Olsen’s Double Delivers as Sharks Turn Chaos into Triumph
Heart. Chaos. Ice-cold composure.
Sutherland Sharks produced a breathtaking late comeback to snatch their first victory of the National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW season, defeating Blacktown City FC 3–2 in a dramatic Sunday showdown at Landen Stadium.
Twice the Sharks fell behind. Twice they clawed their way back. And in the 97th minute — under immense pressure — Nicholas Olsen stepped up to bury a decisive penalty and spark wild celebrations.
It was a contest dripping with tension from the outset.
Sutherland began brightly, with Olsen and Takumi Ofuka combining sharply to create early openings inside five minutes. But as the match settled, both goalkeepers stole the spotlight.
Danjiel Nizic used every inch of his imposing 197cm frame in the 33rd minute, rushing out to deny Mitchell Mallia’s attempted chip in a crucial one-on-one moment. Cayden Henderson responded in kind six minutes later, launching himself to palm away Ofuka’s curling effort that looked destined for the top corner.
The breakthrough came on the stroke of halftime — and it went the hosts’ way. Nikola Skataric delivered a precise cross that found Maksim Jez, whose glancing header nestled into the bottom-right corner to give Blacktown the lead heading into the break.
The Sharks emerged with renewed purpose.
Ten minutes into the second half, they were rewarded. Olsen won a penalty and calmly converted it, opening his account for his new club and dragging Sutherland level at 1–1.
With momentum building, the visitors pushed hard for the lead. Ofuka twice threatened but couldn’t quite direct his efforts on target. Then came another twist.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Blacktown struck again — albeit in fortunate fashion. Substitute Riley Nolan whipped in a low, driven cross toward the near post, and under pressure, Jamie Percevski inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to restore the home side’s advantage.
Time was running out. The pressure was mounting.
But the Sharks weren’t done.
With three minutes left in regulation time, substitute Julian Fedele ignited hope. Showing superb composure under pressure, he linked up with McLaughlin on the wing. The cutback was only half-cleared, and Fedele reacted quickest to slot the ball past Henderson and level the contest at 2–2.
Then the drama intensified.
Blacktown were reduced to nine men after Nicholas O’Brien and Jacob Maniti were both shown second yellow cards in separate incidents, swinging the momentum firmly toward the visitors.
Deep into stoppage time, six minutes beyond the 90, the Sharks were awarded another penalty. The stage was set.
Olsen stepped forward once more, cool, composed, clinical.
The net rippled. The comeback was complete.
A 97th-minute dagger. A first win of the season. And a breakthrough result under new head coach David Perkovic.
Post-match, Perkovic praised both the result and the resilience.
“It’s important, not just the three points, but the way we did it,” he said.
“Not winning the first three games and then coming from behind to win — it’s fantastic from the boys.
“If you don’t win early, the pressure builds, especially at a club like ours. Now we’ve got that first one under our belt, we can play with a bit more freedom and go into Friday’s game with confidence.”
From frustration to elation in a matter of minutes, the Sharks announced their season in unforgettable fashion.
Match Stats
Blacktown City 2 (Maksim Jez 45′, OG Jamie Percevski 69’)
Sutherland Sharks 3 (Nick Olsen 57’, 90+ 7), Julian Fedele 87’)
Sunday 1st March, 2026
Landen Stadium
Referee: Sam Kelly
Assistant Referees: Lucy Hungerford and Matthew Harris
Fourth Official: Hayden Langholz
Blacktown City: 1. Cayden Henderson, 3. Lachlan Tilt, 4. Nicholas O’Brien, 6. Adam Berry (19. Sebastian Hayward 70’), 7. Travis Major, 9. Nikola Skataric (16. Riley Nolan 63’), 10. Maksim Jez, 11. Kodai Tanaka, 14. Mitchell Mallia (15. Caleb Jackson-Brown 70’), 22. Jacob Maniti, 27. Nathan Grimaldi
Substitutes Not Used: 17. Julian Rodriguez, 20. Cooper Rogers, 21. Aiden Renshaw
Yellow Cards: Jacob Maniti 20’, Nicholas O’Brien 43’
Red Cards: Nicholas O’Brien 89’, Jacob Maniti 90 + 5
Sutherland Sharks: 1. Danjiel Nizic, 2. Lachlan MacDonald, 3. Yianni Nicolaou, 4. Thijs Van Amerongen, 6. Rylee Hollingdale, 7. Takumi Ofuka (30. Julian Fedele 74’), 14. Yuto Kokuryo (22. Tye McGowan 83’), 15. Jamie Percevski, 17. Richard Shoueiki (10. Tariq Maia 74’), 21. Nick Olsen, 41. Jacob McLaughlin (8. Brendan Gan 59’)
Substitutes Not Used: 12. James Husoy, 18. Gian Fiorese, 40. Lukas Webber
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Nicholas Olsen (SS)
2 – Takumi Ofuka (SS)
1 – Nathan Grimaldi (BC)
-By Keane McKenna
