A brace of goals from Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu against his former club saw Canberra Croatia claim a vital 2-1 win over Monaro Panthers in what was an exciting Round 11 encounter in the National Premier League at Deakin Stadium.
Ahmed-Shaibu scored in both halves as the Deakin-club, who will find out their Australia Cup Round of 32 opponents on Wednesday evening, reduced the gap to the top four to only five points and rekindle their hopes of reaching the finals.
The American striker has been in sensational form and took his tally to eleven goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions with this brace, opening the scoring with a thunderbolt from outside the area after just eight minutes, the ball cannoning into the roof of the net off the underside of the crossbar.
The visitors drew level later in the first-half via a pinpoint free-kick magnificently curled around the wall by Connor Mynott-Smith as the teams went into the changing rooms all-square at one apiece.
However, Croatia would win it in an even second half when Ahmed-Shaibu rose highest at the back post to meet a Jason Ugrinic cross with a brilliant header back across Panthers’ stopper Jordan Thurtell and into the far corner.
It was a tale of two free-kicks at the Australian Institute of Sport as Canberra Olympic came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with Tigers FC in the top-of-the-table match after trailing by two goals at the interval.
The stalemate meant that the status quo remained between the par but opened up the door for those below them to close the gap and, in the case of both O’Connor Knights and Gungahlin United, potentially move to the top of the pile with a convincing win 24-hours later.
Tigers, who entered the day top by virtue of goal difference, appeared to be easing ahead after a close range header from Mark Milutinovic gave them the lead in the 34th minute. When Nik Taneski broke clear to make it two nine minutes later with his seventh of the season, the omens looked good for the hosts.
But Canberra Olympic had other ideas and made Tigers pay from two free-kicks in the second stanza. Alen James netted the first, curling in a 25-metre effort over the wall and away from Jakob Cole to reduce the arrears.
Olympic then seized a point with eighteen minutes remaining when Thomas James sent over a wicked dead-ball from wide on the Olympic left that deceived the Tigers defence and goalkeeper and dropped into the net for 2-2.
O’Connor Knights jumped from fourth into second place with a superb 4-2 away win over fellow title contenders Gungahlin United at the Australian Institute of Sport, scoring four times in a scintillating second-half performance that had the watching Knights faithful purring and dreaming of silverware.
The Knights fell behind when Jackson Paesler finished off a fine move with the only goal of the opening stanza, but drew level when Micheal Adams was presented with the chance to equalise from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second period, which he took with his usual customary aplomb.
Aisosa Ihegie appears to have found his scoring touch in Knights colours and headed them in front six minutes later, only for the Golden Boot leading Maxx Green to force home a leveller with his eleventh goal of a productive season.
Knights weren’t to be deterred though and Tyson Livermore rammed home a loose ball to put the visitors ahead with eight minutes left to play, Ihegie ensuring the victory, and putting Knights above Olympic on goal difference in the process, with the fourth goal deep into stoppage time.
The fixture between Tuggeranong United and West Canberra Wanderers was postponed due to a waterlogged section of the Kambah 2 field which the match officials deemed to be unplayable.
RESULTS
ROUND 11
Saturday 24 June
Tigers FC 2 (Milutinovic 34’, Taneski 43’) Canberra Olympic 2 (A. James 55’, T. James 72’)
Tuggeranong United v West Canberra Wanderers – Match Postponed
Sunday 25 June
Canberra Croatia 2 (Ahmed-Shaibu 8’, 49’) Monaro Panthers 1 (Mynott-Smith 32’)
Gungahlin United 2 (Paesler 24’, M. Green 77’) O’Connor Knights 4 (Adams 54’ (p), Ihegie 60’, 90+5’, Livermore 82’)