A sensational first-half display saw Yoogali SC thrash ANU FC to move into the Capital Premier League Grand Final and a rematch with old foes Queanbeyan City. The men from Griffith struck five in an inspired opening half, before eventually running out 6-0 winners at Riverside Stadium.
ANU FC were simply swept aside by a ceaseless and relentless Yoogali wave that saw the visitors 2-0 ahead before many in the stadium had found their vantage point. It took Yoogali two minutes to go ahead, Mason Donadel finding space in the area to fire home, and they doubled the lead moments later.
From an ANU corner Joe Preece collected the ball on halfway and broke clear, before cutting inside and finishing with aplomb. Preece was then upended inside the area allowing Darren Bailey to crash home the resultant penalty as Yoogali took complete control.
There was more to come. Joshua De Rossi made it four just past the half-hour and Preece grabbed his second, and Yoogali’s fifth, a minute before the break. Mission impossible for ANU FC.
After the restart the University side improved, Michael De Paoli saving well from a Rory Spiers free-kick and denying the same player late on when he broke clear of the Yoogali defence. By then De Rossi had been gifted a sixth, a mix-up in the ANU FC defence allowing the midfielder a simple tap-in.
A performance that will make many sit-up and take notice. Not least Queanbeyan City. The men from High Street know the formula to defeat Yoogali though, they did it in the Qualification Final. Can they now repeat the dose?
In the under-23 competition, the Riverina Derby produced a six-goal thriller as Wagga City Wanderers moved onto a Grand Final showdown with ANU FC after defeating Yoogali SC on penalties after an exceptional 3-3 draw.
Mohammed Ali Khanoussi grabbed a treble for Yoogali, but much like Kylian Mbappe in the FIFA World Cup Final, his efforts were to be in vain as the Wanderers levelled in the final minute before prevailing in the shoot-out lottery after extra-time had failed to break the stalemate.
Khanoussi opened the scoring after only eleven minutes and, when the same player doubled the lead twelve minutes later, Yoogali were in control. However, Wanderers hit back before half-time via Thomas Yongai and equalised with a quarter of an hour to play through a Jordan Bavaresco own goal.
It appeared as if it would matter little as Khanoussi almost immediately restored the lead, but Yongai struck in the final throes following a goalmouth scramble and sent the match to penalties from where Wanderers held their nerve to progress.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Saturday 16 September
Yoogali SC 6 (M. Donadel 2’, Preece 4’, 44’, Bailey 33’ (p), De Rossi 37’ 79’) ANU FC 0
UNDER-23
Saturday 16 September
Yoogali SC 3 (Khanoussi 11’, 23’, 77’) Wagga City Wanderers 3 (Yongai 31’, 90’, Bavaresco 75’ (og)) – after extra time, Wagga City Wanderers won 4-3 on penalties
TOP SCORERS
21 Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City)
18 Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC)
15 Jake PLOENGES (Wagga City Wanderers)
14 Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC)
13 Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Nathan DUCK (Canberra Juventus), Morris KADZOLA (Wagga City Wanderers)
12 Curtis SCHAEFFER (Brindabella Blues), Rory SPIERS (ANU FC)
11 Own GOALS
10 Zac LAWRENCE (White Eagles)
8 Henry WILKS (Brindabella Blues)
7 Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC)
6 Jayden DEIGHAN-SMITH (Brindabella Blues), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), 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)
