fourth Official: Mitchell Renton
APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Anthony Bouzanis, 2. Seiya Kambayashi (41. Nicholas Azzone 72’), 4. Josh Symons (21. Michael Kouta 70’), 7. Jack Stewart, 9. Ben Gibson (19. Luigi Ditroia 72’), 11. Rory Jordan, 14. Jack Armson (30. Alex Denmead 66’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino (C) (22. Edward Caspers 66’), 23. Dakota Askew, 29. Maksim Kasalovic
Substitutes Not Used: 27. Evan Davis
Yellow Cards: Askew 83’
Red Cards: None
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 20. Tristan Vidackovic, 18. Awan Lual, 22. Jesse Cameron, 23. Marcus Fernandez (14. Luka Knezevic 66’), 24. Antony Barbic (12. Lachlan Tilt 72’), 25. Ryley Hollingdale (C), 28. Luke Nieuwenhof, 37. Ricky Fransen, 47. Edmun Haddad (36. Dallo Sandy 45’), 77. Phillip Gigliotti (35. Kaan Nizam 72’), 99. Ryan Devine (11. Meliwethu Nkomo 66’)
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Taiga Harper
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Player ratings:
3 – Ben Gibson (APIA)
2 – Jack Stewart (APIA)
1 – Phillip Gigliotti (WSW)
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
