Olympic boost survival hopes with big Blacktown victory
Relegation threatened Sydney Olympic have secured a vital 2-0 win against fellow battlers Blacktown City on Sunday afternoon at Landen Stadium.
Sebastian Kakucka scored his first senior goal before Marcus Fernandez doubled the visitors’ lead to hand Olympic just their third win of the season and a boost in the hunt for survival in the National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW competition.
It was an early six-pointer game to begin the second half of the 2026 season. Blacktown City and Sydney Olympic, sitting second last and last respectively in the NPL NSW competition coming into this game, both sides knew the value of three points and how it could help their chances of survival entering the later stages of the season.
Olympic, seven points adrift at the bottom of the table, started the more attacking of the two sides, creating early chances through Marcus Fernandez and Bailey Callaghan, though neither chance troubled Cayden Henderson in the Blacktown net.
Blacktown slowly began to grow into the game and generated their best chance of the half 20 minutes into the contest after Maksim Jez was able to redirect Travis Majors’ initial header onto the frame of the crossbar, with the rebound unable to be capitalised on by the returning Jak O’Brien.
The visitors would make the home side pay for their misopportunity just a minute later, going up the field and opening the scoring. Sebastian Kakucka received the ball out on the right-hand side and, after riding a few challenges, side-volleyed his effort hard and low into the back of the net for his first senior goal.
The opening 15 minutes of the second half were highlighted by vital defensive efforts at both ends of the field. Ziggy Gordan was called into action, denying substitute Riley Nolan the chance to get on the end of a Kodai Tanaka low cross. Before Fernandez forced Henderson into a fingertip save to keep Olympic’s tally at one.
The tension and speed of the game continued to rise the closer the clock ticked towards 90, with both teams trying to secure potentially season-deciding points.
Olympic secured all three points seven minutes from time, with Fernandez finishing off a wonderfully crafted move between the Olympic front three. Kakucka found Callaghan, who backheeled it towards the oncoming Fernandez, who rolled it into the bottom right corner to double the visitors’ lead.
Sydney Olympic head coach Michael Melito was proud of his side, who rose to the challenge and came away with the important victory.
“We knew we needed three points; we were quite desperate. We made a point all week that we were in a relegation battle, and the boys rolled up their sleeves.”
In the process of picking up three points, Olympic also secured its first clean sheet of the season, with Melito acknowledging his defensive unit’s contribution to the win.
“It was a massive defensive effort; we knew we had to get the second ball, and we did that very well today.”
Match Stats
Blacktown City 0
Sydney Olympic 2 (Sebastian Kakucka 21’, Marcus Fernandez 83’ )
Sunday 24th May, 2026
Landen Stadium
Referee: Casey Reibelt
Assistant Referees: Maddy Allum and Amber Morris
Fourth Official: Casey Flemming
Blacktown City: 1. Cayden Henderson, 3. Lachlan Tilt, 4. Nicholas O’Brien (17. Julian Rodriguez 86’), 6. Adam Berry, 7. Travis Major, 8. Jak O’Brien (15. Caleb Jackson-Brown 68’), 9. Nikola Skataric (19. Sebastian Hayward 68’), 10. Maksim Jez (22. Jacob Maniti 63’), 11. Kodai Tanaka, 23. Jett Long (16. Riley Nolan 46’), 27. Nathan Grimaldi
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Cooper Rogers, 21. Aiden Renshaw
Yellow Cards: Nicholas O’Brien 66’
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Olympic: 2. Peter Politis, 3. Sam Bosnjak, 4. Joshua Hong, 5. Ziggy Gordon, 11. George Louca (35. Peter Grozos 79’), 16. Bailey Callaghan, 21. Sebastian Kakucka (30. Josh Da Silva 90+5), 24. Ben Giason, 33. Maxamillion Luburic (10. Lucas Williams 90+1), 34. Marcus Fernandez, 40. Anthony Carreras
Substitutes Not Used: 13. Liam Saba, 14. Jacob Tresoglavic, 20. Dean Plessas, 58. Daniel Wong
Yellow Cards: Ziggy Gordon 70’, George Louca 77’, Joshua Hong 80’, Peter Politis 89’
Red Cards: Nil
By Keane McKenna
Player Ratings:
3 – Sebastian Kakucka (SOL)
2 – Ziggy Gordon (SOL)
1 – Bailey Callaghan (SOL)
-By Keane McKenna
