A stunning last-minute long-range free-kick from Daniel Colbertaldo allowed Canberra Croatia to increase their lead at the top of the National Premier League with a last-gasp 3-2 win over Monaro Panthers at Stryda Park on a freezing cold evening in New South Wales.
Colbertaldo lashed his effort beyond the reach of Panthers’ goalkeeper Heath Ilitch to increase Croatia’s table-topping advantage to six points and build the gap over Monaro to eight on a night in which the visitors dug deep off the back of a 120-minute Cup Final epic, drawing on all their inner reserves to do so.
The Panthers led twice during the encounter, hitting the front a dozen minutes in as Stephen Domenici found Daniel Barac who netted his tenth of the season, but Croatia hit back immediately, Marko Jadric and Riley Zsuzsa combining for the latter to square for Nick Pratezina to tap home his ninth of the year.
Monaro regained the lead just past the half-hour as Christian Kreskas found debutant Phakedi Manda and the former O’Connor Knights winger curled home a magnificent goal from out on the right flank.
Croatia managed to haul themselves level four minutes into the second-half as Jadric found Daniel Sparrow who accelerated into the area and, from an acute angle, finished confidently across Ilitch into the top corner. That set the scene for the last-minute heroics as, a visibly out on their feet Croatia, summoned the strength for a vital win.
There was less drama at South Jerrabomberra Regional Sporting Complex as Queanbeyan City and Tuggeranong United fought out a goalless draw, the two teams unable to break the deadlock throughout the ninety minutes.
United gave a debut to Cassidy Schlesinger at full-back, Queanbeyan likewise to Harrison Palic, the home side being without the injured Thomas Blazevski, and Nahuel Guerrero, also opting to rest leading scorer Nico Abot after he completed all 120 minutes of their gruelling Cup Final defeat.
There were chances for both throughout the fixture, but a lack of quality in the final third at both ends of the pitch, meant that the scoreboard wasn’t threatened and the pair had to settle for a point each which keeps them in with a chance of a top-four place in the race of finals placings.
Due to incorrect line markings, the match scheduled at Gungahlin Enclosed between Gungahlin United and O’Connor Knights was postponed and will be played at a later date to be advised.
RESULTS
ROUND 9
Wednesday 11 June
Gungahlin United v O’Connor Knights – Match Postponed
Queanbeyan City 0 Tuggeranong United 0
Monaro Panthers 2 (Barac 12’, Manda 32’) Canberra Croatia 3 (Pratezina 13’, Sparrow 49’, Colbertaldo 90+2’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 7 | +33 | 24 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 18 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 13 | +18 | 16 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 18 | -11 | 11 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 10 |
| 6 | O’Connor Knights | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 36 | -11 | 7 |
| 7 | Yoogali SC | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 24 | -11 | 5 |
| 8 | Gungahlin United | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 25 | -20 | 5 |
TOP SCORERS
10: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
9: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
6: Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
5: Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
4: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC)
3: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Own GOALS
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nim TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
12: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
6: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
4: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
3: Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
