Eager Berries outgun hapless Tigers
The Round 21 match had no bearing on the TeleChoice Premier League Championship final spots, but nevertheless, the home side looked the keener of the two teams given their application to the task ahead.
Sydney Tigers made a foray at the Berries goal as early as the opening minute, however, as Franco Parisi?s quickly taken free kick from wide on the right, following a foul on the ex-A League striker, created panic in the Berries goalmouth before the ball was cleared.
A couple of minutes later and Berries had their first attempt on the Tiger?s goal with Jack Sobczyk?s downward header desperately cleared following a corner.
Then in the 8th minute, the Berries executed a counter attack that almost brought the opening goal.
Kosta Lagoudakis broke away down the left flank, before whipping over a dangerous low cross. John Tsironis used his strength to protect the ball, before laying it into the path of Chris Gaitatzis, but his low shot was brilliantly parried by Tiger goalkeeper, Phillip Zabaks.
The tackles were fierce as both sets of players attempted to take hold of the game for their respective teams. The uneven surface wasn?t helping either team to play flowing football but the action during the early stages went from end to end.
Tiger?s industrious midfielder, Nicky Rizzo, received a short pass on the turn from Michael West in the 17th minute, before unleashing a powerful drive from 20 yards that was well controlled by Berries custodian Hamish McLean.
On 26 minutes, Parisi escaped the clutches of the Berries defence, cracking a low shot from the edge of the box that bounced up awkwardly off McLean before rebounding to safety.
The Berries eventually opened the scoring on 35 minutes following a swift move down the left wing.
Gaitatzis made his way down the left towards the goal line before whipping over a low cross along the six yard box. Tsironis threw his big frame at the ball without getting a touch, but Zakilas was following through and diverted the ball into the net off the underside of the crossbar to make it 1-0.
Sydney Tigers then tried valiantly to equalize before the break, almost doing so on two occasions.
Firstly, on 40 minutes, Stephen Keyes skewed his shot wide from a tight angle following some great work down the right wing by Robert Younis. Then right on the buzzer, Parisi flicked a near post corner from Rizzo towards the target the shot superbly parried by Berries keeper McLean, from point blank.
Referee Jason Blackwood then shrieked his whistle to bring the first half to an end with the Berries the happier of the two, leading by the slender one goal margin.
Sydney Tigers lost influential central defender, Mark Byrnes, in the 51st minute, succumbing to a hamstring strain, but the Tigers managed to pick up the tempo, and almost scored within a minute, a Younis free kick bending around the Berries wall but hitting the side netting.
On 55 minutes the visitors did in fact restore parity, when a cross shot by Stephen Kayes reached Rizzo at the far post, and he duly converted with a low snapshot past the hapless Berries keeper McLean.
The Berries responded vigorously, and went back in front only nine minutes later, when a fortunate ricochet dropped into the path of Zakilas inside the penalty area. Zakilas let the ball bounce before cracking a sweet volley past Zabaks in the Tigers goal to make it 2-1.
The Tigers almost drew level once again, this time on 69 minutes, following a great run and cross by West.
Parisi could?ve shot at goal but chose unselfishly to lay the ball square to Rizzo, whose attempted shot, as he fell, sliced wide and high of the goal.
Rizzo was at it again in the 84th minute smashing a superb 25 yard half volley towards goal following a clearance from a corner, but the ball hit a defender on the way to safety amidst calls of handball.
Two minutes later and the Berries put the match to bed with goal number three.
Gaitatzis slipped a great through ball to Lagoudakis and he cut inside a defender before shooting on goal from the edge of the box.
Tiger goalkeeper Zabaks could only parry the ball into the path of Zakilas, and the Berries attacker bundled the ball over the line under pressure from a defender, securing his hat trick in the process.
Despite their rich array of big name players, Sydney Tigers seemed devoid of any real creativity on the night, and resorted to long balls and trying to catch West Sydney on the counter.
Coach Luke McGuire, was understandably disappointed with his charges.
?We were poor all over the park tonight,? lamented McGuire, before adding.
?They just wanted it more than us, and were more enthusiastic.?
Rizzo was the pick of the bunch for the visitors, working tirelessly in the engine room as he endeavored to win possession and create an opening for the Tigers.
On the other hand, West Sydney Berries coach, John Calleja was upbeat following the home win.
?I thought we were very good in the first half, our passing was excellent, as was our short quick movements across the park, and we probably deserved better than our one goal lead, ? beamed Calleja.
?We came out for the second half a little slow, and their diagonal balls caused us a little trouble. But once they equalized, we lifted again and finished fairly well.?
Reflecting on the 2009 season, Calleja was in two minds.
?Of course I am disappointed we didn?t make the semi finals this season but if you would?ve told me when we were second from bottom that we would turn the season around and be in sixth position with a round to go, I would?ve been happy with that.?
Skipper Aheleas Kotsopoulos was very effective down the left, speedy with the ball at his feet, and equally quick with his distribution, whilst Zakilas showed his predatory senses with three well taken goals.
Footnote ? see action from this game on a forthcoming episode of ?Football Stars of Tomorrow?, hosted by one of the greats of the Australian football media, Andy Paschalidis
In the Under 20s match, John Sopina?s West Sydney Berries knocked over the Sydney Tigers by two goals to nil.
Match Stats
WEST SYDNEY BERRIES 3 (Dimitri Zakilas 35?/64?/86?)
SYDNEY TIGERS 1 (Nick Rizzo 55?)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Venue: Lidcombe Oval, Lidcombe
Referee: Jason Blackwood
Assistant Referees: Sarah Ho & Matt Colquhoun
Fourth Official: Steve Lucas
Attendance: Approx 300
West Sydney Berries: 1.Hamish McClean, 3.Omar Saadi, 5.Daniel Clifford, 7.Peter Peralta, 6.Jack Sobczyk, 11.Aheleas Kotsopoulos (c),16.Kosta Lagoudakis, 17.Chris Gaitatzis, 10.John Tsironis (14.Luke Austin 88?),19.Dimitri Zakilas (12.Stefan Donevski 88?), 15.Ryan Jones (2. Marjan Novotni 77?)
Substitutes Not Used: 22.Trinity Allen, 23.Stefan De Jesus.
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Tigers: 99.Phillip Zabaks, 2.Mark Byrnes (17. Joseph Cartisano 51?), 6.Shane Lyons, 7.Stephen Kayes, 9.Robert Younis, 10.Franco Parisi, 12.Michael West, 15.Danial Cummins (c), 16.Michael Hawrysiuk (18.Bishara Stephan 68?), 22.Nick Rizzo, 24.Jason Trifiro
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Giancarlo Papaianni, 8.Marino Musumeci, 11.Carlo Musumeci.
Yellow Cards: Shane Lyons 75?, Danial Cummins 82?.
Red Cards: Nil
-By Frank Speranza
