Bragging rights and three massive points were the reward for another excellent O’Connor Knights performance as the visiting team downed Canberra Croatia 3-1 in the derby match at Deakin Stadium.
Croatia, who split with Head Coach Gaby Wilk on Friday, started well, much like they did in the Charity Shield but after Daniel Barac lifted an early effort over the bar, it was O’Connor who struck first. A fast break ended with a deflected Phakedi Manda shot coming back off the post for Micheal Adams to tap in.
The Knights have built their success on taking their chances and they did just that midway through the first-half as Niko Kresic latched onto a lay-off to curl a superb second past the returning Sam Brown in the Croatia goal.
Keegan Vucetic went close for the home side, Seb Arranz saving superbly with his foot when the midfielder broke the back-line, but the Knights custodian was helpless after the break when a Tony Spaseski shot was deflected past him at the near post to reduce the arrears.
That gave Croatia hope, but the dismissal of substitute Marko Vrkic reduced the hosts in numbers, and when Aisosa Ihegie broke deep into stoppage time to hammer home a third, the Knights were the ones off and running, celebrating the points and the continuation of their 100% record.
Monaro Panthers won the Battle of the Big Cats with a come from behind 3-1 win over Tigers FC at the Riverside Stadium, completing a fine week’s work by Paul Macor and his team who added three valuable points to progression in the Australia Cup Qualifying rounds.
It was the visiting team who started the better and they were rewarded for their positivity with an eleventh minute goal from Amilio Kista. Archie McGregor played a major part, rolling his man and firing a shot across goal that Finn Jurak did well to parry, but only into the path of Kista who converted with ease.
The Panthers response was lively, and they were handed a route back into the contest from the penalty spot on the half-hour when Roko Strika was adjudged to have been fouled, the Monaro man picking himself up to tuck home the penalty.
Tigers saw a goal disallowed close to half-time for a marginal offside call, and they then lost the services of experienced duo Nik Taneski and Sam Whithear at half-time, the pair replaced during the break.
If the visitors were unfortunate in the first stanza, they were the architects of their own downfall in the second, a mistake at the back allowing Ben Basser-Silk in to scoot around Jakob Cole and score, And Monaro made sure of the points later on as substitute Jenno Ceruti bundled home after Cole had saved from Strika.
Tuggeranong United secured a second win in succession with a first ever NPL victory away over Canberra Olympic, a pair of goals within the space of just over a minute in the second-half seeing Tuggeranong home with a 2-1 win.
The home team ended the match with just nine players following the dismissal of Nathen Megic for a second yellow card offence in the opening half, and central defender Lasse Olrik for a deliberate trip on Jordan Rezek when the Tuggeranong player was through on goal in the second.
The result was a fair one as Tuggeranong dominated the opening forty-five minutes with only a combination of great goalkeeping from Sebastian Usai, and poor finishing, denied United the lead. Usai saved superbly from Nic Emanuel and Sam Walker, and prevented Izach Clements from netting an own goal, whilst Jordan Rezek scooped over from inside the six-yard box when it appeared easier to score.
And Olympic made Tuggeranong pay for their profligacy, as Luca Florez latched onto an errant back-pass to round Callum Cook and roll the ball into the gaping net. However, the subsequent sending off involving Megic swung momentum United’s way.
Suddenly, Tuggeranong sensed an opportunity and when Rezek beautifully hammered home from outside the box, they were in the box seat. Moments later, Luke Stevens swung over a free-kick which Usai, under pressure, illegally so according to Olympic complaints, couldn’t collect with Walker sweeping home the loose ball to put United in front.
Later, Tuggeranong should have had a third, substitute Zac Lawrence clean through with Patrick Hislop in support, but somehow managing to overhit his pass to his teammate. And the nine-men almost nicked an equaliser as Usai’s stoppage time free-kick was inches away from being converted by the returning Stephen Domenici. But, it would have been underserved on the balance of play.
Gungahlin United remained on top of the division with their fifth win in a row, seeing off the challenge of Yoogali SC in a match switched to Melrose Synthetic as the league leaders triumphed 4-0 to leave the men from Griffith languishing at the foot of the table ahead of a huge cup tie in midweek.
The visitors, as they have been for most of the season, were competitive for the opening half-an-hour, but once Jeremy Habtemariam had seized the initiative to put the Gunners in front, the confidence began to flow and Gungahlin began to exert their authority.
American striker Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu celebrated receiving his Australian Permanent Residency this week, by coolly sliding home a second following a superb pass from Habtemariam, as the home side headed into the changing rooms with a two-goal advantage.
It only took a minute of the second-half for Gunners to increase their lead as Shandon Whitehead made it three, before Ahmed-Shaibu grabbed his tenth of an already incredibly productive campaign at the end of a wonderful move, released by a neat final pass from Riley Brown, as Gungahlin flexed their muscles again.
RESULTS
ROUND 5
Saturday 4 May
Canberra Olympic 1 (Florez 26’) Tuggeranong United 2 (Rezek 55’, Walker 57’)
Monaro Panthers 3 (Strika 30’ (p), Basser-Silk 52’, Ceruti 70’) Tigers FC 1 (Kista 11’)
Sunday 5 May
Gungahlin United 4 (J. Habtemariam 32’, Ahmed-Shaibu 39’, 78’, Whitehead 46’) Yoogali SC 0
Canberra Croatia 1 (Spaseski 70’) O’Connor Knights 3 (Adams 7’, Kresic 21’, Ihegie 90+6’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | +14 | 15 |
| 2 | O’Connor Knights | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 |
| 4 | Tigers FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 |
| 5 | Tuggeranong United | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 6 |
| 6 | Canberra Croatia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 4 |
| 7 | Canberra Olympic | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 3 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 19 | -17 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
10: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
4: Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
3: Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United), Own GOALS
1: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Jack BITANI (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
