O’Connor Knights found their way to the 2023 National Premier League Grand Final with a come-from-behind 2-1 success over Gungahlin United at the Riverside Stadium in Queanbeyan in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
A second-half goal from midfield playmaker Micheal Adams secured the League Champions place in the showdown at Deakin Stadium, Adams collecting a precise pass from Daniel Roberts who pounced on a loose touch from Gunners’ Riley Brown, slipped a finish underneath Noah Cross in the Gungahlin goal.
It sealed an impressive comeback from the Knights who had fallen behind as early as the seventh minute of the fixture. Gungahlin fullback Shandon Whitehead burst forward to square a pass to Maxx Green who lashed home his 22nd NPL goal of the season, and his 28th in all competitions.
O’Connor’s response was sharp and Aisosa Ihegie drew them level after Adams found him inside the area, the winger able to sort out his feet and slide a confident shot below Cross and into the corner.
Both teams had their moments, but it was the Knights who found the vital touch with twenty minutes remaining as Adams booked their ticket to the Grand Final and a possible double.
Gungahlin will have a second chance, moving into the Preliminary Final, where they will face Canberra Croatia. Croatia, who ended the season fourth, held their nerve to defeat Canberra Olympic in the Elimination Final on penalties, Sam Brown saving two penalties in the 3-1 shoot-out success.
The Croatia goalkeeper saved superbly from Luca Florez and Cale Brown whilst Elie Darwich failed to hit the target with his effort. Earlier in the contest Brown had repelled a Thomas James spot-kick, brilliantly turning away the low drive to his right, after Kofi Danning was adjudged to have been felled in the area.
James also saw a second-half effort blocked by Brown after he sprinted clear down the right channel, centre-back Daniel Subasic clearing the follow-up effort away from danger when it appeared certain to go in.
At the other end Seb Usai made a couple of smart saves and was thankful to his covering defence on no fewer than three occasions in the first-half as goal-bound shots from Stephen Domenici, Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu and Franc Greco were all cleared off the line.
In an intense ending both teams had chances to claim the victory, but after a goal-less extra time, Croatia held their nerve in the resultant shoot-out to progress, Olympic falling just short.
RESULTS
QUALIFICATION FINAL
Saturday 9 September
O’Connor Knights 2 (Ihegie 13’, Adams 70’) Gungahlin United 1 (M. Green 7’)
ELIMINATION FINAL
Saturday 9 September
Canberra Olympic 0 Canberra Croatia 0 – after extra time, Canberra Croatia won 3-1 on penalties
TOP SCORERS
22 Maxx GREEN (Gungahlin United)
20 Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Croatia)
14 Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
12 Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
11 Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic)
10 Josh GULEVSKI (Tigers FC)
9 Own GOALS
8 Philippe BERNABO-MADRID (Gungahlin United)
7 Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Clancy HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC)
6 Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
5 Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4 Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Lewis MCKINNEY (Tuggeranong United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Patrick SHORE (West Canberra Wanderers), Regan WALSH (O’Connor Knights)
3 Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Micheal JOHN (Monaro Panthers), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Luca MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Ed MCCARTHY (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Adam NEOU (Canberra Olympic), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), George TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), Jason UGRINIC (Canberra Croatia)
2 Riley ANGELOSANTE (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Julian BORGNA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), FERNANDO Jorquera (Gungahlin United), Franc GRECO (Canberra Croatia), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Beau HARVEY (Monaro Panthers), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Tyson LIVERMORE (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Monaro Panthers), Tom MCLACHLAN (Gungahlin United), Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Jackson PAESLER (Gungahlin United), Kaz PATAFTA (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas ROUFOGALIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Kyle SENIOR (Tigers FC), Callum SMITH (Canberra Olympic), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Hristjan TANOSKI (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Canberra Croatia), Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia), Doug WOODIWISS (West Canberra Wanderers)
1 Badreldin ABBAS (Gungahlin United), Joaquin ABOT (Tuggeranong United), Angus BAILEY (West Canberra Wanderers), Dylan BERKREY (Tuggeranong United), Jake BISHOP (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Lachlan CAMPBELL (O’Connor Knights), Kofi DANNING (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Dom GIAMPAOLO (Gungahlin United), Patrick HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Adrian MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Tony MADAFFARI (Tigers FC), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Max MELLICK (Canberra Olympic), Misko NAUMOSKI (Gungahlin United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic), Harrison PALIC (O’Connor Knights), George PAVESE (West Canberra Wanderers), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Jayden RIPPON (West Canberra Wanderers), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (West Canberra Wanderers), Liam VICKERS (West Canberra Wanderers), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United), Joshua YOUNG (West Canberra Wanderers)