Najjar and Wiggin Fire as Ilinden Edge Fierce Raiders Challenge
Rockdale Ilinden FC dug deep and delivered a gritty 2–1 victory over a relentless SD Raiders FC in a tense, end-to-end battle at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
On a picturesque stage, both sides arrived hunting three precious points and neither was willing to give an inch.
The hosts burst from the blocks. Sebastian Malfara curled an early effort narrowly beyond the right post after sharp interplay with Robert Eremugo, setting the tone for a high-tempo opening. The Raiders’ midfield pressed aggressively, winning possession high before Riley Cox-Barlow fired over in a promising position.
Wave after wave followed. A slick move ended with Mihael Marcic striking straight at Rockdale custodian Levi Kaye as the home side searched desperately for the breakthrough.
Instead, Rockdale struck with clinical precision.
Absorbing the early pressure, Ilinden pounced in the 12th minute. Harry McCarthy delivered a dangerous cross into the area, and Ollie Wiggin slid home with conviction to stun the hosts and hand the visitors a 1–0 lead.
The Raiders responded swiftly on the counter. Eremugo sparked the move that culminated in Noah Chianese testing Kaye, but the goalkeeper remained composed. At the other end, Moudi Najjar nearly doubled the advantage, hooking a loose ball from a corner onto the roof of the net.
The contest evolved into a thrilling end-to-end affair. Crosses flashed through crowded penalty areas, knockdowns fell invitingly, and chances came in flurries. Cox-Barlow couldn’t quite connect with a dangerous low delivery from Knezevic, while a curling corner somehow evaded everyone in the six-yard box.
Knezevic threatened again after Lachlan Everett’s raking pass released Jett McCue-Shore, but the final effort drifted wide.
Rockdale, however, made their momentum count before the interval.
In the 44th minute, a restart was lofted into the area where Wiggin turned provider, teeing up Najjar to calmly roll home and extend the lead to 2–0 — a dagger blow just before halftime.
Ilinden resumed with purpose after the break. Brendan Cholakian surged forward and rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike as the visitors looked to put the contest beyond doubt. Moments later, Isaac Danzo cushioned a clever ball into Cholakian’s path, forcing Raiders goalkeeper Michael Figueira into a sharp diving save.
Yet the hosts refused to fold.
Eremugo had a golden opportunity to halve the deficit when sent clean through, but he shot directly at Kaye. Substitute Martin Fernandez followed up, only to see his effort comfortably gathered. Najjar almost applied the finishing touch for Rockdale late on, combining with Mohamed Adam before drawing another strong stop from Figueira.
Then came late drama.
Deep into stoppage time, substitute Jakub Malbasa unleashed a rocket into the top corner to reduce the deficit to 2–1 and set up a frantic finale. Ernie Smith Reserve roared as the Raiders threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.
But Rockdale stood tall.
When the final whistle sounded, Ilinden had secured three hard-earned points on hostile territory — a victory built on resilience as much as quality.
Post-match, a jubilant Rockdale coach Paul Dee acknowledged the significance of the result.
“It was a good three points to consolidate after last week,” he said.
“We don’t have fond memories here — it’s a tough away trip — so it’s pleasing to come away with the win. We stuck to our game plan against a very competitive side, and it paid off.”
In a clash packed with intensity, Rockdale Ilinden proved they have both the steel and the spark to grind out results when it matters most.
Match Stats
SD Raiders FC 1 (Malbasa ‘90+3)
Rockdale Ilinden FC 2 (Wiggin ’12 Najjar ’44)
Saturday 28 February 2026
Ernie Smith Reserve
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant Referees: Hayden Kaye & Glen Stubbings
Fourth Official: Wael Arabi
SD Raiders FC: 1. Michael Figueira, 4. Cooper Hanagan, 5. Jett Mccue-Shore, 6. Lachlan Everett (22. Yonathan Sebhatu ’58), 7. Mihael Marcic (23. Thomas Makko ’58), 10. Luka Knezevic (17. Martin Fernandez ’58), 12. Lachlan McGrath, 14. Noah Chianese (9. Jakob Malbasa ’71), 19. Riley Cox-Barlow (15. Mathhew Lee ’71), 21. Sebastian Malfara, 37. Robert Eremugo
Unused subs: 8. James Letta, 31. Oliver Prydacz
Yellow cards: Malfara ’27 Sebhatu ’60 Eremugo ’89 Malbasa ‘90+4
Red cards: nil
Rockdale Ilinden FC: 1. Levi Kaye, 2. Hunter Elliott, 4. Reo Kunimoto, 5. Giorgio Speranza, 6. Isaac Danzo, 7. Ollie Wiggin (27. Lukas Ribarevski ’80), 8. Jerry Skotadis, 9. Moudi Najjar, 10. Brendan Cholakian (11. Lochlan Constable ’72), 22. Harry McCarthy (17. Mohamed Adam ’66), 26. Harry Van der Saag
Unused subs: 4. Paul Kalamvokis, 16. Michael Marcevski, 19. Dean Jovcevski, 21. Ronan Mulgrew
Yellow cards: Elliott ’75 Kunimoto ’88
Red cards: nil
Player Ratings:
3: Oliver Wiggin (RCK)
2: Levi Kaye (RCK)
1: Sebastian Malfara (SD)
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
