A strike from substitute Nikos Kalfas three minutes from time earned Tigers FC a vital three points and put them top of the National Premier League at the culmination of their Saturday afternoon 3-2 win over Yoogali SC at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Kalfas was on hand to steer home from close range after fellow substitute Nik Popovich had nodded down a cross from a third replacement, Samson Carr, to complete a slick Tigers move and give them the lead for the third, and final time, of what was an absorbing match.
Yoogali showed remarkable grit and determination and, after falling behind when Augustine Bangura lashed home via the post on four minutes, levelled when Stefan Donadel, making his first start, turned Michael Southam inside out to slot a composed finish past Willem Lejeune.
The hosts went into the break in front as Nathen Megic reacted fastest to a Nik Taneski free-kick that thundered back off the bar to nod home, but Yoogali equalised from a header of their own as Robert Rimmer diverted home a Danny Reid free-kick seventeen minutes from time.
Over at High Street it was a tale of two goals in the first-half of the match as Queanbeyan City and Tuggeranong United, two teams that have benefited from the promotion pathway from Capital Premier League in recent seasons, shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
It was the visiting team who scored first, Nic Emanuel making inroads down the right flank inside the opening ten minutes, squaring to Steve Nealon with the United forward sweeping home his fifth NPL goal of the season.
City took until eight minutes before half-time to draw level and it was a goal of route one proportions. Kristian Tokic angled a beautiful sixty-metre pass over the back of the Tuggeranong defence from where Thomas Blazevski showed his pace, and composure to fire past Callum Cook.
Gungahlin United secured their first victory of the season as they claimed the points with a 2-1 win over O’Connor Knights at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval courtesy of a goal five minutes from time.
The Gunners, who leapfrogged the Knights with the win consigning the O’Connor side to the foot of the league table in the process, were in front on twenty minutes as returning midfielder Josh Gaspari seized on a loose ball outside the area and rammed a low shot into the bottom corner.
Knights found themselves back on terms ten minutes into the second-half as former Gungahlin United player Christian Junna arrived unopposed at the back post to volley in a cross from Phakedi Manda.
O’Connor had earlier missed a penalty, Aiden Munford saving from Jenno Ceruti on the half-hour, and they were made to pay close to the end. Thomas Robertson sent a long ball forward from defence which was controlled by the substitute Yoshida Shoki, who coolly curled home the clincher.
Canberra Croatia returned to the summit of the league table as they overcame Monaro Panthers 3-0 in the top-of-the-table clash at Deakin Stadium, showing a ruthless edge to secure the points.
Panthers can point to an unfortunate series of events during the match, one that saw a Fernando effort disallowed for offside, and later a Stephen Domenici shot on the turn that came back off the post.
Croatia had more luck in the final third, crafting a fine goal to open the scoring as Nick Pratezina cushioned a beautiful touch into the path of Marko Jadric seven minutes from the break, Jadric finishing with aplomb past Heath Ilitch.
Striker Maxx Green has been in good form recently and made it four goals in his last four games with the match clinching second. Daniel Colbertaldo robbed Marco Gayer and released Green who did the rest with a low finish that went in underneath the body of Ilitch.
And the points were secured in stoppage time as Colbertaldo cut a pass back to another substitute in the form of Daniel Sparrow who was allowed time to control and turn, his deflected finish wrongfooting Ilitch in the Panthers goal.
RESULTS
ROUND 6
Saturday 17 May
Tigers FC 3 (Bangura 4’, Megic 45’, Kalfas 87’) Yoogali SC 2 (S. Donadel 10’, Rimmer 73’)
Queanbeyan City 1 (Blazevski 37’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Nealon 9’)
Sunday 18 May
Gungahlin United 2 (Gaspari 20’, Shoki 85’) O’Connor Knights 1 (Junna 55’)
Canberra Croatia 3 (M. Jadric 38’, Green 80’, Sparrow 90+5’) Monaro Panthers 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 4 | +19 | 15 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 14 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 12 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 7 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 6 |
| 6 | Yoogali SC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 5 |
| 7 | Gungahlin United | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | -11 | 5 |
| 8 | O’Connor Knights | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 4 |
TOP SCORERS
6: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
5: Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
4: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
3: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
1: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nim TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
TOP ASSISTS
7: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
4: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
3: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
