An equally remarkable result to match the first fixture of the season, Heidelberg hit South Melbourne hard with a heavy 5-0 win to undo the damage of the 6-0 loss back in Round 1 at the Lakeside.
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Port Melbourne 1 (Stirton 90+2’) Oakleigh Cannons 4 (Hatztimouratis 23’, 47’, Bosnjak 76’, 83’)
Oakleigh Cannons have lifted themselves in fourth place on the NPL Victoria ladder with a comfortable four goal game against Port Melbourne on Friday night.
Defensive lapses cost the Sharks dearly in conceding their goals, with their centre backs overcommitting on too many occasions in attempts to close down the ball-carrier, in-turn leaving gaping holes on their back four for DimitriHatzimouratis and DusanBosnjak to run into.
Hatzimouratis opened the scoring in the 23rd minute to give Oakleigh a 1-0 lead at the break, before a mistimed clearance from James Karvelis allowed him to double his money just after the break.
Tired midfield coverage allowed the Cannons to play into space for their third via the in-form DusanBosnjak, and then he went on to score his ninth goal of the season in the 83 rd minute.
A wonderfully struck free-kick from David Stirton in the 92 nd minute was the sole consolation for the Sharks.
Richmond 1 (Kokolakis 43’) Hume City 1 (Cahill 37’)
Hume City will look back on this match as a missed opportunity for three points after they drew 1-1 with Richmond on Friday evening.
The away team went into this match full of confidence after their 3-0 win in the opening round of the season, and looked likely to follow through with that confidence when they peppered Richmond in the opening half hour of the game.
Tom Cahill struck in the 37 th minute with a strike from close range to put Hume up 1-0 against his former side, but that lead was soon undone when Nick Kokolakis hit back before half-time with a lovely turn and strike to level the scores.
Both teams sought an equaliser in the second half, but neither side came close to being able to find it, meaning the points were shared.
Heidelberg United 5 (Pace 30’, Athiu 43’, Noon 45’, 51’, Petrie 59’) South Melbourne 0
On a chilly night at the Olympic Village, Heidelberg rattled South exceptionally well to earn themselves a massive confidence boosting win, and the romp began on the half-hour mark when Steven Pace collected a poorly dealt-with clearance off Jack Petrie’s free kick to make it 1-0.
Kenny Athiu put himself atop the scorers tally with his tenth goal of the campaign after he rose highest to nod home yet another Petrie free-kick from the left, making it 2-0.
The lead was extended to three goals in very quick succession when Athiu was played in one-on-one with Nikola Roganovic, who made the intial save but couldn’t recover for Harry Noon’s follow up on the rebound.
Heidelberg went in 3-0 up at half-time, and it quickly became 4-0 in the 51 st minute when Noon scored his second after being allowed too much space around the penalty area to hit home another goal.
It was similar circumstances for the final goal. Petrie, who’d helped set-up two, scored one of his own when he was given enough time to tee up Heidelberg’s fifth goal at the top of the area.
Nick Epifano had the chance to make it 5-1 when South Melbourne awarded a penalty, but the prolific spot-kick taker had a moment to forget after blazing his shot over the bar.
Bulleen Lions 1 (Barresi 63’) Bentleigh Greens 1 (Ruthven 8’)
Bentleigh missed out on the opportunity to knock South Melbourne off their perch in first position after only mustering a draw with Bulleen Lions on Monday.
Bentleigh got off to a fast start when Troy Ruthven capitalised upon the chance to quickly take a free kick and caught Lions ‘keeper Griffin McMaster off guard to make it 1-0 after only eight minutes.
Chances from Wayne Wallace and Tyson Holmes followed in the first half, but the Greens couldn’t quite find the back of the net again before half-time.
Josh Barresi squared the accounts after the hour mark when he knocked in his second goal of the season, bringing the scores into 1-1.
John Anastasiadis responded immediately, making three substitutes within six minutes of each other after the goal, but it didn’t seem to help the Greens as Bulleen pushed hard at the end.
They were aided by the sending off of the goal scorer, Ruthven, in the 85 th minute, but desperate late goalkeeper from McMaster and Ryan Scott kept any further goals out, the game ending 1-1.
Northcote City 3 (Ramzy 18’, Wilkes 41’, Lombardo 47’) Melbourne Victory 0
Northcote City thrashed a youthful Melbourne Victory 3-0 on chilly Saturday afternoon at John Cain Memorial.
Northcote began the game with urgency attacking quickly from wide areas.
Full back Ryan Go from wide played it centrally to Keenan Gibson in midfield. Gibson was looking for a ball in behind, and saw the run of Braedyn Crowley. Gibson cleverly slips in Crowley in on goal but the front man fails to beat Wyatt Chant with his lobbed effort.
But the home side was on the offensive again.
The former Feyenoord youth product Go ran down the left from deep to swing in a neatly floated ball into wide-man Anthony Ramzy, who rushed into the penalty area to beat goalkeeper Wyatt Chant with a first time volley.
Victory tried to find claw their way back into the game after a tidy passage of play started in midfield by Josh Hope. The ball was played wide and then squared to forward Joey Katebian whose strike on goal is just over the crossbar.
Northcote begin to look a bit shaky in defense. Defender Jordan Wilkes dallies on the ball and is displaced by Christian Theoharas. But the Victory attacker tries to slip in Katebian on his right but before he could Wilkes made up for his previous error and intercepts the pass at the vital moment.
In no time Wilkes finds himself at the other end attacking a corner played in by goal scorer Ramzy, who’s swinging ball finds Wilkes who heads home to double Northcote’s lead.
In the restart of the second half, almost immediately Northcote are awarded another corner.
Ramzy goes up to whip in from the corner flag, it hits the deck and the ball is scrambled left and right until Northcote captain Greg Lombardo bundles the ball over the line to put Northcote three goals to the good.
John Maclean running down the right cuts in a dangerous ball that just needs a touch to steer it goal side. But goal scorer Wilkes is adamant on persevering his clean sheet. He slides in to mop up the danger with a timely intervention.
Victory has a corner to test Northcote’s defensive rearguard with a set piece. Maclean heads the cross in on goal but Nicholas Bauka is on the goalmouth to clear it from danger.
With on of the final chances on goal Victory substitute Andre McNamara has a go one on one with Northcote ‘keeper Phillip Petrovski, but the largely untested gloveman comes out big to save with his feet.
Avondale Heights 2 (Yango 68’, Germano 73’) Pascoe Vale 1 (Kitade 45+1’)
Avondale Heights come away with a vital three points defeating Pascoe Vale 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Pascoe Vale started the brighter with forward Davey van't Schip receiving the ball on the edge of the box, to turn and shoot but his effort flies just over the crossbar.
But at the end of the first period, Paco were rewarded. Yusei Kitade who was found from Adrian Talarico's first time pass buries the chance to put Paco in front.
Avondale were pressing midway through the second half to get back into the game.
Right after the hour mark, Abrahim Yango finds himself with a chance on goal. He is calm with the finish steering his shot low into the back of the net.
Former Melbourne City man Jonatan Germano finds room in the area and neatly lobs the ball over Paco ‘keeper Dennys Marin to put Avondale in the lead.
Late on in the game, Paco try for an equalizer.
Matthew Lazarides finds himself in on goal, but the linesman adjudges him to be offside.
Green Gully 0 Melbourne Knights 2 (Colosimo 41’, Andrijasevic 90’)
Melbourne Knights defeated Green Gully 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Green Gully Reserve.
Early on Knights troubled the Gully defence.
Gully captain Daniel Jones gives the ball away directly to Colosimo who takes an additional touch instead of shooting first time. But in that time the chance is gone.
But minutes from half time, Rodrigo Vargas tries clear the ball away with his head, but was thought to have handled instead.
The referee pointed to the spot, and Knights man Colosimo steps up to the plate. He goes straight down the middle, beating Gully ‘keeper Rani Dowisha who dived early.
Midway through the second period, Gully tried to get back into it. They had a corner hurriedly cleared off the line, as Knights found away to preserve there lead.
Searching for second Knights began to push.
Youngster Luke Jurcic was close to doubling his sides lead with a shot on goal just narrowly missing the target.
Late on in injury time, Knights go on the counter.
James McGarry cuts a ball across goal finding Stipo Andrijasevic, who hit home his sides second of the afternoon.
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