A sensational equaliser from Nick Pratezina earned ten-man Canberra Croatia a more than deserved point from a pulsating 2-2 draw with Tigers FC in front of a large crowd at the Australian Institute of Sport in National Premier League Round 3.
Pratezina emerged from the bench for the third time this season to score for the third successive league match, acrobatically meeting a pinpoint cross from Thomas James, on the occasion of his 100th NPL appearance, to magnificently volley past Kristian Nel in the Tigers goal.
It was nothing more than Croatia deserved having responded superbly to losing striker Atiya Waraga to what appeared to be a harsh red card after only five minutes of the latest in a string of blockbuster encounters between this pair. Waraga saw red for a high boot that caught Samson Carr, dismissed after initially receiving a yellow card.
Tigers took advantage of the extra man a minute before the half-time whistle as Amilio Kista crashed home a wonderful free-kick from wide on the left, his arcing, dipping drive leaving Croatia stopper Jason Matesa clutching at thin air.
The home side would have expected to kick on from there, but Nik Taneski was denied by a brilliant one-handed save from Matesa, and Croatia equalised with twenty minutes left on the clock. James was the creator in chief, beating Marko Milutinovic to a long pass from Daniel Subasic and teeing up David Seselja to score.
Tigers regained the lead when Tomohiro Ogawa saw his pass deflect into the path of Taneski who finished confidently, but Croatia grabbed their point when Pratezina equalised moments after Subasic had struck the post with a header.
A last-minute winner from substitute Niko Perinovic on his debut gave the League Champions O’Connor Knights a narrow 2-1 win over Tuggeranong United at O’Connor Enclosed, extending the Knights unbeaten NPL run to eighteen matches.
Tuggeranong has surprised the Knights by taking the lead after twenty-five minutes, netting their first goal of the season in the process. It came from Mongolian international defender Davaadelger Oktyabri who met a Sam Walker free-kick with a perfect header into the bottom corner past Sebastian Arranz in the Knights goal.
It was lead that Tuggeranong was to hold until the 67th minute when a fortunate ricochet led to a footrace between Phakedi Manda and United goalkeeper Callum Cook, the latter adjudged to have upended the former leading to a penalty which Micheal Adams scored with typical aplomb.
That led to the dramatic denouement as Knights snatched a late win. An Adams free-kick was half-pushed away by Cook, only for Harrison Palic to hook the ball back into the danger area where Perinovic, unmarked at the back post, was on hand to stab home. Tuggeranong appealed in vain for a foul on Cook, but the goal stood, and the Knights scraped home.
Monaro Panthers needed two late goals to see off the challenge of Yoogali SC at Solar Mad Stadium, the visiting team finally breaking the shackles of the newcomers to the NPL and claiming a 2-0 success.
There was nothing between the teams in the opening half as Yoogali, searching for a maiden NPL point, held firm in extreme conditions, the sun beating down and the pitch offering no shade or respite for the competing players.
Eventually, Panthers made the breakthrough, substitute Jenno Ceruti getting on the end of a ball that broke to him at the top of the penalty area and lashing home a superb strike to send the travelling party into raptures.
And the points were secured with six minutes to play as Roko Strika beat home goalkeeper Michael Di Paoli to a bouncing ball, clipping it over the ‘keeper, and getting the final touch to force it over the line despite the close attentions of the retreating Yoogali defenders.
Gungahlin United came from 0-2 down to defeat Canberra Olympic 3-2 in an exceptional match at the AIS, the Gunners three goals all coming in the second-half, the second time in a week that they were forced to overturn a deficit to claim a hard-fought victory.
Olympic had the best possible start, going ahead after only thirty-five seconds as Tupaia Ringi sent over a marvellous cross that Luca Florez steered past Aidan Munford before most of the watching crowd had even comfortably found a vantage point from which to watch the action.
If that wasn’t bad enough for the home fans, they found their heroes two adrift before twenty minutes had elapsed. Adam Neou found space in the area and calmly teed up Alen James who thrashed a finish of the highest order into the top corner to double Olympic’s advantage.
Gungahlin had a super-sub in the wings though and it took Michael Katsoulis the same amount of time as Florez to make his mark upon his introduction at half-time. Katsoulis got on the end of a wonderful cross from Augustine Bangura, following a smart cushioned header from Shandon Whitehead less than forty seconds in.
Inevitably, Gungahlin was to equalise with thirteen minutes remaining as Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu reacted quickest to a ball inside the area to smash home his eighth league goal of the season, and eleventh in four competitive matches in 2024.
There was still time to win it for the home team, and they did via another substitute in the 86th minute. Katsoulis beat two men and crossed into the area where Jack Green headed back across goal for Julian Smith to head home his first ever NPL goal and win the points.
RESULTS
ROUND 3
Saturday 20 April
Tigers FC 2 (Kista 44’, Taneski 76’) Canberra Croatia 2 (Seselja 70’, Pratezina 85’)
O’Connor Knights 2 (Adams 67’ (p), Perinovic 89’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Oktyabri 25’)
Sunday 21 April
Yoogali SC 0 Monaro Panthers 2 (Ceruti 79’, Strika 84’)
Gungahlin United 3 (Katsoulis 46’, Ahmed-Shaibu 77’, Smith 86’) Canberra Olympic 2 (Florez 1’, James 19’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 9 |
| 2 | Monaro Panthers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
| 3 | O’Connor Knights | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 4 | Tigers FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
| 5 | Canberra Olympic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 3 |
| 6 | Canberra Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 4 |
| 7 | Yoogali SC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | -10 | 0 |
| 8 | Tuggeranong United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
8: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
3: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
2: Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Own GOALS
1: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
