A Phakedi Manda double ensured that O’Connor Knights remained on course to retain their National Premier League title, and set-up a potential winner-takes-all showdown with Gungahlin United in Round 20, after the hosts saw off Tigers FC  3-1 at the Australian Institute of Sport.

It had been some five days for Manda whose goal settled the Croatian derby in favour of the Knights on the weekend, as the flying winger followed up his match-winning heroics at O’Connor Enclosed with a brace of the best to help claim a priceless win that put the Knights a point behind the Gunners with the two clashing in the penultimate round of the campaign.

This was another testament to the character and determination of the Knights, two words which have resonated throughout the camp during the course of the 2024 season. And it was in evidence again at a damp AIS, the pitch having been sprinkled with a dashing of rain before kick-off.

Tigers started the brighter of the two teams, Nik Popovich causing problems to the Knights defence who lost Connor Bill to injury after only twenty minutes, forcing a reshuffle that ended with James Driscoll joining Sam Van Dooren in an unusual central defensive pairing.

However, the Knights held firm and in typical fashion took the lead after 36 minutes. Tigers goalkeeper Jakob Cole spilled a Luke Dark cross under severe pressure from Van Dooren, and there was Manda, contorting his body to adroitly finish with an acrobatic volley that kissed the post on the way into the back of the net.

It was the goal that separated the teams at the interval and, for long period, appeared to be the match-winner. But, the Tigers have been in rare form in recent weeks and   themselves level with a  deserved goal from Popovich. The striker reacted fastest to a cross-shot from full-back Samson Carr with twenty-five minutes remaining to score from close range.

For many teams that might have been a killer blow, but the Knights are made of tungsten steel and retook the lead with a piece of magic from Manda. The wide-man took possession in his favourite left channel before bamboozling a trio of Tigers defenders and curled in a cross that Aisosa Ihegie glanced home.

That sucked the life out of Tigers and, as they searched for an equaliser, Knights struck again. Ihegie made inroads and when the ball ricocheted out to Manda he had no hesitation in hammering a bullet of a drive past Cole and into the side of the net. A stunning way to complete a hat-trick, and a fitting way to secure three valuable, perhaps priceless, points. All eyes thus switched to the one versus two encounter a few days later. The title the potential prize.

RESULTS

ROUND 15

Wednesday 21 August

O’Connor Knights 3 (Manda 36’, 86’, Ihegie 79’) Tigers FC 1 (Popovich 65’)

TABLE

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Gungahlin United*	19	13	2	4	48	21	+27	41
2	O’Connor Knights	19	12	4	3	39	27	+12	40
3	Canberra Croatia	19	12	2	5	46	26	+20	38
4	Tigers FC**	19	9	4	6	41	26	+15	31
5	Monaro Panthers	19	8	5	6	32	22	+10	29
6	Tuggeranong United	19	6	5	8	30	32	-2	23
7	Yoogali SC	19	2	2	15	11	61	-50	8
8	Canberra Olympic	19	2	0	17	21	53	-32	6

 

TOP SCORERS

17: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)

13: Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)

11: Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)

8: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)

7: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United)

6: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS

5: Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)

4: Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)

3: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)

2: Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Tyson LIVERMORE (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Kristian TOKIC (O’Connor Knights), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic)

1: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Jack BITANI (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Izach CLEMENTS (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Axel GARBIN (Yoogali SC), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Sab HABTEMARIAM (Canberra Olympic), Marley JACKSON (Tigers FC), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Christopher JOHN (Yoogali SC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Chirstian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers),  Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Tuggeranong United), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Patrick MITCHELL (Monaro Panthers), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Alessandro PENA (Tigers FC), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), Vinnie SANCHEZ (O’Connor Knights), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Antoni TIMOTHOEU (Gungahlin United), Matt WILLIAMS (Tuggeranong United), 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