Yoogali SC gave their survival hopes a further boost by securing a magnificent 1-1 draw against reigning League Champions O’Connor Knights at Solar Mad Stadium and will have left the venue wondering just how they didn’t manage to claim all three points after a superb second-half display that had the Knights reeling.
A combination of same excellent goalkeeping from Knights custodian Seb Arranz, and some erratic finishing, meant that the draw was the final outcome, although it was the hosts who perhaps were feeling a touch unfortunate by the time the referee brought proceedings to a conclusion.
The first-half was an even affair with O’Connor possessing the more threatening attack keeping the Yoogali defence on their toes. Often it was the defensive prowess of the outstanding Ryan Zanatta and central defender Isaac Donadel that was the rock on which the Knights attack wavered.
Zanatta made one brilliant block to deny the Knights what would surely have been a certain foal with Daniel Roberts and Phakedi Manda unmarked, whilst Donadel was a towering presence in the air. It was therefore a shock to the hosts when they fell behind in the 25th minute.
Knights broke quickly and effectively with Aisosa Ihegie managing to roll his marker, holder off the challenge, and finish adroitly past Michael De Paoli from just inside the penalty area. It was by this goal that the visitors led at the half-time interval. Whatever was said in the home dressing room at the break had the response it desired.
A reshuffle saw Darren Bailey deployed in attack and the marauding Scotsman caused no end of problems for the Knights rearguard. Arranz was forced to block shots from Bailey, Luciano Monserrat, and substitute Christopher John, as Yoogali sought firstly an equaliser and then the winner.
They got the goal their performance deserved with eighteen minutes to play as Joshua De Rossi broke from midfield to force the ball home, and they might have got three points thereafter. Manda could have stolen it for O’Connor, but De Paoli saved well, avoiding what would have been a travesty of justice for the confident home outfit.
A brace from Michael Katsoulis helped the league leaders Gungahlin United twice come from behind in earning a point from an entertaining 2-2 draw with Monaro Panthers at the Riverside Stadium in a match that ended in acrimony and with the dismissal of Panthers midfielder Luca Macor for a second yellow card after the final whistle.
A lively match was brightened by a wonderfully created goal just before the interval for the home team as Argentine winger Santiago Lupino weaved his way inside the penalty area and clinically fired past Aiden Munford at his near-post for a goal that had the home team in control.
And it was a lead that would have held until half-time but for a blinding equaliser from Katsoulis. The forward contorted his body mid-air to meet an Antoni Timotheou cross with a blistering volley that flashed past Jacob Quinn and into the bottom corner of the net to send the teams into the changing rooms all-square at the break.
Monaro came out firing in the second-half though, seeking the points that would move them above Tigers FC and into the top four and they were to regain their lead just before ethe hour-mark with the second of the match for the too-hot-to-handle winger Lupino who is finding form in his new colours.
The recruit from Canberra Croatia exchanged passes with Roko Strika after midfielder Ryan Straub had won the ball back in the centre of the park, before advancing on goal and rifling a shot from the angle past Quinn and high into the top corner of the net for another accurate finish.
However, the league leaders were to hit back again and found themselves back in terms with twelve minutes remaining. Habtemariam sent through an inch-perfect pass to Katsoulis who took the ball in his stride and manoeuvred room to shoot across Quinn and into the bottom corner.
Tigers FC meanwhile gave themselves a much-needed three points as they squeezed past the struggling Canberra Olympic at O’Connor Enclosed courtesy of a solitary goal netted in the second-half by visiting midfielder Angus Bailey.
The mid-season recruit found the route to goal eleven minutes into the second-half following a goalless opening forty-five minutes, much to the relief of the travelling support, getting on the end of what was a well-crafted move to finally break the Olympic resistance.
Marko Milutinovic began it in his own half finding Nikos Kalfas with a precise pass and the Greek winger returned the compliment with an excellent defensive splitting ball of his own into the feet of Tomohiro Ogawa. The Japanese technician threaded the eye of the needle with his ball between the Olympic defence, and Bailey did the rest firing low past the advancing Seb Usai.
As expected, Tigers mustered the most shots of the two teams, but Olympic, as they have done in recent weeks, defended well making life tough for their opponents and seeing Usai in top-form once more.
Scoring has been a problem for the men from O’Connor though and this has been their Achilles heel throughout the campaign, an issue that resurfaced once Tigers had gone in front. They battled gainfully again, but failed to create enough meaningful openings and, with Yoogali gaining another point, a nervous run-in awaits.
A thunderous injury-time strike from Atiya Waraga won Canberra Croatia a vital three points s they moved to within three points of table-topping Gungahlin United with a narrow 1-0 victory over Tuggeranong United on a balmy afternoon at Deakin Stadium.
Waraga rifled home from just inside the area from the angle as the clock ticked into the 92nd minute to secure a win that kept alive Croatia’s championship chances just when it appeared that they were slipping away. It was so Canberra Croatia, the team that always seems to find a way.
For large parts of the fixture, it looked like Tuggeranong would thwart the home team’s attempts to keep the challenge on the Gunners, the crossbar, via a lob from Nick Pratezina, and a blunderbuss of a strike from Daniel Barac, denying Croatia whilst Sam Walker headed off the line and Daniel Grove somehow denied Daniel Colbertaldo from around a yard.
Both teams had the ball in the net in the second-half, but both goals were disallowed for contentious offside decisions. Waraga looked to have netted ten minutes from time but the goal was ruled out due to striking Colbertaldo who was in an offside position at the time.
United were much harshly dealt with when their substitute, Matt Williams, immaculately lobbed Jason Matesa after running onto a lofted ball from Bevan Foxall, only to be called offside, replays suggesting that he had timed his run to perfection. That meant the game appeared to be destined for stalemate until Waraga hammered home the decider.
RESULTS
ROUND 18
Saturday 10 August
Yoogali SC 1 (De Rossi 72’) O’Connor Knights 1 (Ihegie 25’)
Canberra Olympic 0 Tigers FC 1 (Bailey 56’)
Monaro Panthers 2 (Lupino 41’, 58’) Gungahlin United 2 (Katsoulis 45+3’, 78’)
Sunday 11 August
Canberra Croatia 1 (Waraga 90+2’) Tuggeranong United 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United* | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 47 | 19 | +28 | 41 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 45 | 24 | +21 | 38 |
| 3 | O’Connor Knights | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 25 | +9 | 34 |
| 4 | Monaro Panthers | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 29 |
| 5 | Tigers FC** | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 37 | 23 | +14 | 28 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 20 |
| 7 | Canberra Olympic | 18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 20 | 49 | -29 | 6 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 60 | -51 | 5 |
TOP SCORERS
17: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
12: Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)
11: Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
8: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Aisosa IHEGIE (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), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
4: Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
3: Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
2: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), 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: 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), 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), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), 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), 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
