A common trend is beginning to appear for Victorian football in 2021, as dramatic finishes and high-scoring affairs yet again came to the fore as its men’s top-flight completed a highly entertaining eighth round of its campaign.
Proving that its never over until the referee blows their whistle, three of the weekend’s seven fixtures across Melbourne swung with goals in the final ten minutes, including the opening game of the round in the city’s west as Melbourne Knights played host to struggling Altona Magic.
Despite squandering two golden opportunities to open the scoring in the proceeding ten minutes, Croatia, who entered the weekend’s play without a win in their last three, eventually took the lead in the 29th when Trevor Ssemakula laced a ball into the path of Alun Webb and the Welshman promptly dinked the ball over an advancing Chris Oldfield.
Though both sides having numerous chances to get on the scoresheet in the following hour of play, including a number of one-on-one opportunities for Magic and Knights’ attackers, it took until 91st minute of play for another ball to find the net and, in doing so, lay the table for a dramatic and contentious finish.
First, Jonas Markovski intercepted a wayward Knights’ pass in the midfield and found Chris Lucas with time and space in the penalty area that allowed the Magic number ten to poke home for his first of the season and bring the game back to level pegging in the 91st minute.
Thus, for the second straight week, it appeared as though Altona had done enough to secure themselves a point in injury time - only for the Knights to quickly move up the other end and, after Gian Albano went down, win a controversial penalty.
Albano made no mistake with his subsequent opportunity: firing past Oldfield to win the game.
Another rousing crescendo was afoot in the Southeast, with coach Nick Tolios’ Bentleigh Greens securing a much-needed win against visiting Oakleigh Cannons out at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.
Both sides increasingly able to penetrate and get in behind their opponent’s back four as time wound down, it was former Melbourne Victory and Cerezo Osaka prospect Pierce Waring that proved the difference maker between the two after he latched onto a pass from Alex Caniglia and chipped an advancing Nick Feely.
Demonstrating how tight things are in the Victorian top-flight in 2021, the three points earned by the Greens only moved them up to ninth place on the table, the only thing separating them from sixth-placed Green Gully is goal difference.
Coach Stephen Downes’ Gully, for their part, were also in action in the Southeast on Friday night: escaping Frank Holohan Soccer Complex with a point after a spirited effort from bottom-of-the-table Dandenong City.
Though both sides quickly sent warning shots in the other’s direction, it was the hosts that bulged the back of the net first through Nuh Šehavdić - the young attacker bundling a cross from Chris Dib in from close range in the 18th minute of the contest.
Frequently frustrated in their attempts to convert their extended periods of possession into attacking moves down either flank, a rare move straight down the guts eventually allowed Jay Davies to pierce the Dandenong City area and earn a penalty for Gully.
Stepping up, former Carlisle United-man Alex Salmon made no mistake with the resulting spot-kick.
Still searching for their first win on the season, Dandenong City hurled everything bar the kitchen sink - and by the end of the evening coach Saša Ogeneovski might have been considering sending a plumber to the canteen to fetch a receptacle - as the second stanza wore on but, somehow, was unable to find a way through the Gully backline and keeper Jerrod Tyson.
There must have been something in the air on Friday, as the evening’s final contest featured yet another last-gasp, game-changing strike as Avondale FC salvaged a point away to Port Melbourne Sharks.
Looking to bounce back from a loss to Hume City the previous week, coach Adam Piddick’s Sharks took the lead in just the 17th minute of play when Kristopher Kioussis, on hand to collect a cross that spilled into space at the back post, fired home.
But with just five minutes of regulation remaining, Port Melbourne custodian Andrew Withers was unable to punch clear a Joey Katabian corner and the ball spilled to Charlie Beverley, amongst others, behind him. The Avengers defender promptly poked home in the mad scramble that ensued - earning a point that kept his side second on the table.
Sitting in third-place, now held back from Avondale by just goal difference, Heidelberg United continued their impressive run of form that has now seen them win four of their last five games by defeating Eastern Lions 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Fans had barely had time to take their seats at Gardiners Creek Reserve when Ajdin Fetahagic put Alexander ahead - the 24-year-old first on the scene to fire the ball home after it careened off the post and back into play in just the second minute of play.
While the Bergers had the better chances as the contest wore on, the Lions’ Ziggy Razuki came agonisingly close to tying things up for the hosts when early on in the second half when he shook off marker Josh Wilkins in collecting a Denis Daluri and fired off a shot that bounced off the upright, rolled across the face off the goal and out for a goal kick.
For all their good form, Avondale and the Bergers remain in pursuit of South Melbourne atop the NPL Victoria table, with Hellas continuing their pace-setting, unbeaten start to the season by downing St Albans Saints 2-0 at Lakeside Stadium.
Marco Jankovic heading the ball back into the danger area after a corner sailed long, Jake Marshall popped up to shoot true from close-range to but South up in the 26th minute and secure his first goal of the campaign.
Nine minutes into the second stanza it was then the turn of Harrison Sawyer to find the target - for the third time in 2021 - when he rose to meet a delightful scoop of a cross to the edge of the six-yard-box from winger Gerrie Sylaidos.
Another win in their back pocket, the points earned at Lakeside send Hellas three points clear of the chasing pack and their goal difference of +8 is now two clear of their nearest rivals.
The round’s final contest took place on Saturday evening down at George Andrews Reserve and goals were on the agenda for both Dandenong Thunder and Hume City.
The two sides combined for seven goals between them across the 90 minutes, with Ali Sulemani’s 61st minute ultimately proving the winner as his Thunder ran out 4-3 winners.
Earlier that night, Hume’s Josh Bingham had gotten the scoring going when he netted from the penalty spot in the 24th minute, only for the Thunder’s Nahuel Bonada to answer back with a spot-kick of his own seven minutes later.
Bonada then netted his second - and fifth of the season - a minute into extra time to give his side the lead, which was then extended by Sulemani’s first goal of the evening two minutes into the second half and his aforementioned 61st-minute effort that secured a brace.
Bingham cut the deficit back to 4-2 through his second of the game in the 75th minute and Danny Dixon made it 4-3 in the 84th but Hume, despite pressing hard and asking numerous questions, was unable to complete the comeback as the Thunder held on and moved to seventh on the NPL Victoria table.
