A brace of goals from Nik Popovich made the difference in the Canberra Classico at Deakin Stadium as Canberra Olympic defeated Canberra Croatia 2-1 in a fiery National Premier League encounter that saw the dismissal of the hosts Captain, Matt Grbesa, for a pair of yellow cards inside the opening 26 minutes of the contest.
By the time the home team were reduced in number, Olympic had struck once, and almost twice. The opening goal came after only two minutes as Luca Macor clipped a sensational pass over the top of the Croatia defence for Popovich to control and shoot past Jason Matesa, who got a hand on the ball but was unable to keep it out.
Shortly afterwards Luca Florez hit the post when well-placed, before Grbesa was sent off for a challenge after earlier receiving a yellow for dissent. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Croatia were still a threat and Sebastian Usai was called upon to make a sharp stop from Daniel Barac.
However, it was Olympic who struck again as Croatia saw a penalty shout turned away, only for the visitors to break, Popovich holding off a couple of challenges to slot a confident drive past Matesa for his twelfth goal in all competitions this season. A late spot-kick, converted by substitute Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu reduced the lead and gave Croatia a sniff, but it was too late to affect the final result.
Roko Strika made sure that lightning did indeed strike twice as, for the second home match in succession he netted a 94th minute header to give Monaro Panthers a vital win, this goal ensuring the Panthers broke the stubborn resistance of Tuggeranong United, the difference in a 2-1 success.
Strika rose highest to meet a Robert Tkatchenko delivery in the fourth minute of added time to send a pinpoint header past the otherwise impeccable United custodian Adam Stevens to send the home support not delirium.
It came barely five minutes after the same combination thought they had won it for the home team as Strika headed in off the underside of the crossbar from another perfectly placed Tkatchenko crossfield ball, only for the assistant referee to flag Strika for offside and curtail the celebrations.
Strika was the main thorn in Tuggeranong’s side, he struck the post with a volley a quarter of an hour from the end and was in the right position to stab home an equaliser after excellent approach work from substitute Adam Neou in the 65th minute, just five minutes after the visitors had taken the lead.
Sam Walker created the goal with a beautiful cross that was brought down and superbly converted by Luke Stevens as it appeared Tuggeranong had created the ultimate smash and grab. But it was the younger Stevens in the United goal who was in inspired form, beating away shots from Ben Basser-Silk (twice) and Connor Mynott-Smith. His best was a superlative tip-over of a Tkatchenko piledriver, but the young stopper could do nothing to prevent the late winner.
At O’Connor Enclosed, three second-half goals ensured Tigers FC jumped to the top of the table on goals scored ahead of the Canberra Classico as the visiting team saw off O’Connor Knights 3-0. They could even afford to see Josh Gulevski miss a penalty at 0-0, Knights’ goalkeeper Seb Arranz saving well.
There was little Arranz could do three minutes after the spot-kick success though as Gulevski broke the offside trap and rattled his seventh of the season past Arranz who shortly would suffer the most incredible bad luck as Tigers increased the lead to two.
Nikos Kalfas waltzed across field and cut back onto his right foot to drive a shot at goal that clattered off the crossbar and into the net after striking the luckless Knights number one on the back of the head. It was rough on the ‘keeper who had earlier saved brilliantly from Marko Milutinovic.
The Knights weren’t without their chances, Jakob Cole in the Tigers goal called into action to make a brilliant low save from a Tyson Livermore drive in the first-half, and latterly to deny Phakedi Manda with his legs as it seemed certain the lively winger would equalise.
When Riley Angelosante looped a header onto a post, there was no way back for Knights who saw salt rubbed into the wound as Tigers substitute Ed McCarthy ghosted in unmarked to thump in a header from six-yards in the final minute of the encounter.
West Canberra Wanderers search for a point continued as they were pipped at the death by Gungahlin United, Gunners coming from behind to secure a memorable 4-3 success. It was tough on West Canberra who, once again, looked more than competitive, but were hit with a late cameo from Josh Gaspari, the stand-in skipper bagging a treble.
Liam Vickers gave the home team the most sensational of starts, sweeping home after only two minutes, and that was a lead that they were hold until first-half stoppage time before Gungahln drew level as Fernando Jorquera found space from full-back to squeeze home from an acute angle.
A bizarre own goal, the ball ricocheting off goalkeeper Jamie-Lee Guo in the Gungahlin net restored Wanderers lead with twenty minutes to play and appeared to give them hope of an unlikely win, but Gaspari had other ideas. His whipped free-kick from wide crashed past Kristian Nel for 2-2 with eight minutes to play.
And a stunning team goal turned this on its head, Gaspari driving wide and in, before exchanging passes with Fernando to curl home a second, his 91st minute penalty then completing a hat-trick and meaning Wanderers’ substitute Jayden Rippon’s late hit was but a mere consolation.
RESULTS
ROUND 7
Saturday 20 May
West Canberra Wanderers 3 (Vickers 2’, Guo 71’ (og), Rippon 90+4’) Gungahlin United 4 (Fernando 45+1’, Gaspari 82’, 86’, 90+1’ (p))
O’Connor Knights 0 Tigers FC 3 (Gulevski 53’, Arranz 62’ (og), McCarthy 89’)
Monaro Panthers 2 (Strika 65’ 90+4’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Stevens 60’)
Sunday 21 May
Canberra Croatia 1 (Ahmed-Shaibu 90+2’ (p)) Canberra Olympic 2 (Popovich 2’, 67’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Olympic | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 18 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 15 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | O’Connor Knights | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 11 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 11 |
| 6 | Canberra Croatia | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 8 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 25 | -16 | 3 |
| 8 | West Canberra Wanderers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 28 | -23 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
7 Josh GULEVSKI (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic)
6 Own GOALS
5 Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Maxx GREEN (Gungahlin United),
4 Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
3 Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Canberra Croatia), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Micheal JOHN (Monaro Panthers), Clancy HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Jason UGRINIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
2 Riley ANGELOSANTE (O’Connor Knights), Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), FERNANDO Jorquera (Gungahlin United), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Ed MCCARTHY (Tigers FC), Kaz PATAFTA (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United)
1 Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Jake BISHOP (Tigers FC), Julian BORGNA (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Kofi DANNING (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Dom GIAMPAOLO (Gungahlin United), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic), Jackson PAESLER (Gungahlin United), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Jayden RIPPON (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicholas ROUFOGALIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Kyle SENIOR (Tigers FC), Callum SMITH (Canberra Olympic), Hristjan TANOSKI (Tigers FC), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), Liam VICKERS (West Canberra Wanderers)
Photo: Fotonic
