A thumping header from Queanbeyan City central defender Vasko Petrovski decided an epic Capital Premier League Qualification Final in favour of the men in red as City defeated League Champions Yoogali SC 2-1 at Deakin Stadium.
Petrovski rose to meet Niko Abot’s pinpoint corner two minutes before the break to put Queanbeyan ahead for the second time in the contest, a lead they were not to relinquish despite having to spend vast quantities of the second-half in defensive mode.
Yoogali will point to a massive shout for a penalty for an apparent foul on Joe Preece that went unpunished, and a disallowed goal for the same player, an acrobatic overhead kick that was chalked off for an earlier push following a ball into a crowded penalty area, but City defended well and struck at good times.
The opening goal came from the spot as Abot calmly converted his 21st goal of the season after Hussein Fureje was cleaned out by Yoogali goalkeeper Michael De Paoli, but Yoogali didn’t have to wait long for an equaliser, Preece converting a low Darren Bailey cross.
Chances were spurned at both ends in a madcap and chaotic encounter, but City had done just enough to secure passage to the Grand Final whilst Yoogali live to fight another day in the Preliminary Final.
They will face ANU FC in that match-up at the Riverside Stadium after the University side won a bonafide Finals classic by the odd-goal in five against a Brindabella Blues team who fought back from two-goals down before having their hearts broken in stoppage time at the end of a breathless fixture.
Hassan Alnuwaysir emerged from the bench to win it with a scrappy finish in the final minute, but it matters not how the ball enters the net, just that it does, and the forward’s goal sparked jubilant scenes in the ANU ranks.
Earlier the University team had forged into a 2-0 lead as centre-back Ethan Tudehope turned home from close range in a crowded penalty area, before Nicholas Hope drove a second through a crowded penalty box just past the hour, a reward having seen his fierce hit in the first-half thunder back off the crossbar.
The Blues looked down and out by they have a steely heart amongst the youthful ranks, and they pulled one back with seventeen minutes remaining as an exquisite pass from Daniel Munoz allowed Curtis Schaeffer to round Keegan Jackson and roll the ball home.
Schaeffer appeared to have sent the game to extra-time when he struck home a penalty two minutes from the end of the match to level the scores and spark a party amongst the Blues support, but the celebrations died in the throats as Alnuwaysir stole the victory with almost the final kick.
RESULTS
QUALIFICATION FINAL
Sunday 10 September
Yoogali SC 1 (Preece 28’) Queanbeyan City 2 (Abot 20’ (p), Petrovski 43’)
ELIMINATION FINAL
Sunday 10 September
ANU FC 3 (Tudehope 24’, Hope 63’, Alunwaysir 90’) Brindabella Blues 2 (Schaeffer 73’, 89’ (p))
TOP SCORERS
21 Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City)
17 Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC)
15 Jake PLOENGES (Wagga City Wanderers)
13 Nathan DUCK (Canberra Juventus), Morris KADZOLA (Wagga City Wanderers)
12 Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Curtis SCHAEFFER (Brindabella Blues), Rory SPIERS (ANU FC)
11 Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Own GOALS
10 Zac LAWRENCE (White Eagles)
8 Henry WILKS (Brindabella Blues)
6 Jayden DEIGHAN-SMITH (Brindabella Blues), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Nicholas HOPE (ANU FC), David MCCARRON (Belconnen United), Hayden TUNNEY (Belconnen United)
5 Sachin SIRKARI (ANU FC), Thomas YONGAI (Wagga City Wanderers)
4 Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Abraham KEMP (Belconnen United), Andrew MANLEY (ANU FC), Liam RAE (Belconnen United), Jamie WARD (Brindabella Blues)
3 Hassan ALNUWAYSIR (ANU FC), Chase DEANS (ANU FC), Reuben DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Steven KRESKAS (White Eagles), Tim LOPEZ (ANU FC), Rowan PETERKIN (ANU FC), Nashwan SULAIMAN (Wagga City Wanderers), Nikola TRAJKOVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United)
2 Toni ANGELKOSKI (White Eagles), Nikolas BLASKOVIC (Brindabella Blues), Adam BROOKS (Canberra Juventus), Cuneyt CAGLAR (White Eagles), Charlie D’ADDARIO (Belconnen United), Chaise DONETTO (Wagga City Wanderers), Jack GIBSON (ANU FC), Nahuel GUERRERO (Queanbeyan City), Hussein FUREJE (Queanbeyan City), Ryan GULEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Andre JUGOVAC (Canberra Juventus), Mohammed KHANOUSSI (Yoogali SC), Nathan MATTHEWS (Canberra Juventus), Goran MILUTINOVIC (White Eagles), Max MOTTL (ANU FC), Daniel MUNOZ (Brindabella Blues), Luca NOVOSEL (Canberra Juventus), Maxwell PREST (Wagga City Wanderers), Federico PROIA (Canberra Juventus), Luke VALLONE (Belconnen United)
1 Tyler ALLEN (Wagga City Wanderers), Ohio ASIKHIA (White Eagles), Aleksander BELJANSKI (White Eagles), Harry BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Phil BORGEAUD (Belconnen United), Jordan CACHIA (White Eagles), David CARDER (Belconnen United), Robbie CATTANACH (Belconnen United), Bailey DICKINSON (Belconnen United), William DWIGHT (Canberra Juventus), Dom GALLUZZO (Yoogali SC), Monteagh GRACE (ANU FC), Oliver GRIST (ANU FC), David GURNEY (Brindabella Blues), Leo HADLEY (ANU FC), Josh HICKMAN (White Eagles), Jayde JAMES-WARD (Belconnen United), Christian JUNNA (Queanbeyan City), Abraham KEMP (Belconnen United), Roshan LAMICHHANE (White Eagles), Jacob LEONARD (Brindabella Blues), Zac MAYBURY (Belconnen United), Goran MUKEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Tim NGUYEN (Belconnen United), Van NGUYEN (Canberra Juventus), Vasko PETROVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Queanbeyan City), Romain PINTO (Yoogali SC), Samuel RACITI (Yoogali SC), Fahad RAMADHAN (Canberra Juventus), Robert RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Dejan SANTRAC (White Eagles), Kolby SEARS (Yoogali SC), Zac STEELE (Wagga City Wanderers), Ethan TUDEHOPE (ANU FC), Riley WILLIAMS (Brindabella Blues), Jan WOJNA (ANU FC)