Gungahlin United went to the top of the National Premier League table with an exhilarating 4-2 success over O’Connor Knights over at the Australian Institute of Sport moving ahead of Tigers FC by a point with the Tigers having the game in hand.
In a game that featured ten yellow cards, a fractious encounter, there was a rapid-fire start to proceedings as the home side went in front after only fifteen seconds. Straight from the kick-off Christian Junna sent a long ball over the top of the Knights defence where Augustine Bangura ran free to lob a brilliant finish over Seb Arranz.
The Knights were level in the twelfth minute, however. A free-kick from Jackson Paesler caused consternation in the Gungahlin defence, the ball bouncing free for Lachlan Fields to nod home from close range for his first goal of the season. But even then that was short-lived.
Awarded a free-kick of their own, some thirty metres from goal in the 22nd minute, Gunners regained the lead with one of the bets set-piece finishes of the season. Jeremy Habtemariam lined up the effort, and preceded to fire a wonderfully placed shot over the wall and into the top corner where Arranz had no chance of reaching it. Quite sublime.
In a high-octane second-half, it was yet another dead-ball that proved pivotal. This time if was Shandon Whitehead who did then damage, his direct shot deflecting on its way past the wall and into the net to increase the lead to 3-1.
The Knights gave themselves a lifeline six minutes from time as Paesler whipped in another devilish delivery that was inadvertently turned into his own net by defender Jack Green, but Gungahlin were to have the last word as supersub Michael Katsoulis was released through the middle and he thumped home the matchwinner.
Canberra Croatia romped to a stunning Canberra Classico victory over Canberra Olympic scoring half-a-dozen goals in a 6-1 thrashing at O’Connor Enclosed which would not have flattered them had they been able to add three or four more on an afternoon of almost total dominance.
Atiya Waraga loves the venue, having scoffed a second successive hat-trick following up his treble at the same ground against the O’Connor Knights with another three-goal haul to take his personal tally to eight goals in his last four matches, a purple patch of form at exactly the right time.
Indeed, there could have been more goals with the frame of the Olympic goal struck a trio of times inside the opening forty-five minutes. Parris Bangweni nodded against the post from close range after Seb Usai had brilliantly denied Daniel Subasic, before Nick Pratezina hit the top of the bar and Michael Piccolo rattled the other upright.
By then Croatia were already three to the good. It took them just five minutes to go ahead, Daniel Barac beating Lasse Olrik to a loose ball and charging clear to finish confidently past Usai. The forward then volleyed home a corner a couple of minutes later as the visitors went two-up in seven minutes.
More was to come as Waraga opened his account, tapping in at the far post before twenty minutes was up, and the in-form striker was on the scoresheet for a second time before the half was up as Croatia eased into a four-goal lead by the half-time break having stunned the home crowd.
There should have been more added to the tally before Waraga claimed the match ball. The forward himself lifted a shot over the bar when he was played in by Piccolo, whilst Barac narrowly failed to find the target when he was through. Later, Usai saved superbly from Keegan Vucetic, who ought to have netted, and substitute Jack Peraic-Cullen.
Vucetic might have ended with a treble himself, but had to settle for one, calmly finishing in the 77th minute to make it six after Waraga had steered home the fifth in the 50th minute. In between those goals Olympic had some respite, a magnificent finish from Stephen Domenici who lobbed Sam Brown with an impudent finish.
That was of little consolation to Olympic who have lost their way this season, the gulf between these two huge rivals enhanced by the withdrawal of Waraga and the relative strengths of each bench, Olympic only naming the outfield replacements due to injuries and unavailability.
The honours were even at the Riverside Stadium in the Saturday evening encounter as Monaro Panthers and Tuggeranong United played out their second 1-1 draw of the season at the Queanbeyan venue, both goals coming in the second-half of a match that was cagey until a madcap last ten minutes.
Tuggeranong might have scored after just twenty-five seconds as wingback Jack Leverett found acres of space on the left-flank only to fire an effort glaringly wide of the goal when bearing down on Finn Jurak.
At the other end Tyson Livermore rattled the frame of the post having crunched a shot past Callum Cook from an acute angle, Zac McLaren later being unable to convert from an even tighter spot, squeezing a shot goalward, and across the face of goal, after Cook had spilled a shot from range.
The watching crowd had to wait until the sixty-fourth minute for the breakthrough and, when it came, it was well worth the wait as Santiago Lupino and substitute Jenno Ceruti exchanged passes, the latter placing a perfectly weighted return ball into the path of the Argentine winger who curled home a fantastic finish.
Ceruti had replaced the stricken Roko Strika in the opening half, the Panthers leading scorer forced off the field with what appeared to be a hip injury, whilst Tuggeranong welcomed back their talismanic figure of Sam Walker making a second appearance in succession off the bench as he nears full fitness.
And the introduction of Walker allowed the energetic Steve Nealon to head to the wing from where he drew his team level with a corker of a goal. The precocious teenager cut inside and took a touch before flashing a right-footed curler that flew past Jurak for a stunning equaliser.
Moments later Matt Williams ran onto a through ball to dink in a sublime finish, only to be denied by an offside flag, whilst Lupino might have won it for the Panthers, dancing into the box but hammering a shot over the bar when well positioned.
Tigers FC continued their excellent recent run of form as they returned from Solar Mad Stadium in Griffith with all three points for the second time this season as they defeated Yoogali SC 3-0.
Yoogali should have taken the lead after sixteen minutes with a break that resulted with midfielder Joshua De Rossi firing a low shot at goal that was pushed up onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Jakob Cole, the rebound falling invitingly to Argentine import Luciano Monserrat.
Inexplicably, Monserrat opted for power from a couple of yards and thrashed his effort well over the crossbar when it was easier to score. And from there, Tigers FC took control of the match, taking the lead just five minutes after the home team’s golden opportunity.
A swift break culminated in midfield maestro Tomohiro Ogawa who cut infield and fired a low shot from outside the box that flashed inside the near post. Worse was to follow before half-time as the visitors went 2-0 ahead. Nikos Kalfas was instrumental in the build-up, chipping a pass for Samson Carr to volley across goal for Angus Bailey to tap in.
Yoogali played their part in the second stanza but were hit again seven minutes after the resumption. Kalfas again was the inspiration, bursting away down the right flank and dinking the ball over the advancing goalkeeper, allowing Nik Taneski the easiest of tasks to stab in from on the goal-line.
RESULTS
ROUND 12
Saturday 29 June
Canberra Olympic 1 (Domenici 70’) Canberra Croatia 6 (Barac 5’, 7’, Waraga 19’, 41’, 50’, Vucetic 77’)
Monaro Panthers 1 (Lupino 64’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Nealon 85’)
Sunday 30 June
Yoogali SC 0 Tigers FC 3 (Ogawa 22’, Bailey 29’, Taneski 52’)
Gungahlin United 4 (Bangura 1’, Habtemariam 25’, Whitehead 77’, M. Katsoulis 87’) O’Connor Knights 2 (Fields 12’, Green 84’ (og))
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United* | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 25 |
| 2 | Tigers FC** | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 8 | +21 | 24 |
| 3 | Canberra Croatia | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 17 | +14 | 23 |
| 4 | Monaro Panthers | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 21 |
| 5 | O’Connor Knights | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 20 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 15 |
| 7 | Canberra Olympic | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 36 | -16 | 6 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 50 | -43 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
14: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
8: Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)
6: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
5: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Own GOALS
4: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
3: Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
2: Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Tyson LIVERMORE (Monaro Panthers), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Jack BITANI (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Izach CLEMENTS (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Axel GARBIN (Yoogali SC), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Marley JACKSON (Tigers FC), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Christopher JOHN (Yoogali SC), Chirstian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Jack LEVERETT (Tuggeranong United), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Alessandro PENA (Tigers FC), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Kristian TOKIC (O’Connor Knights), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Ryan ZANATTA (Yoogali SC)
*Gungahlin United deducted three points for field an ineligible player in the 3-0 win against Tigers FC
**Tigers FC awarded a 3-0 win, and three points, for Gungahlin United fielding an ineligible player
