Marconi And Spirit Play Out Draw Before Midweek Finals Rematch
Marconi Stallions and NWS Spirit FC played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon in the final round of the regular season of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, with both goals arriving in the first half of a tight encounter.
NWS Spirit took the lead early through Aiden Mostofi before Ahmad Elhelou scored late in the first half to equalise for Marconi, with neither side able to find a breakthrough after the interval.
The draw means, by coincidence, the two sides will meet again at The Palace in the midweek Elimination Final.
Marconi were forced into third place, while the point was enough for NWS Spirit to secure sixth on the ladder, with Sydney FC’s draw with Sydney Olympic ending the young Sky Blues’ hopes of claiming the final finals position.
It was a huge fixture for both clubs, and the deadlock was broken in the 10th minute when NWS Spirit took the lead.
Marconi coughed up possession and Mostofi took control, charging towards the penalty area before producing a delightful diagonal finish into the bottom corner of the net.
A few minutes later, a cross from the right by Luca Pecora caused visiting goalkeeper Jay Coates some trouble as Marconi looked for an immediate response.
In the 21st minute, a Corey Kavanagh free-kick reached Sam Armson on the edge of the area, but he lifted his volley over the crossbar in a decent opportunity for Spirit.
Mostofi came close to adding a second in the 25th minute when a long throw-in reached him in a dangerous position close to goal.
However, he was unable to steer the ball into the net, with his effort ending up against the side netting.
There was an immediate response at the other end when Matej Busek tried his luck from range, with Coates doing well to hold onto the effort.
NWS Spirit came close again in the 36th minute when Simon Nicholas’ shot from the edge of the box forced Marconi goalkeeper Joel Wade into a good save, turning the ball away for a corner.
Marconi eventually found their equaliser in the 43rd minute, and it was no more than they deserved.
Elhelou scored his second goal in two weeks after a long ball from Pecora found him inside the area.
The Marconi attacker rose above Coates and headed home to square the ledger just before the break.
The second half began in cagey fashion, with the opening opportunity not arriving until the 65th minute.
Busek ended a strong run with a shot that sailed over the target.
Spirit came close again in the 74th minute when Armson headed towards goal from a corner, but Wade was up to the task and produced a good save under pressure.
At the other end a few minutes later, Windust headed just over the bar for the Stallions.
Marconi came agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 87th minute.
Quinten Blair saw his effort saved off the line by Ben Duroux in what was by far the closest opportunity of the second half and appeared destined to be Marconi’s winning goal.
The Stallions continued to press in stoppage time, with James Bayliss seeing his effort saved by Coates in what proved to be the final real opportunity of the contest.
The final whistle confirmed the 1-1 draw, but also set up a fascinating midweek rematch between the two sides, with the stakes now considerably higher.
After the match, Marconi Stallions coach Peter Tsekenis admitted he was disappointed to miss out on second place but remained confident in his team’s ability to progress deep into the Championship Series.
“Of course it was disappointing because we wanted second place, but that’s football,” Tsekenis said.
“We had a lot of chances towards the end with a number of young players on the field and I thought that they did a fantastic job.
“With second spot, we would have looked forward to having the week to prepare, but now we have to do it the hard way and I don’t think we know any better than doing it the hard way.
“All of our injured players should be available for the midweek game, except maybe for Cameron Windust, who came off and will need to be properly assessed.
“NWS Spirit and us both have something to lose now because, of course, whoever loses is out.
“At the end of the day it’s not playing for three points anymore as it is knockout football and hopefully we can get the result we need to progress.”
Match Stats
Marconi Stallions 1 (Elhelou 43’)
NWS Spirit 1 (Mostofi 10’)
Sunday 30 August 2026
Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park
Referee: Sophie Allum
Assistant Referees: Alessandro Llana, Thomas Aalders
Fourth Official: Jackson Mackie
Marconi Stallions: 1. Joel Wade, 3. Cameron Windust (15. Aleksandar Duricic 95’), 4. Anton Mlinaric, 8. James Bayliss, 10. Marko Jesic (36. John Lawson 63’), 11. Matej Busek (7. Franco Maya 81’), 16. Luca Pecora, 17. Sunday Yona (21. Noah Anderson 63’), 19. Ahmad Elhelou (38. Daniel Osei 81’), 23. Quinten Blair, 27. Antonio Marvello.
Substitutes not used: 20. Oliver Yates, 26. Mikah Chilas.
Yellow Cards: Marvello 19’, Bayliss 53’, Osei 85’
Red Cards: Nil
NWS Spirit: 12. Jay Coates, 2. Aiden Mostofi, 3. Kyah Williams (14. Benjamin Duroux 73’), 4. Bradie Smith (34. Obinna Nwamadi 73’), 5. Owen Henderson, 6. Corey Kavanagh, 8. Grant Cornwell (20. Tristan Hammond 73’), 13. Simon Nicholas, 15. Sam Armson, 17. Riku Kobayashi, 21. Noah Peacock (19. Zayne Ahluwalia 62’).
Substitutes not used: 1. Christopher Marques, 27. PJ Dominello, 32. Thomas Mason.
Yellow Cards: Smith 22’, Bayliss 53’
Red Cards: Nil
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
