Sutherland Sharks topple Sydney United 58 in big away win
The Sutherland Sharks have claimed a massive scalp, making it two wins on the bounce after defeating former NPL Men’s NSW table toppers Sydney United 58 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Despite the venue being regarded as a fortress, it was no match for Dutch defender Thijs Van Amerongen, who produced the decisive moment of the match, smashing home the only goal in a statement victory for the visitors.
Sydney United 58 started brightly, with Mason Wells igniting the contest in the 3rd minute after bursting through the Sutherland defence on a dangerous run, before his cutback was cleared by Yianni Nicolaou.
Brendan Gan then helped United regain momentum, forcing a pair of corners in quick succession after pressure on Liam McGing.
Sutherland, however, stood firm through the early storm, with goalkeeper Danijel Nizic again proving crucial in his standout season. The shot-stopper produced key saves in the 23rd and 29th minutes — first denying a long-range strike from Koya Nakano, then rushing off his line to smother Kyle Cimenti.
The match took a worrying turn in the 34th minute when Lachlan Macdonald was stretchered off following an unfortunate studs-up challenge from Nakano, who was shown the game’s first yellow card.
But despite the setbacks, Sutherland struck at the perfect time — opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time through Van Amerongen, who latched onto a corner and rifled home from close range to stun the home side.
Sydney United pushed to respond after the break, with Gabriel Tilo forcing Nizic into another sharp save at the near post in the 51st minute.
Substitute goalkeeper Adam Pavlesic was then called into action for the hosts, denying Richard Shoueiki twice — first from a header in the 55th minute and again in the 67th minute with a strong save from a driven effort.
As United threw everything forward, chances came and went. Dylan Rose overran a promising opportunity in the 75th minute, while Leroy Jennings went agonisingly close late, firing wide from close range with the goal gaping.
Despite sustained pressure, Sutherland held their nerve defensively to close out a huge away win and continue their mid-season surge.
Post-match, David Perkovic praised his side’s resilience and growing identity, highlighting back-to-back wins and improved performances as signs of progress.
“We put in a fantastic performance last weekend against Spirit and once again the Boys backed it up today.
“That’s really all you can ask for. For me personally I think we created the better chances and deserved the three points.
“At the moment we are being really insular on who we are. We didn’t have a great start to the season and wanted to rectify that and now we are two from two.”
“We are also a very new team and we had a number of changes over the off-season including myself. We always knew the start of the season would be the toughest and that’s traditionally been the case for the teams I’ve coached, but we’re looking a lot better now.”
Sutherland now sit just one point outside the Top Six after a strong turnaround in form, while Sydney United 58 remain within touching distance of top spot. Both sides head into crucial fixtures next round as momentum builds on both ends of the table.
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 0
Sutherland Sharks 1 (Thijs Van Amerongen 45+3’)
Sunday 31 May, 2026
Sydney United Sports Centre
Referee: Reece Edwards
Assistant Referees: Matthew McOrist and Alessandro Llana
Fourth Official: Matthew Staples
Sydney United 58: 1.Adam Pavlesic, 3.Bailey Rule, 4.Adrian Vlastelica, 6.Dylan Rose, (7.Leroy Jennings 63’), 9.Kyle Cimenti, 10.Carlos De Oliveira, 12.Gabriel Tilo, 14.Liam McGing, (16.Anthony Krilic 59’), (17.Michael Glassock 78’), (19.Michael Krslovic 63’), 21.Koya Nakano, 23.Mason Wells, 32.Tomislav Ozanic
Substitutes not used: 5.Anthony Tomelic, 22.Nicholas Pratezina, 41.Adrian-Jamie Bazina
Yellow cards: Koya Nakano 34’
Red cards: None
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Danijel Nizic, 2.Lachlan Macdonald, 3.Yianni Nicolaou, 4.Thijs Van Amerongen, 5.Jordan Perez, 6.Riley Hollingdale, (7.Takumi Ofuka 73’), 8.Brendan Gan, 11.Seung Joo Choi, (14.Yuto Kokuryo 90+4’), 15.Jamie Percevski, 17.Richard Shoueiki, (18.Gian Fiorese 37’), 21.Nicholas Olsen, (30.Julian Fedele 73’)
Substitutes not used: 12.James Husoy, 23.Lachlan Maher, 40.Lukas Webber
Yellow Cards: None
Red cards: None
Player Ratings
3 – Thijs Van Amerongen (SS)
2 – Brendan Gan (SS)
1 – Gabriel Tilo (SU)
-By Tobias Canning
