A late equaliser has seen Sturt Lions rescue a point against Adelaide Olympic with a draw that finished at two goals apiece.
Olympic skipper Fausto Erba opened the scoring on 24 minutes, controlling a high and deep cross and taking the defender out of the equation with a dummy shot before curling into the far corner from close range.
Sturt levelled just before the break, however, as Brandon Centofanti’s cut-back in the box fizzed just beyond Gonzalo Rodriguez’ reach but fell perfectly for Jacob Atkinson, who rifled the ball through the keeper and in at the near post.
Ioannis Simosis did eventually restore Olympic’s advantage with a fine finish in the 79th minute, as he chested Kody Maude’s chipped ball into the box before swivelling to fire a swerving shot into the bottom corner.
But the Lions found the back of the net again in the 88th minute, Michael Marrone’s lobbed backwards header just evading Rodriguez’s bicycle kick but sitting up for Samed Altundag to thump home and lock the final score at 2-2.
The relegation battle is heating up, as both Adelaide Croatia Raiders and Croydon FC earned narrow wins and Charlie Ince’s 91st-minute leveller saved a point for Cumberland United over Campbelltown City, which leaves the three sides separated by a solitary point.
High flyers MetroStars and Adelaide City were unable to be separated at 0-0, while Adelaide Comets rose to second with a late winner against Adelaide Blue Eagles.
RAA NPLSA Goals Wrap | Round 18
