APIA snatch Wolves win following late turnaround
APIA Leichhardt came from a goal down to defeat Wollongong Wolves 2-1 at WIN Stadium on Sunday afternoon to inflict more pain to the hosts who let their guard down for the second successive week.
Following on from a crazy 4-3 loss to Sydney Olympic FC last weekend, Wollongong went into the sheds 1-0 up courtesy of Christopher McStay after an excellent first-half showing.
However, APIA clawed their way back into the match late in the second period with Jack Armson and Sean Symons scoring within four minutes of each other.
After a competitive start from both teams, APIA created a chance 12 minutes in.
A right-sided cross found Ben Gibson in the middle, but his header was straight at Wollongong goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic.
Two minutes later, the hosts broke the deadlock.
Yagoub Mustafa drove into the right of the box and got to the byline before his cutback deflected into the path of McStay, who managed to bundle it home from close range.
APIA looked to respond in the 20th minute when Symons lined up from the left edge of the box, however, it sailed over the bar.
The side had another chance five minutes later when Jordan Segreto’s free-kick from the edge of the area was well-saved by Janjetovic.
The Wolves returned fire 26 minutes in as Jake Trew snatched the ball in the APIA half and found Lachlan Scott in the box with an inventive pass, but the captain shot wide.
They came forward again just after the half-hour mark through Mustafa who shifted the ball inside from the left, forcing Anthony Bouzanis into a save with his bouncing shot.
Wollongong continued their good play in the 36th minute as Mustafa burst into the left of the box with his left-footed shot requiring a sharp, low save from Bouzanis.
David Carney’s team went into halftime with a slender lead after a positive first half.
APIA looked to make a fast start to the second half with two chances in the first three minutes.
Adrian Ucchino took on a long shot that bounced into Janjetovic’s gloves and then Gibson was denied by the goalkeeper from a narrow angle on the right.
Wollongong went close to second just after the hour mark.
Scott found space in the right of the box and cut it back for Takumi Ofuka whose shot looked destined for the net but for a superb save from Bouzanis.
As the hosts looked to hold onto their slender lead, they dropped numbers further back and packed the midfield.
However, seconds later, in the 76th minute, APIA restored parity.
Armson was slipped into the left channel of the box and sent a smart finish into the bottom right corner.
The visitors remained in the ascendancy and kept getting shots away on the Wollongong goal.
In the 80th minute, Nick Sullivan saw his effort batted away by Janjetovic but moments after that, APIA took the lead.
Sean Symons receiving the ball in the right of the box and placing an accurate finish into the left side of the goal.
APIA held off Wollongong in the final minutes to secure another three points at the start of the season.
Coach Franco Parisi said it was a good win for the side especially away in Wollongong.
“We’ll take the three points with a massive smile. It’s never easy to come to Wollongong,” he said.
“Thankfully we were on WIN Stadium today so it was a football spectacle.
“Both teams played a good brand. Wollongong have proven to be a super difficult side this season.
“They came into halftime 1-0 up and probably fancied themselves based on how they were handling us.
“As the game went on, we went for it as we always do and thankfully it worked in our favour.”
Wollongong Wolves goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic said he was not sure why the performance fell away for his team after a strong first half.
“We’ve got to go back and look it as a collective unit,” he said.
“The first half was good. We just needed a repeat of it.
“It was a bit of luck their way, the first one. It bobbled around and came to their player. Same thing for the second one it bobbled around the box, but even so we should be doing better with that.
“We should be clearing our lines at all times.”
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves FC 1 (Christopher McStay 14’)
APIA Leichhardt FC 2 (Jack Armson 76’, Sean Symons 80’)
Sunday 7 April 2024
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Referee: Logan Jones
Assistant Referees: Matthew Harris and Hayden Michlmayr
Fourth Official: Mayson Griffith
Wollongong Wolves FC: 20. Vedran Janjetovic, 2. Harrison Buesnel, 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. Samuel Riak, 7. Takumi Ofuka, 8. Andre Takami, 9. Jake Trew ( 27. Damon Gray 70’), 10. Yagoub Mustafa (Alex Masciovecchio 81’), 24. Lachlan Scott (3. Darcy Madden 75’), 88. Christopher McStay
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Max Cunial, 15. Dax Kelly, 29. Thomas Dunn
Yellow Cards: Alex Masciovecchio 90+3’
Red Cards: Nil
APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Anthony Bouzanis, 2. Seiya Kambayashi, 4. Josh Symons, 5. Jordan Segreto (11. Rory Jordan 68’), 9. Ben Gibson (19. Luigi Ditroia 68’), 14. Jack Armson (8. Nick Sullivan 78’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino (41. Nicholas Azzone 78’), 22. Edward Caspers, 23. Dakota Askew, 25. Sean Symons (30. Alex Denmead 89’)
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Alexander Parkes
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Anthony Bouzanis (AL)
2 – Sean Symons (AL)
1 – Yagoub Mustafa (WW)
Report by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
