A second half resurgence was enough for Sydney Olympic to claim a 3-2 victory over Sydney FC at Lambert Park on Saturday night.
After a slow first half, the visitors picked up the pace in the second stanza to secure an important three points that put them back in contention for the NSW National Premier Leagues Premiership, despite a last-minute penalty to Sydney FC.
Goals to Max Burgess, Alejandro Sanchez and Nikola Kuleski cancelled out two penalty conversions from Sydney FC’s Jeremy Cox and Jerry Skotadis.
Action started from the opening minute for Olympic with Jinya An creating some promising movement in the front half, sending a ball into the box with no one to finish.
Olympic continued the pressure with Will Angel driving down the wing in the 10th minute, sending a ball towards goal with no avail.
The opener came in the 12th minute as Max Burgess beat Sydney FC defender Joel King to manoeuvre the ball in front of goal and calmly finish, taking a 1-0 lead.
Olympic looked ready to fire again when an impressive ball from Tom Whiteside met Alejandro Sanchez who rebounded it off Sydney FC for a corner in the 15th minute.
Jason Madonis met the end of the corner ball, but Sydney FC keeper, Duro Dragacevic, tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Sydney FC came back into the game with a penalty awarded after a foul from Zac Mackenzie in the 23rd minute.
Jeremy Cox sent the ball past Olympic custodian Paul Henderson to equalise for the home team.
Photos by @_fcballer_
Jerry Skotadis positioned himself dangerously to have a chance at taking the lead for Sydney FC in the 41st, but his shot flew wide.
Madonis made a swift run through Sydney FC’s defence to have a shot on goal, but Dragacevic calmly collected to keep the score tied.
Olympic came out firing in the second half, taking back the lead in the 50th minute.
A cross in from Angel met Sanchez in the box who flicked a header to the back of the net.
Olympic capitalised an opportunity to extend their lead in the 58th minute, with a free kick awarded after a dangerous tackle on Madonis.
Kuleski sent the free kick between the sticks to extend the lead for the visitors.
Max Burgess had another shot saved by Sydney FC keeper in the 69th minute, with keeper managed a hand to a strong strike from Sanchez just moments later.
A last-minute penalty awarded to Sydney FC after contact in the box from Zac Mackenzie wasn’t enough to keep the home team in the game, with Olympic taking away three points in a 3-2 victory.
Photos by @_fcballer_
Sydney FC coach Robbie Stanton praised his team’s effort despite their defeat.
“The effort, the commitment and the right football attitude was there,” Stanton explained.
“I think it just got down to front third execution, they just took their chances when they came.”
Sydney Olympic coach, Abbas Saad, expressed his pleasure in a win after a tough few weeks for Olympic.
“I’m just happy we’re back onto winning ways. I think they boys deserve it.”
He also praised the performance of Sydney FC in what was a tight match between the two.
“They’re a good team.
“They’re young, they’re exuberant, they’re fearless and they’re very well coached and they kept coming at us and that’s credit to them.”
Match Stats
Sydney FC 2 (Jeremy Cox (pen) 23’, Jerry Skotadis (pen) 90+2’)
Sydney Olympic 3 (Max Burgess 12′, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez 50’, Nikola Kuleski 58’)
Saturday July 21, 2018
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Sydney FC: 2. Brendan Curtis, 3. Patrick Flottmann, 4. Liam Mcging, 6. Andreas Agamemnonos, 7. Jerry Skotadis, 8. Sam Mcillhatton, 9. Daniel Maskin (10. Giuseppe Tilio 74’), 14. Joel King, 15. Jeremy Cox (13. Jordan Swibel 65’), 16. William Mutch (11. Harry Van Der Saag 60’), 30. Duro Dragicevic
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Mitchell Evans, 12. Finn Ballaro-Mcbride
Yellow Cards: Brendan Curtis 31’, Liam McGing 77’, Jerry Skotadis 86’
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Olympic FC: 1. Paul Henderson, 2. Thomas Whiteside, 6. Nikola Kuleski (9. Radovan Pavicevic 84’), 7. William Angel (5. James Demetriou 62’), 8. Jason Madonis, 10. Max Burgess, 11. Jinya An, 12. Zachary Mackenzie, 14. Alejandro Sanchez Lopez, 19. Darcy Burgess (33. Nikolas Tsattalios 74’), 23. Riley Woodcock
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Eze Consoni, 21. Stephen Athanaseris
Yellow Cards: Zachary Mackenzie 90+2’, Nikolas Tsattalios 90+2’
Red Cards: Nil
——————————————————
UNDER 20’S
Sydney FC 6-0 Sydney Olympic FC, Saturday 5.45pm at Lambert Park
With the finals fast approaching, Sydney FC put their competition on notice on Saturday afternoon with a comprehensive 6-0 defeat of Sydney Olympic FC.
Lambert Park was treated to a veritable goalfest as the hosts bolstered their reputation as the top scorers in the NSW NPL Men’s 20s; Finn Ballard McBride turning in a stunning performance with four goals to keep Sydney FC just one point behind Blacktown City at the end of Round 19.
Neither side produced much of note until Ballard McBride’s opener; a flick-on at the near post inside ten minutes which gave Sydney an early lead after an unremarkable start.
Soon enough the hosts doubled their lead to two, as Patrick Scibilio stole in at the near post to head in Sydney’s second just after the twenty minute mark.
As Sydney FC threatened to run rampant, Scibilio might have had a second just minutes after his first when he met a cross at the back post but the keeper scooped the header up to keep the deficit to two.
Fikret Berisha pushed forward to drag a shot just wide of Mitchell Evans’ post, before Marco Tilio skewed an effort of his own wide of the mark a few minutes later.
Halftime couldn’t have come soon enough for Olympic, but there was only a fifteen minute reprieve. Sydney FC rolled forward soon after the restart, the attack coming in from the right as the keeper parried a shot straight to Ballard McBride who duly put his side up 3-0.
It was four just two minutes later; Giuseppe Tilio smacked a ball across the face of the goal and Ballard McBride nipped in to complete his hattrick just five minutes after halftime.
Evan Tsakos jinked inside his man before unleashing a shot that spun over the bar with a deflection, shortly before Ben Van Meurs tested the goalkeeper with a strong shot at the back post.
Sydney FC refused to sit on their lead – and Ballard McBride on his hattrick – and scored a fifth in the closing stages of the game; the in-form striker touching the ball on from the right to register his fourth of the night.
It only seemed fitting that the final action of the game resulted in a goal for the hosts. Breaking into the penalty area in numbers, the ball was squeezed out to Daniel Blachura on the right side of the six yard box where he hit his shot cleanly inside the near post to round out the scoring; capping a 6-0 win for Sydney FC.
Giancarlo Italiano was delighted with the win that saw his side go second.
“I’m very happy with all the boys, everyone that played was excellent, and it puts in good stead for the finals.
They all worked really hard, they have been all season. They’re probably the youngest team in the competition, so I’m really proud. Our confidence really showed.”
“Sydney FC are a very well conditioned, well drilled team and they play good football,” said Sydney Olympic’s Anthony Harb. “Well done to them.
“We worked hard and we didn’t execute our game as well as we should’ve today – that’s what it came down to.”
Match Stats
Sydney FC 6 (Ballard McBride 9’ 48’, 50’, 87’, Scibilio 22’, Blachura 90’)
Sydney Olympic FC 0
Saturday July 21, 2018
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Sydney FC: 21. BALLARD MCBRIDE Finn, 24. BLACHURA Daniel, 28. BONNANI Paolo, 1. EVANS Mitchell, 29. FAY Thomas, 27. LAMBERTON, 5. SCIBILIO Patrick, 19. TILIO Giuseppe, 17. TILIO Marco, 22. VAN DER SAAG Harry, 26. VAN MEURS Ben
Substitutes: 18. KOOP Benjamin, 40. MALISHEV David, 31. TEAGUE Ryan, 32. TSAKOS Evan, 25. MATTISON Mitchell
Yellow cards: N/A
Red cards: N/A
Sydney Olympic FC: 21. ATHANSERIS Stephen, 41. BERISHA Fikret, 20. CONSONI Ezequiel, 42. HAMAYOUN Wahid, 32. HRISTODOLOU Adam, 25. JUNG Taewoo, 17. MORRISON Benjamin, 35. OKUDA Luke, 26. PATRAMANIS Billy, 43. QAYUMI Kamran, 38. SUTOMO Brian
Substitutes: 29. EHIOZEE Ericson, 10. TAOUIL Andre, 9. SINACORI Christian, 6. HARB Samuel
Yellow cards: Qayumi 71’
Red cards: N/A
