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Blacktown City prove too strong for APIA and book clash against Olympic

14 August , 2022 By Football NSW

Blacktown City have booked a clash with Sydney Olympic in a Preliminary Final showdown after securing a 2-0 victory over APIA Leichhardt in the Minor Semi-Final at Blacktown City Sports Centre on Sunday evening.

Goals to Mitchell Mallia and Jordan Smylie were enough for the hosts to take the victory, with APIA Leichhardt unable to make an impact in the match despite continued attacking pressure through the 90 minutes.

The win will see Blacktown City face up against Sydney Olympic next weekend as they fight for a place in the Grand Final against Manly United, while APIA Leichhardt’s 2022 season has officially come to a close.

Travis Major came close to an opener in the 16th minute as he curled a shot in from the left side of goal, but it went just wide of the target.

The hosts came close again in the 25th minute but as the ball fumbled around in front of goal they couldn’t let off a clean shot.

The opener finally came for Blacktown in the 27th minute as some quality combination play culminated in a shot from Mallia.

Major played Hirokai Aoyama on the edge of the 18-yard box, who then found the feet of Mario Shabow.

Shabow then passed to Mallia as he ran forward and the attacker was able to send his shot past the diving APIA defence.

APIA came close to restoring parity in the 32nd minute as a forward run from Themba Muata-Marlow found Jason Romero on the left flank. Romero took a shot from a tight angle but was just off target.

Muata-Marlow was among the action again in the 45th minute as he found a free kick from range in front of the goal and attempted a shot, but goalkeeper Dylan Niski was well prepared to block the shot

Mark Crittenden made a change just before the half-time break, bringing on Smylie for Mallia and the change paid off as they returned to the field after the break.

Tyren Burnie crossed a ball to Smylie who was positioned to the left of the goalmouth and pulled off an impressive acrobatic volley to take his side’s lead to two in the 49th minute.

Shabow came close to another just moments later as he let off a shot in the 51st minute, but his effort collided with the goalpost.

Jack Armson had a chance for APIA in the 53rd minute, receiving the ball from Romero at the edge of the 18-yard box and taking a shot that travelled past a diving Niski but rebounded off the bar.

Substitute Sean Symons fired a powerful strike from range in the 62nd minute, but it was slightly off target and flew wide of the goal.

Diego Celis skied an opportunity for the visitors as Romero’s forward run set him up perfectly in front of the goal in the 71st minute, leaving APIA without a goal heading into the final stage of the match.

Smylie hit the back of the net again in the 77th minute but was quickly called offside for the second time in a five minute window.

APIA continued to ask questions, but the sturdy Blacktown defence was proving too strong for the visitors.

APIA Leichhardt came agonisingly close in the first minute of injury time as Michael Kouta’s shot looked like it was going to reach the goal, but went just wide.

The composed home side managed to keep out APIA Leichhardt to keep a clean sheet and take the crucial victory in the Minor Semi-Final.

Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden reflected on the learnings from last week’s late loss to Manly in preparation for the battle with APIA.

“The message was every second counts and every moment counts,” he explained.

“We did so well last week and I think we were very good last week and then in the space of 60 seconds we threw it away.

“At the end of the day, it was always gonna be a tough one, they’re a really good experienced team of footballers and we knew it’d be a tough battle, which it pretty much was, I think it was pretty much a battle the whole way through

“We had a couple of nice finishes, I thought our first goal was a nice one and obviously, Smiley’s finish was a cracker, so I think we just worked hard and got the results we wanted.

“It’s been a pretty big two weeks, but we’ll go to a really good footy team [Sydney Olympic] on a pretty average field.

“I guess we’ll probably chat through the week about maybe changing things up against them and see what happens.”

Match Stats

Blacktown City FC 2 (Mitchell Mallia 27’, Jordan Smylie 49’)

APIA Leichhardt FC 0 

Sunday, 14th August, 2022

Blacktown City Sports Centre, Seven Hills

Referee: Craig Fisher

Assistant Referees: Maddy Allum & Matt Staples

Fourth Official: Ivica Covic

Blacktown City FC: 4. Lachlan Campbell, 5. Grant Lynch, 7. Travis Major, 10. Mario Shabow, 11. Mitchell Mallia (89. Jordan Smylie 45+2’), 12. Tyren Burnie (6. Matthew Lewis 88’), 16. Ben Berry, 19. Adam Berry, 24. Jackson Bandiera, 32. Hirokai Aoyama (8. Jak O’Brien 73’), 40. Dylan Niski

Substitutes Not Used: 17. Dakota Askew, 30. Alexander Robinson, 45. Danny Choi

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Ivan Necevski, 5. Nicholas Azzone (16. Sean Symons 45’), 6. Simon Nicholas (23. Walter Scott 56’), 8. Diego Celis (7. Matthew Cahill 73’), 9. Jason Romero, 14. Jack Armson, 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino, 19. Fabian Monge (10. Franco Parisi 79’), 21. Michael Kouta, 38. Yianni Nicolaou

Substitutes Not Used: 4. Joshua Symons, 22. Luke Turnbull

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

 

Filed Under: APIA Leichhardt FC, Blacktown City FC, Match Reports

APIA eliminate Stallions to continue Championship dream

7 August , 2022 By Football NSW

In an incredibly intense and fiery game of football, APIA Leichhardt progressed to the Minor Semi-Final after securing a 1-0 victory over a 10-man Marconi at Marconi Stadium on Saturday evening.

Marconi goalkeeper Nenad Vekic was shown red in the 31st minute after an impressive opening period, leaving the hosts down a player for the majority of the match.

APIA Leichhardt found the back of the net just before half time through Jack Armson in what ended up being the lone goal of the match despite plenty of action throughout the full 90 minutes in a bustling Marconi Stadium.

The 10-man Stallions applied plenty of attacking pressure throughout the match and came close several times, but weren’t able to convert, ending their season in a hard-fought battle in front of their home fans.

In the always fierce Italian Derby, two historic teams came to head in the Elimination Semi-Final and put everything on the line for a chance to progress to the next stage of National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s finals football.

APIA started the pressure early, earning a chance in the fourth minute with a big strike from Diego Celis off a free kick, but custodian Nenad Vekic was in place to collect.

A corner in the 17th minute saw Marconi with an opportunity as Domenic Costanzo delivered the ball to Taylor McDonald, who headed the ball towards the target but APIA ‘keeper Ivan Necevski collected

APIA had another chance in the 19th minute, again from a free kick, as Jason Romero fired a shot goal bound but Vekic managed to parry it away.

Marconi had a golden opportunity to score in the 25th minute as Brandon Vella intercepted the ball and found himself with free reign of the goal with just Necevski in his way.

Vella held the ball up and attempted to play the ball through to Christopher Hatfield in front of the goal, but there were too many APIA defenders catching up and they managed to get in the way of the hosts’ chances.

Paul Galimi created an opportunity for APIA in the 27th minute as he sent a ball in to Romero in the area, but Vekic managed to scramble to get a hand to the ball to desperately deny.

Referee Hassan Jomaa reached into his pocket to give a red card to Vekic in the 31st minute after he brought down Romero on the edge of the box.

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis brought on substitute goalkeeper Dion Shaw for the first time this season in place of Hatfield and reshuffled his team to try to best manage the one-man deficit for the remaining 60 minutes of the match.

Despite being in the perfect position for a shot, Celis fired the resulting free kick over the bar.

The Marconi faithful were vehemently calling for a penalty in the 2nd minute of injury time as Michael Kouta handled their captain Marko Jesic inside the area, but it was the visitors who got the advantage, scoring just moments later through Armson.

Yianni Nicolau crossed the ball in from the right flank to Romero, who controlled the ball with his chest and guided the ball to Armson.

Armson manoeuvred his way into position and let off a strike that came off the crossbar and bounced down and over the line.

Marconi came close to a goal after the game restarted as Connor Evans sent a beautiful free kick to the head of Nathan Millgate, who headed it towards the target but it skewed just wide of the goal.

The Stallions created another opportunity in the 57th minute as they continued to press through the early stages of the second half, despite being a man down.

A ball from Millgate on the left came to Vella on the edge of the 18-yard box.

Vella played the ball to Costanzo, who played Jesic, who gave himself some time to find Girogio Speranza, but his header couldn’t find the target.

Substitute ‘keeper Shaw was called into action in the 58th minute as a header from Celis ricocheted off the crossbar to Armson, who sent a header towards the target but Shaw collected and frantically held it in front of the line.

The Marconi bench and stands roared in the 83rd minute as Jomaa waved away what they felt was yet another penalty as Jesic and Themba Muata-Marlow collided in the air.

Diego Celis missed the chance to put the match to bed in the 84th minute as he received the ball from substitute Matt Cahill in front of the goal, but fired wide.

The home side came agonisingly close to securing an equaliser in the fourth minute of extra time as a Jesic throw in from the sideline found Thomas James, but Necevski kept the ball from crossing the line, holding out what would be the last chance for the hosts to take anything from the match.

APIA Leichhardt coach Danial Cummins, was pleased his team was able to hold out a strong Marconi side to progress through the finals.

“It was crazy, it was a typical semi-final with two desperate sides,” he said.

“You’ve got to give it to Marconi, they threw the kitchen sink, they threw caution to the wind and they should have had a couple.

“We missed, we hit the crossbar but full credit to Marconi.

“It’s going to be tough next week as well, but we knew what we were going to get today.

“We knew we had to compete, they’re a good side, they’re a really good side.

“We go an extra week so we’ll see how we go.”

Looking forward to next week, APIA Leichhardt will take on the loser of tomorrow’s Manly United v Blacktown City match and Cummins is hoping his side will be fresh and enjoy the finals football experience.

“I think when you get into this time of the year you just want to enjoy it,” he explained.

“You go from October right through to now so it’s about just keeping them fresh and getting them to enjoy it.

“We had a bad run, there was that five weeks where we were just a bit off, we had some problems with injuries and with COVID and stuff like that, so we’ll see how we go with that.”

Match Stats

Marconi Stallions FC 0

APIA Leichhardt FC 1 (Jack Armson 45+2’) 

Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park

Saturday, 6th August, 2022

Referee: Hassan Jomaa

Assistant Referees: Emma Kocbek and Cameron Wright

Fourth Official: Craig Fisher

Marconi Stallions FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 2. Nathan Millgate, 3. Giorgio Speranza (9. Thomas James 75’), 6. Domenic Costanzo, 7. Christopher Hatfield (20. Dion Shaw 31’), 8. Connor Evans, 13. Samuel Gulisano (17. Martin Fernandez 79’), 16. Liam Youlley, 10. Marko Jesic, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella

Substitutes Not Used:, 18. Adrian Valenti, 35. Justin Vidic

Yellow Cards: Vella 54’, Jesic 60’

Red Cards: Nenad Vekic 31’

APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Ivan Necevski, 3. Paul Galimi (7. Matthew Cahill 75’), 5. Nicholas Azzone (19. Fabian Monge 60’), 6. Simon Nicholas, 8. Diego Celis, 9. Jason Romero, 14. Jack Armson (10. Franco Parisi 90+2’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino, 21. Michael Kouta, 38. Yianni Nicolaou

Substitutes Not Used: 4. Joshua Symons, 22. Luke Turnbull, 40. James Khoury

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

 

 

Filed Under: APIA Leichhardt FC, Marconi Stallions FC, Match Reports

APIA bounced by Sydney United 58 but bag Finals Series finish

31 July , 2022 By Football NSW

Sydney United 58 triumphed over an NPL NSW Men’s finals-bound APIA Leichhardt with a 3-1 win at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon.

APIA Leichhardt got off to the perfect start when star defender Themba Muata-Marlow nodded home in the 15th minute, but were unable to hold their lead as Jordan Roberts equalised with a wonderful strike, before Japanese ace Taisei Kaneko and substitute Christopher Payne completed the scoring.

Despite the loss, APIA Leichhardt did lock down fifth spot and will play finals next week against Marconi Stallions in a repeat of the Italian Derby from Round 21..

For Sydney United 58, it is a good way to end what has been a tough season for the proud club.

Chasing to confirm their spot in the top five, APIA Leichhardt started off the game brightly with an early chance to Diego Celis, which was pushed wide by Sydney United 58 keeper Danijel Nizic.

The hosts got reward for their strong start in the 15th minute.

A set piece was swung in well to find the head of Thema Muata-Marlow who nicked it off the post and in to make it 1-0 for APIA Leichhardt.

Yianni Nicolaou looked to double the delight for APIA Leichhardt with his cushioned cross that found Jack Armson in the air but was denied once again by Nizic.

Sydney United 58 were out to play spoiler on Sunday afternoon and equalised in impressive fashion.

The ball fell to the feet of Jordan Roberts who curled home for 1-1.

The visitors started to find their rhythm in the game and went close again through Patrick Antelmi as the striker created enough space to curve an effort wide of goal.

Armson had the final chance of the half for APIA Leichhardt, striding forward to find space before he flew wide of the goal frame as the game headed to the break locked up.

Coming out of the break, APIA Leichhardt had the first chance with a corner finding the head of Muata-Marlow again who nodded over then collided with a teammate.

United 58 rung the changes at the break to get themselves going again. It was one of those substitutes, Anthony Tomelic, who put his header over the bar.

APIA Leichhardt went close again through their own substitute a Sean Symons found space on the left side of the box before he thrashed wide.

The game started to open up as both teams searched for the winner.

Taisei Kaneko was free inside the box from a Roberts pass and tested APIA ‘keeper Ivan Necevski.

Kaneko once again the danger man for Sydney United 58. He twisted and turned inside the box before he fired a low shot right into the hands of Necevski.

Entering the final 10 minutes both teams pushed forward for the goal.

Jason Romero cut inside twice before he curled one right at Nizic.

Sydney United 58 turned the tables and took the lead in the 84th minute. Kaneko, who had been their best on the afternoon, smashed home from the angle to make it 2-1.

The visitors were in party mode in the 88th minute as substitute Christopher Payne finished off the cutback to make it 3-1 for Sydney United 58.

Post match APIA Leichardt coach Danial Cummins was frank in his assessment of his team after the defeat and looking forward to next week.

“That was terrible, one of our worst performances of the season,” he said.

“We’re in the semis so it’s a new competition that starts next week.

“We can’t play any worse than that with a tough game against Marconi.

“I thought we gave the ball away too much and too many silly fouls.

“That isn’t our usual go so now we get the boys ready for the do-or-die clash against the Stallions.”

For Sydney United 58 coach Miro Vlastelica, he was delighted to get through the contest without any drama and pick up a win before their huge cup games in the next few weeks.

“It’s always good to finish the season off with a win,” he said.

“The positive for us is taking that momentum into our Australia Cup match on Wednesday and Waratah Cup clash on Sunday.

“Today was about getting no injuries or send offs hence the rotation for us.

“It was never easy, APIA is a quality side so good luck to them.

“It is brilliant for [Taisei] Kaneko to get a reward for his effort with a goal tonight which is wonderful for us.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt 1 (Muata-Marlow ‘13)

Sydney United 58 3 (Roberts ‘21, Kaneko ‘84, Payne ‘88)

Sunday 31st July 2022

Lambert Park, Marion

Referee: Stephen Lucas

Assistant Referees: Matt Staples & Michael Limnios

Fourth Official: Mujtaba Ebrahimi

APIA Leichhardt: 1. Ivan Necevski, 3. Paul Galimi (7. Matthew Cahill ‘76), 4. Joshua Symons, 5. Nicholas Azzone (16. Sean Symons ‘57), 8. Diego Celis (10. Franco Parisi ‘80), 9. Jason Romero, 14. Jack Armson (19. Fabian Monge ‘76), 15. Thema Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino, 21. Michael Kouta, 38. Yianni Nicolaou

Substitutes Not Used: 22. Luke Turnbull, 23. Walter Scott

Yellow Cards: Celis ‘30

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney United 58: 1. Danijel Nizic, 2. Cristian Gonzalez 3. Jordan Roberts, 4. Adrian Vlastelica (5. Anthony Tomelic ‘45), 7. Taisei Kaneko, 8. Kyle Cimenti, 9. Patrick Antelmi (6. Christopher Payne ‘45), 11. Yianni Perkatis (18. Glen Trifiro ‘60), 14. Andreas Agamemnonos, 15. Tariq Maia (17. Matthew Bilic ‘64), 16. Jacob Poscoliero (21. Yianni Fragogiannis ‘45)

Substitutes Not Used:  69. James Husoy

Yellow Cards:  Poscoliero ‘24

Red Cards: nil

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)

 

Filed Under: APIA Leichhardt FC, Match Reports, Sydney United 58 FC

APIA break Stallions Premiership hearts

24 July , 2022 By Football NSW

APIA Leichhardt secured a 2-0 victory over a 10-man Marconi at Lambert Park on Sunday evening in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ‘Italian Derby’ and all but threw a spanner in the Stallions chances of clinching the 2022 Premiership.

The match up had everything you would expect of a historic rivalry, with plenty of fire, physicality and intensity from both ends of the park.

The opening goal of the match came just before the half-time break for the hosts through Yianni Nicolau, with a converted penalty from Jason Romero in the 62nd minute taking the hosts to two goals and the visitors to 10 men as Roberto Speranza was sent from the field with his second yellow.

The loss has made taking the Premiership title much harder for Marconi, but has put APIA Leichhardt in a strong position to qualify for finals football.

The game started off with plenty of fire as the experienced players showed their hunger to get the win and get in the best possible position for the final round of the season next week.

APIA seemed most comfortable in the opening stages of the match as they used their home-ground advantage to create early pressure on their opposition.

Walter Scott played an attacking ball to Diego Celis in the 17th minute to start a golden opportunity for the hosts.

Celis used his first touch to play the ball to Jack Armson, who headed back to Celis leaving him in prime position just to the left of the goal, but he rocketed his shot over the bar.

APIA blazed forward in attack at the 38 minute mark as Jason Romero played a ball over the top to Celis, but Nenad Vekic came out to go one-on-one with the attacker and managed to apply enough pressure to see him drive it over the boundary line.

Marconi came close through a corner in the 40th minute as the ball reached Roberto Speranza at the far post, before going out for another corner that resulted in a flick-on header from Nathan Millgate that was collected by APIA’s veteran ‘keeper Ivan Necevski.

After sustained pressure throughout the opening 45, APIA Leichhardt managed to secure a valuable goal just before the half-time break.

Celis played the ball from a central position to Nicolaou just inside the 18-yard box on the left, who moved inwards to send a curling effort past a diving Vekic and into the netting.

After coming back to the field from the break with plenty of energy, both sides were showing their hunger in what was proving to be a tight battle.

Celis made an attacking run in the 62nd minute as Romero played him the ball, but despite the calls from Marconi of him seemingly doing so from an offside position, he moved into a dangerous position and Roberto Speranza brought him down with a tackle inside the area.

Referee Ben Abraham pointed to the spot and along with the penalty the incident saw Speranza awarded his second yellow of the match and subsequently a red card, bringing the visitors down to 10 men in the final 30 minutes of the match.

As the Stallions settled into playing with three at the back they continued to challenge the hosts with attacking pressure, but it was APIA who would again have the next real opportunity to score.

Substitute Matthew Cahill made a run down the right flank to create the chance for the hosts, centring for Romero inside the area. Romero took a few touches before cutting to Armson, who sent his shot wide of the target.

Romero was back in the centre of the action again in the 80th minute as he sent a shot towards the goal, but his effort flew over the bar as APIA Leichhardt hunted for a third.

Despite continued pressure at both ends, the match finished with a 2-0 victory to the hosts.

APIA Leichhardt coach Danial Cummins was pleased his side were able to put up a good fight and put themselves in a good position to continue to compete for finals football.

“It was always going to be a fiery match, they’re a good side, they’re the benchmark.

“They were playing to win the Premiership, so we knew we had to wrestle with them and boys were a bit stinging from the first round.

“If we lost tonight there’s no finals, so we’re still not guaranteed, we’ve got to win next week, so it was all or nothing and I’m really proud of the boys.

“I think this at least gives the boys a bit of hope, gives them a bit of confidence.

“We’ve been struggling the last four or five weeks, we’ve had some injuries, we’ve had Covid, and we’ve just haven’t been converting the chances so there’s nothing better than the Italian Derby to get us into form.

“They’re a good side, Sydney United, they’ve underachieved this year, I think Miro [Vlastelica] has got them playing better football, I think if Miro had them from the start, they’d probably be in the top five.

“We’ve got a few boys that are injured and injured from tonight so we’ll see how everyone pulls up but we’ll have to come up with a game plan because they’re not going to be easy.”

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis gave credit to the opposition for their hunger in the match, while expressing his frustration at the lack of calls going his way in recent weeks.

“I thought they deserved the win, not based on not football, I just thought they were a bit more desperate,” he said.

“They probably felt like they had more to play for, but I think we had just as much to play for, for a Premiership but that’s gone.

“I thought the decision on the penalty was, in my opinion, offside, but we don’t get those calls and get a player sent off, it just made it difficult.

“I never doubt the players will to compete, it just didn’t fall for us today.

“We were up against a team that was a little bit hungrier, and everything fell for them today and they got the result and that was a very important result.

“That’s our fourth loss of the season, we’ll take that as a learning curve.

“What you saw out there was finals football, and we need to be ready for that come finals football.

“We’ll just dust ourselves off, see where we’re at and then put a big one in next week before the finals.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt FC 2 (Nicolaou 45+1’, Romero 65’)

Marconi Stallions FC 0 

Lambert Park, Leichhardt

Sunday, 24th July, 2022

Referee: Ben Abraham

Assistant Referees: Maddy Allum & Matt Staples

Fourth Official: Jackson Mackie

APIA Leichhardt FC: 1. Ivan Necevski, 3. Paul Galimi, 5. Nicholas Azzone, 8. Diego Celis  (7. Matthew Cahill 73’), 9. Jason Romero, 14. Jack Armson (19. Fabian Monge 85’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 18. Adrian Ucchino, 21. Michael Kouta, 23. Walter Scott, 38. Yianni Nicolaou

Substitutes Not Used: 4. Joshua Symons, 6. Simon Nicholas, 10. Franco Parisi, 22. Luke Turnbull

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

Marconi Stallions FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 2. Nathan Millgate, 3. Giorgio Speranza, 4. Roberto Speranza, 6. Domenic Costanzo, 7. Christopher Hatfield (17. Martin Fernandez 59’), 8. Connor Evans (16. Liam Youlley 73’), 9. Thomas James (35. Justin Vidic 71’), 10. Marko Jesic, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella

Substitutes Not Used: 13. Samuel Gulisano, 19. Zach Cairncross, 20. Dion Shaw

Yellow Cards: Roberto Speranza 38’, 63’

Red Cards: Roberto Speranza 63’

Filed Under: APIA Leichhardt FC, Marconi Stallions FC, Match Reports

APIA’s rocky form continues as Olympic reignite Premiership hopes

17 July , 2022 By Football NSW

Premiership contenders Sydney Olympic earned crucial points against an out-of-form APIA Leichhardt who have failed to win in the last five matches with a 1-0 victory on Sunday evening in a clash of the former NSL giants at Lambert Park.

A Roy O’Donovan header early in the second half was the difference between the two teams despite a 90-minute battle that proved to be a tight affair befitting the occasion of a grand clash between two historic giants.

If three points are the name of the game then Sydney Olympic certainly achieved that, but APIA Leichhardt will be disappointed not to have secured a point in the inner-west derby between two of the oldest and proudest clubs in Australia.

The first opportunity of the encounter arrived in the 15th minute when a free kick from Darcy Burgess sailed over the crossbar.

The visitors were at it again shortly afterwards when a delightful cross by Sam McIllhatton from near the corner flag on the right had APIA’s goalkeeper Ivan Necevski pushing the ball away from a dangerous position.

APIA replied through Diego Celis who met a corner with a glancing header but he couldn’t steer the ball into the net.

It was De Celis again in the 25th minute who snapped a shot on the turn but once again he forced the ball just wide of the mark.

In the 33rd minute a cross by McIllhatton for Olympic from the left side this time forced Necevski to knock the ball away, but only as far as Burgess who blasted a shot straight at an APIA defender.

The last chance of the first half belonged to the home side when Jason Romero, who had only just made his way onto the field for the injured Josh Symons, found Jack Armson in the middle who with a spectacular volley brought out the best in ‘keeper Chris Parsons.

In the second half Sydney Olympic took the lead in the 48th minute when a perfect cross from the right by Oliver Puflett found O’Donovan in the middle and the Irish striker timed his jump superbly to head home for the visitors.

Three minutes later Olympic tried the same play when another Puflett cross from the right reached the middle but the header by Nikola Ujdur was just over the crossbar.

The game continued chess-like until the 74th minute when the ball made its way to O’Donovan in the middle, but his effort was not powerful enough and goalkeeper Necevski pounced on the ball to deny him his second of the evening.

Two minutes later Olympic went close again when Puflett found Mathieu Cordier who blasted just over the crossbar from close range in what would have given the visitors a two-goal buffer.

APIA came close in the 86th minute when a long free kick by Adrian Uchino reached Themba Muata-Marlow, who got to the ball first with his head beating ‘keeper Parsons, but he wasn’t able to direct it in sending it only a fraction high for the home side.

Right at the death, Adam Parkhouse had a diagonal shot after a great run down the left channel but it finished just wide of the post.

After the game, Sydney Olympic coach Ante Juric was very happy to have secured all three points at Lambert Park against a tough APIA Leichhardt side.

“It was obviously a big game because we are close on the ladder,” he said.

“In the last couple of weeks we have been unlucky not to have secured better results, so that was also in us today as motivation.

“We are very happy to have all three points here but we have also been playing good football recently despite the scores. It was only a matter of time that things would come good because we knew that if we kept doing the right things, then the result would come, which it did today.”

His counterpart meanwhile at APIA Leichhardt Danial Cummins was disappointed to have lost the game but was still very proud of his side even though the club has failed to win in their last five matches.

“It was a pretty ordinary game but I am proud of the boys,” he stated.

“We are out on our feet a bit because we have boys playing who shouldn’t be playing and we have others who are still struggling from COVID.

“We threw the kitchen sink at them today because we knew how important it was to win, but now the realisation of a loss will hit home. We need to re-group for Tuesday and then next week against Marconi.

“It doesn’t get any easier in this competition because it is a tough competition and in some ways we are just starting to run out of legs a little.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt 0

Sydney Olympic 1 (O’Donovan 48’)

Sunday 17th July 2022

Lambert Park Leichhardt

Referee: Hassan Jomaa
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and Joon Park

Fourth Official: Rebecca Mackie

APIA Leichhardt: 1. Ivan Necevski, 4. Josh Symons, 5. Nick Azzone (10. Franco Parisi 84’), 7. Matthew Cahill (16. Sean Symons 54’), 8. Diego Celis (9. Jason Romero 40’), 14. Jack Armson, 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 19. Fabian Monge (18. Adrian Ucchino 46’), 21. Michael Kouta, 23. Walter Scott, 38. Yianni Nicolaou.

Substitutes Not Used: 22. Luke Turnbull, 3. Paul Galimi.

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney Olympic : 20. Chris Parsons, 3. Nikola Ujdur, 4. Ben Van Meurs, 5. Michael Glassock, 6. Mathieu Cordier, 8. Sam McIllhatton, 9. Oliver Puflett (24. Hagi Gligor 92’), 11. Adam Parkhouse, 19. Darcy Burgess (10. Brendan Cholakian 82’), 23. Daniel Dias, 99. Roy O’Donovan.

Substitutes Not Used: 2. Tom Whiteside, 17. Marley Peterson 22. Fabio Ferreira, 90. Evan Hemele

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo

 

Filed Under: APIA Leichhardt FC, Match Reports, Sydney Olympic

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