Krslovic Hat-Trick Fires Sydney United 58 to second spot
Sydney United 58 have secured a home final, as well as an immediate passage to the second week of the NPL Men’s NSW finals, after a comprehensive 6-0 thrashing of St George FC at Sydney United Sports Centre.
The reigning Waratah Cup winners flexed their muscle in emphatic fashion, with Michael Krslovic scoring a hat-trick, Carlos De Oliveira adding a brace and Michael Glassock also finding the back of the net.
For St George, the result means they now face a Promotion/Relegation Playoff against the Northern Tigers from League One Men’s in their bid to remain in the top flight.
Sydney United 58 made their intentions clear from the opening whistle, with Farah Koko’s third-minute effort tipped over the bar by an ever-alert Vedran Janjetovic.
The hosts came inches away again in the 10th minute when Koko’s ball narrowly missed the head of Krslovic.
Mason Wells then saw his follow-up effort rattle the post before Krslovic regained possession and was thwarted from point-blank range by Janjetovic.
It did not take long for St George to crack under the pressure.
A simple pass from Joshua Azzi in the 13th minute released Krslovic, who rolled the ball into an empty net to open the scoring.
Eight minutes later, he had his second of the afternoon.
Krslovic collected Bailey Rule’s deflected effort before firing home from close range to put United 58 firmly in control.
Krslovic’s impact did not stop there.
The attacker was brought down inside the penalty area by Janjetovic in the 23rd minute, but the experienced goalkeeper guessed correctly and dived the right way to deny the United 58 star from the spot.
St George finally created a rare opportunity of their own in the 27th minute when Jaden Casella chipped Adam Pavlesic, only for his effort to drift just wide of the far post.
At the other end, Krslovic continued to torment the visitors, thumping an effort against and under the crossbar.
He continued to push the St George defence to the brink and completed his well-deserved hat-trick in the 35th minute.
Azzi won the ball from Lachlan Sepping before releasing Krslovic, who produced a clever piece of skill to cross up Kota Toyooka before finishing to make it 3-0.
The first half then experienced a delay in play due to a fan in the crowd being injured, with everyone at Football NSW wishing them all the best.
It did not take long for the hosts to pick up where they left off after the restart.
Rafael Costa cleared a dangerous Mason Wells pass in the 49th minute, before Wells saw another effort blocked by a resolute Edmun Haddad six minutes later.
Moments later, Rule’s point-blank header was brilliantly smacked away by St George substitute goalkeeper Sebastian La Luz.
The goalkeeper then produced another impressive save, using his outstretched hand to prevent Wells from sneaking his effort inside the post.
The 23-year-old displayed composure beyond his years despite the mounting pressure.
Haddad continued to make his mark for St George, robustly blocking Carlos De Oliveira’s free-kick in the 65th minute.
De Oliveira would not be denied for long, however.
Six minutes later, the United 58 attacker made light work of the St George defence, striking from just inside the box and seeing his effort slash past both Toyooka and La Luz before nestling into the bottom corner.
It was now 4-0.
The margin ballooned to five in the 77th minute when De Oliveira scored his second of the afternoon, firing straight down the middle.
United 58 were not finished.
In the 85th minute, Michael Glassock narrowly squeezed the ball past La Luz from a tight angle near the sideline to complete a resounding 6-0 victory.
The result secures United 58 a home final and immediate passage into the second week of the Championship Series, while St George now turn their attention towards their Promotion/Relegation Playoff.
Carlos De Oliveira reflected on his team’s togetherness after the match.
“Today is a beautiful feeling. We deserve to be where we are and we’re aiming to get to the Grand Final,” De Oliveira said.
“We also knew that it was going to come down to goal difference on the final day and we knew that if we played our attacking game and scored goals it was all going to work out.”
“The team we have is like a second family and we have amazing chemistry as well. You can see it when we play, we compete for each other.
“The crowd as well backs us every week and helps push us over the edge.”
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 6 (Michael Krslovic 13’, 21’, 35’, Carlos De Oliveira 71’, 77’, Michael Glassock 85’)
St George FC 0
Sunday 30 August 2026
Sydney United Sports Centre
Referee: Thomas Dale
Assistant Referees: Liam Smith and Benjamin Eisikovich
Fourth Official: Jake Rose
Sydney United 58: 1. Adam Pavlesic, 3. Bailey Rule (4. Adrian Vlastelica 60’), 5. Anthony Tomelic, 6. Dylan Rose (7. Leroy Jennings 60’), 10. Carlos De Oliveira (12. Gabriel Tilo 60’), 14. Liam McGing, 17. Michael Glassock, 19. Michael Krslovic, 21. Koya Nakano, 23. Mason Wells, 30. Joshua Azzi, 44. Farah Koko (47. Christian Lardieri 60’)
Substitutes not used: 35. Tomislav Ozanic, 41. Adrian-Jamie Bazina
Yellow cards: None
Red cards: None
St George FC: 7. Justin Poon, 8. Evangelo Souris, 10. Jaden Casella, 11. Lachlan Sepping (12. Toshiki Makimoto 60’), 13. Sebastian La Luz 45’, 14. Isaac Cunningham, 17. Sebastian Kiceec, 20. Kota Toyooka, 24. Edmun Haddad, 25. Harrison Farrow 74’, 30. Jayden Dorevski 45’, 37. George Kotronakis 45’, 43. Taylor Harrod, 47. Vedran Janjetovic
Substitutes not used: 9. Nikola Skataric, 31. Talis Bentley
Yellow cards: Kota Toyooka 89’
Red cards: None
-By Tobias Canning
