APIA Secure Comeback Victory in Entertaining Clash
APIA Leichhardt FC secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over a gallant SD Raiders FC side at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday night in a match packed with drama, momentum swings, and quality finishing.
The reigning champions got off to the perfect start, striking inside just three minutes. Oscar Gonzalez cut inside his marker and unleashed a stunning effort into the top corner to give APIA an early 1-0 lead.
SD Raiders FC almost responded immediately. Luka Knezevic broke the offside trap and forced APIA shot-stopper Olivier Kalac into a strong save. Knezevic was at the heart of the hosts’ attacking play, again wriggling free shortly after but seeing his curling effort drift just wide.
The equaliser came in the 24th minute, and it was well deserved. A slick combination between Robert Eremugo and Knezevic created the opportunity for Charlie Ragg, who calmly swept the ball home to make it 1-1.
Buoyed by the goal, the hosts lifted their intensity. Martin Fernandez fired narrowly wide, before Eremugo was just unable to connect with a dangerous cross from Cooper Hanagan.
APIA looked to respond through Michael Konestabo, who won the ball high and attempted a clever dink, but SD Raiders goalkeeper Michael Figueira reacted well to gather.
The home side had a golden chance to take the lead in the 36th minute when Knezevic was brought down inside the area. However, after stepping up to take the penalty himself, he was denied by Kalac, who produced a superb diving save to his right.
Despite the setback, SD Raiders FC did hit the front in first-half stoppage time. Ragg showed great determination to keep the ball alive before finding Eremugo, who tapped home in the 47th minute to cap off a strong opening half for the hosts.
They nearly extended their lead immediately after the restart, with Fernandez turning sharply inside the box and rattling the crossbar.
Eremugo continued to threaten, pouncing on a loose ball soon after but unable to guide his effort into the bottom corner.
APIA responded in the 61st minute, and it was a moment of real quality. Eljin Kishimoto delivered a superb cross which found Gonzalez, who powered home his second of the night with a thumping header to level the scores at 2-2.
The game continued to open up, with SD Raiders pushing to regain the lead. Fernandez and Knezevic both went close, with the latter striking the crossbar in another heart-in-mouth moment for the visitors.
APIA substitute Rory Jordan almost made an immediate impact, gliding past his defender before firing straight at Figueira.
The decisive moment came in the 79th minute. From a cleverly worked short corner routine, Jack Stewart produced a moment of class, curling his effort in off the post to give APIA a crucial 3-2 lead.
SD Raiders threw everything forward in response. Substitute Sebastian Malfara combined with Fernandez from a short corner, forcing Kalac into another strong diving save.
However, APIA showed their experience and composure in the closing stages, managing the five minutes of stoppage time professionally to secure a valuable three points.
Post-match, SD Raiders FC coach Goran Ljuboja reflected on a frustrating result for his side:
“I am gutted after that game. I thought we could have put the game away in the first half. Unfortunately, we fell asleep in the second half and got punished for it against a quality side,” he said.
APIA Leichhardt FC coach Franco Parisi acknowledged the challenge his team faced but was pleased with their response:
“I was happy with the second half. We kept the ball better on an interesting field. It took us a while to get used to it, and credit to SD Raiders FC who really brought it to us. We got the two goals we needed to get the win,” he said.
Match Stats
SD Raiders FC 2 (Ragg ’24 Eremugo ‘45+2)
APIA Leichhardt FC 3 (Gonzalez ‘3 ’61 Stewart ‘79)
Saturday 2 May 2026
Ernie Smith Reserve
Referee: Mia Velarde
Assistant Referees: Aaron Bloch & Hayden Kaye
Fourth Official: Molly Godsell
SD Raiders FC: 1. Michael Figueira, 4. Cooper Hanagan, 6. Lachlan Everett (9. Jakub Malbasa ’83), 8. James Letta, 10. Luka Knezevic (21. Sebastian Malfara ’69), 12. Lachlan Mcgrath, 17. Martin Fernandez, 18. Charlie Ragg, 23. Thomas Makko (19. Riley Cox-Barlow ’69), 37. Robert Eremugo (7. Mihael Marcic ’69), 47. Ethan Beaven
Unused subs: 11. Thomas Santarossa, 22, Yonathan Sebhatu, 40. William Loucas
Yellow cards: Hanagan ’90 Beaven ‘90+4
Red cards: nil
APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Oliver Kalac, 2. Seiya Kambayashi, 4. Eljin Kishimoto (11. Rory Jordan ’66), 7. Jack Stewart, 8. Michael Konestabo (30. Alex Denmead ’77), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 19. Fabian Monge (22. Edward Caspers ’77), 21. Michael Kouta, 25. Kyle Shaw (2. Navid Alizada ’77), 26. Oscar Gonzalez (9. Presley Ortiz ’66), 99. Franco Farinella
Unused subs: 20. Alexander Parkes
Yellow cards: Kalac ’37 Kouta ’45 Shaw ‘48
Red cards: nil
Player Ratings:
3: Luka Knezevic (SD)
2: Jack Stewart (APIA)
1: Oliver Kalac (APIA)
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
