Manly United no match for rampaging APIA
APIA Leichhardt FC have defeated Manly United 4-0 in a strong, cohesive performance in one of the most complete displays at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
The match began as an even, intense encounter in the hot Sydney sun, with Manly holding their own with a sense of swagger as they played through APIA’s press with efficiency and elegance.
The away side had the first threatening attempt of the match in the 18th minute, with a stinging half volley from Saxon Hillyer drawing interest from the crowd as his shot flew just wide of the near post.
APIA responded in the 20th minute later with a flowing, incisive move, as a clever pass back from Edward Caspers found the free Jack Armson, who drove a deflected effort wide of the goal – however, the move was a sign of what was to come.
Two minutes later, Caspers drove through the midfield with graceful assertiveness, before exchanging a one-two with Ben Gibson whilst continuing his run.
Now through on goal, Caspers made no mistake in finishing classily, opening the scoring with a beautiful goal that demonstrated his enterprising mindset and quality.
APIA had begun to find their groove, with Jack Stewart blasting another threatening shot a few minutes after their opener, and their one touch, sharp combinations in advanced tight spaces began to set in – this was becoming the trademark style of the Champions in 2024.
In the 36th minute, another fantastic Caspers run from deep – aided by a one-two from Jack Armson – presented APIA with a golden chance to double their lead, as his dribble was halted illegally, and the whistle blew for a penalty.
Jack Stewart stepped up from the spot and converted clinically to Levi Kaye’s left to double the advantage for his side.
APIA had well and truly settled in to dominate the game, and added a third in the 42nd minute which once more captured their individual quality and the efficiency of their free-flowing system.
Receiving the ball on the left in the top corner of the box, Stewart moved quickly to take his opponent on, going down the outside before cutting the ball back across goal dangerously.
His shot skidded across goal and found Armson at the back post who tapped the ball home to give APIA a powerful lead inside the first 45 minutes.
On the stroke of halftime, APIA had a chance to make it four, with Ben Gibson being found in the box by Stewart, but his attempt to bend the ball into the far corner couldn’t generate any power, and Kaye gratefully made a routine stop.
However, just after the restart in the second stanza, APIA did find their fourth.
A good run from Gibson to the left flank was found by Caspers, and the striker remained strong to see off Jesse Piriz, before converging towards goal.
Gibson drew out Kaye before squaring the ball calmly across goal for Jordan Segreto, who passed the ball into the net as APIA netted yet another tap-in – a testament to their ability to create consistently high quality chances.
In the 51st minute, Manly threatened to respond, with substitute Kieren Paull flashing a shot just wide of the top-right corner after being found free at the far post.
Contrary to the first twenty minutes in which Manly were playing beautifully through APIA’s press, the home side’s intensity, combined with the consistent addition of goals, had stifled Manly, and APIA were now not only preventing their opponents from progressing the ball forwards, but gaining consistent opportunities in doing so.
APIA were creating chances on a worryingly consistent basis, with only defensive blocks, Kaye saves and off-target shots saving Manly from conceding once more.
Manly had another chance in the 59th minute to earn a goal back, after winning the ball off Josh Symons and attacking with a good flowing move, but Connor Rose’s eventual left-footed shot didn’t trouble Alexander Parkes, who was deputising for the injured Anthony Bouzanis.
However, APIA continued to see the game out well, remaining resolute in defence and dangerous on transition.
In the 89th minute, Alex Denmead stung the palms of Kaye with a strong shot from range, after turning nicely to open up space for his effort.
Franco Parisi was naturally pleased with the performance and clean sheet.
“We’re happy with the three point and the clean sheet – something we always obsess about,” he said.
“I was impressed with how Manly adjusted at halftime (they moved from a 3-4-2-1 to more of a 4-2-3-1) – we expected something but what they did was good and it made the second half much more interesting.
“I felt we had things in our favour in the first half but definitely Manly adjusted a few things at halftime and it made us reconsider what we were doing, and then we adjusted again and the rest of the game was quite balanced.
“But we take the three points and the clean sheet at a beautiful Leichhardt Oval with beautiful weather and that ends the weekend as we go into two games in the next five days.”
Match Stats
APIA Leichhardt FC 4 (Caspers 23’, Stewart 37’, Armson 42’, Segreto 48’)
Manly United FC 0
Sunday 3 March, 2024
Leichhardt Oval
Referee: Logan Jones
Assistant Referees: Matthew Harris and Benjamin Hutchinson
Fourth Official: Chloe Gray
APIA Leichhardt FC: 2. Seiya Kambayashi, 4. Josh Symons, 7. Jack Stewart, 9. Ben Gibson (19. Luigi Ditroia 70’), 14. Jack Armson (30. Alex Denmead 70’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 17. Jordan Segreto (16. Sean Symons 61’), 18. Adrian Ucchino (41. Nicholas Azzone 61’), 20. Alexander Parkes, 21. Michael Kouta (6. Anthony Sparacino 80), 22. Edward Caspers
Substitutes Not Used: 27. Evan Davis
Yellow Cards: Caspers 44’
Red Cards: None
Manly United FC: 1. Levi Kaye, 3. Zac Sfiligoi (2. Kieren Paull 45’), 4. Jesse Piriz, 6. Saxon Hillyer, 9. Benjamin Koop (7. Peter Kekeris 66’), 10. Harry McCarthy (13. Ezra Palombini 66’), 11. Connor Rose, 12. Miguel Bauza (39. Stefano Rossello 66’), 19. Alen Aganovic, 27. Corey Cronin, 45. Bilal Belkadi (16. Zanye Ahluwalia 66’)
Substitutes Not Used: 31. Jay Coates,
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Player ratings:
3 – Edward Caspers (APIA)
2 – Jack Stewart (APIA)
1 – Seiya Kambayashi (APIA)
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
