Blacktown punishes 10-man Wolves to continue winning run
Blacktown City FC extended their winning streak to three matches with a commanding 2-0 victory over the Wollongong Wolves FC at Macedonia Park on Sunday afternoon, capitalising on an early goal and a first-half red card to take control of the contest.
Despite a resilient second-half effort from the 10-man Wolves, the visitors’ clinical finishing and defensive discipline secured all three points and continued their climb up the NPL Men’s NSW ladder.
Blacktown made a fast start and were dominating the game and creating a few early chances.
They were rewarded for their dominance when they took the lead in the 6th minute after Mitchell Mallia latched onto a well-weighted through ball that caught the Wolves defence off guard.
Racing in on goal, Mallia’s shot was met by a strong hand from Wolves goalkeeper Max Cunial, but despite the impressive save attempt, the ball had just enough momentum to find the back of the net and give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
The contest took a significant turn in the 29th minute following a passage of play that began with the Wolves in possession. After receiving the ball, Cunial’s attempted pass out from the back was mistimed, allowing Blacktown to regain possession in a dangerous area. As the attacker broke towards goal, Wolves midfielder Kazuya Yamamura was adjudged to have committed a foul, with the referee determining it denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
The decision resulted in a straight red card, reducing the Wolves to 10 men in what was a contentious moment of the match.
Blacktown looked to capitalise immediately from the resulting free kick just outside the penalty area. Cunial produced another excellent save to deny the initial effort, but Alou Kuol reacted quickest to the rebound, heading home to double Blacktown City’s lead.
Despite the setback, the Wolves continued to compete strongly over the remaining 17 minutes of the first half. Both sides created chances in an entertaining end-to-end contest, with the hosts showing resilience despite the numerical disadvantage, while Blacktown continued to threaten on the counter as the match maintained a high tempo heading into the half-time break.
The first half came to an end with Blacktown in control and finishing with 13 shots, with eight on target.
The Wolves needed a second-half spark and it was captain Lachlan Scott leading the way as he tried to drag his team back into the game.
The star striker started to look dangerous as the second-half went on and he unleashed a shot from distance that went just wide after Blacktown failed to clear a corner.
The Wolves had a huge chance to get a goal back in the 77th minute when Sebastian Hernandez whipped over a brilliant ball from the right that was met by Yuto Fujita at the far post. However, he couldn’t keep the ball down as he stretched with the ball sailing over the bar.
Blacktown nearly added a third goal in the 82nd minute when Travis Major raced onto a through ball and was one-on-one with Cunial. The young goalkeeper did well as he produced a fine save to keep the Wolves in the game.
The away side continued to look dangerous on the counter as the Wolves chased the game in search of goals.
In the end, Blacktown held on for a 2-0 win that sees them continue their good form with their third win a row, as their rise up the NPL Men’s NSW ladder gathers momentum.
While for the Wolves, they lose further ground on the top six following a third loss in a row.
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves FC: 0
Blacktown City FC: 2 (Mitchell Mallia 6’, Alou Kuol 30’)
Sunday July 26, 2026
Macedonia Park
Referee: Ayad Naji
Assistant Referees: Matthew Harris and Daniel Cornofsky
Fourth Official: Oscar Waterson
Wollongong Wolves FC: 3. Jude Christie (77. Dylan King 79’), 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 14. Noah Mathie (15. Kristian Butkovic 75’), 16. Lucas Trajcevski (11. Sebastian Hernandez 45’), 17. Marcus Beattie, 18. Kazuya Yamamura, 19. Max Cunial, 24. Lachlan Scott (C) (13. Hugo Cornish 79’), 25. Alex Masciovecchio, 44. Yuto Fujita
Substitutes not used: 1. Jacob Hastings, 10. Flynn Madden, 21. Liam Ball
Yellow Cards: Marcus Beattie 84’
Red Cards: Kazuya Yamamura 29’
Blacktown City FC: 3. Lachlan Tilt, 4. Nicholas O’Brien, 6. Adam Berry (22. Jacob Maniti 75’), 7. Travis Major (C), 10. Maksim Jez (8. Jak O’Brien 66’), 11. Kodai Tanaka, 14. Mitchell Mallia (19. Sebastian Hayward 75’), 15. Caleb Jackson-Brown, 20. Cooper Rogers, 27. Nathan Grimaldi, 45. Alou Kuol
Substitutes not used: 1. Cayden Henderson, 18. Jake Briggs, 21. Aiden Renshaw, , 24. Lachlan Henderson
Yellow Cards: Lachlan Tilt 80’, Alou Kuol 90+3’
Red Cards: Nil
*Player Ratings have now been hidden until the remainder of the NPL Men’s NSW season.
Report by Joel Martelli
