A single goal from Nik Popovich sent Tigers FC into the Grand Final following an enthralling Preliminary Final at Deakin Stadium as the team that finished fourth on the final National Premier League table ousted the League Champions Gungahlin United with a slender 1-0 victory.
Popovich struck midway through the first-half of the match, collecting a deflected pass from fellow forward Nik Taneski into his stride before burying a low and hard drive underneath the advancing Aiden Munford to send the Tigers players, officials, and supporters into delirium.
It was no more that the underdogs had deserved on an evening in which persistent rain made the surface tricky and the officials dished out eleven yellow cards, converting a brace into reds with the late dismissals of Gunners defender Badreldin Abbas and Tigers goalscorer Popovich.
There was confusion over the second sending off as Popovich was dismissed for re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission having left the pitch following treatment in the incident that saw Abbas also receive his marching orders.
Opportunities at goal for the Gunners were few and far between, a resolute high press from the Tigers, closing space in key areas of the field made sure that the Champions metronomic ball-playing midfielders were unable to string together the movement and precision delivery on which their forwards have thrived all campaign.
Indeed, but for a couple of shots from range, and an effort that cannoned back off the onrushing Christian Junna and flicked off the base of the post after brilliance from Augustine Bangura out wide, the Tigers goal remained largely untroubled with the conditions turning the contest into a battle of attrition.
Tigers hit the woodwork themselves with five minutes to play, the outstanding Tomohiro Ogawa cutting inside and unleashing a fierce drive that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar, appearing to cross the line ad bouncing back up to hit the bar again before landing inside the six-yard box, the officials waving away Tigers appeals for a second.
But it was to matter not in the long term as Tigers held onto what they had worked tirelessly for and moved their way into the Grand Final and a shot at Canberra Croatia and the much-coveted silverware.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Saturday 14 September
Gungahlin United 0 Tigers FC 1 (Popovich 21’)
TOP SCORERS
17: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
13: Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)
12: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia)
11: Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
9: Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
8: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United)
6: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
5: Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
4: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
3: Sam HABTEMARIAM (Canberra Olympic), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Antoni TIMOTHOEU (Gungahlin United), Kristian TOKIC (O’Connor Knights)
2: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Axel GARBIN (Yoogali SC), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Tyson LIVERMORE (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Adam NEOU (Canberra Olympic), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Vinnie SANCHEZ (O’Connor Knights), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic)
1: Jack BITANI (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Izach CLEMENTS (Canberra Olympic), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Xabier DAVIES (Canberra Olympic), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Marley JACKSON (Tigers FC), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Christopher JOHN (Yoogali SC), Christian JUNNA (Gungahlin United), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Chirstian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Tuggeranong United), William MCCLOSKEY (Gungahlin United), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Patrick MITCHELL (Monaro Panthers), Luciano MONSERRAT (Yoogali SC), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Alessandro PENA (Tigers FC), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Bailey SORENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Matt WILLIAMS (Tuggeranong United), Ryan ZANATTA (Yoogali SC)
Image: Tahlia Daly
