Four-star Blues hand Sharks a hiding
An emphatic 4-0 shellacking of the Sharks was just reward for the Blues in a match where coach Peter Tsekenis? tactics were carried out to near perfection. David Gullo, Chris Triantis, Sam Awad and Kutaiba Elrich rounded out the scoring on a night where clear Sutherland chances were few and far between.
A high-tempo, high pressing game, gave the home side very little breathing room in a match where the Sharks were constantly forced deep in their own half with immense pressure on the regular ball carriers.
Sydney Olympic carved out the first real opening of the night with Will Angel getting forward down the right flank on 4? minutes. The speedy midfielder played a pin-point cross to pick out David Gullo who saw his blasted volley richocheted off a Sharks defender before falling into the arms of Nathan Denham.
The visitors created another opening 1? minute later via a set-piece from Phil Makrys. The captain?s curling effort picked out the head of Sam Awad, however the striker?s powerful header finished inches wide of goal.
Sutherland?s response arrived in the 7? minute as Blake Powell centred for Panni Nikas. The Sharks? playmaker closed in on goal, though his headed attempt lacked direction as he failed to force a save from Paul Henderson.
Makrys? sublime set-piece deliveries continued on 13? minutes as he picked out defender Brett Studman inside the Sharks? penalty-area. The defender got some good height though failed to beat Denham.
The Blues opening onslaught continued 1? minute later, as the visitors had the Sharks defenders stretched. Gullo was the recipient of a neat square ball out on the left before forcing Denham into a save with a vicious low-driven effort.
Gullo should have opened the scoring in the 16? minute as he was played through on goal. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Denham spread himself well to divert the ball behind for a corner.
The resulting corner did produce the opening goal of the night, and this time Gullo was not found wanting. A poorly dealt with corner by the Sharks saw the ball fall into the path of the left-sided winger ? Gullo blasting the ball into the roof of the net from point-blank range.
Sutherland nearly found an equaliser in the 20? minute following a positive spell of ball possession in midfield. Right-winger Hussein Salameh got in behind his marker to get an attempt away on goal, however his lunging effort lacked any real power to trouble Henderson in the Sydney Olympic goal.
Despite all the early running going with the Blues, Sutherland managed to ease the pressure on them with the Stavroulakis-Matt Bailey duo combining well in midfield to keep the ball in the opposing half.
Nikas, Powell and Matt Gordon played a tantalising triangle in the front third to send the former through on goal, though Nikas was cleaned up by a firm, but fair, Studman challenge.
Nikas was at it again for the Sharks on 31? minutes as he played a slick through ball to split the Blues defence and send Salameh through on goal. Much to the disappointment of the home crowd, Salameh?s run was halted by the linesman?s flag.
Even with the Sharks starting to gain the ascendency, Sydney Olympic played a fabulous counterattack down the right on 32? minutes to double their lead. Chris Triantis was picked out with a neat square ball to the edge of the penalty-area ? the Blues? number 10 drove a fierce low-driven effort into the bottom right-hand corner, leaving Denham helpless.
Sutherland was denied a goal that would have re-opened the encounter in the 36? minute as Gordon played Powell through on goal. Powell unleashed a firm drive, though Henderson was up to the challenge with a firm parry to thwart any danger.
Salameh followed up that chance with an opening of his own 5? minutes from the break, however, once more, his shot from the edge of the penalty-area was well parried by Henderson.
Salameh again had the Sharks? supporters on their feet 3? minutes later as he used his pace to weave past the challenges of two Blues? defenders. Bearing down on goal, the right-winger hit a powerful shot, sending the ball inches wide of the target.
The Sutherland show continued in the closing stages of the half as Nikas again released Salameh down the right. Once more, however, Henderson was up to the challenge, saving at Salameh?s feet to keep the Blues two-goal lead intact at the break.
Following the break, Sydney Olympic nearly breached the Sharks rearguard for a third time in the opening exchanges, due largely to the exquisite searching ball by Giannaros into the path of Powell. The perfectly floated delivery had the Sharks defenders beaten, though Gullo?s attempted volley lacked the required accuracy.
Sutherland?s reply arrived in the 48? minute via a corner from the left. Stavroulakis was picked out on the edge of the penalty-area before driving his long-range attempt against a sea of legs inside the Blues? area.
The Triantis brothers and Makrys looked extremely comfortable calling the shots in midfield for the visitors as Chris Triantis was played into space before forcing Denham into a save down to his right moments later.
The home side?s best forward forays arrived via the feet of Stavroulakis and Nikas, however the Blues central defensive pairing of Studman and Marton Vass marshalled the back line to perfection.
On the hour, Sydney Olympic put the result beyond doubt as Chris Triantis played Awad into a clear goal scoring position. Despite the advances from Denham, Awad kept his cool to slot the ball, calmly, home underneath the shot-stopper, much to the delight of the travelling supporters.
The Blues had the Sharks stretched again moments later as Peter Triantis this time initiated the counterattack. With options on both sides, the Blues failed to centre to an unmarked Awad as the chance went begging.
At the other end, Nikas? constant running and energy was clear for all to see as the playmaker was relentless in chasing a goal to re-open the encounter for his side.
The Sharks? number 23 tried his luck from distance just shy of the 70? minute mark, however his attempt cleared Henderson?s crossbar.
Chris Price then tried his luck with a shot on the turn of his own, however the scrambling Blues defenders got bodies behind the ball to thwart any danger.
In the 77? minute, Awad showed all his skill and determination as he dispossessed a Sharks’ defender near the left corner flag before closing in on goal. With the goalkeeper ahead of him, and from an acute angle, Awad drove his shot into the side netting.
Sydney Olympic completed the fine showing with an exceptional goal to substitute Kutaiba Elrich. The striker capitalised on another swift counterattack before picking his moment to unleash a pile-driver over the outstretched arm of Denham to round out the 4-0 result.
Following the referee?s final whistle, Sydney Olympic coach Peter Tsekenis was ecstatic with his side?s showing:
?We had a couple of things we needed to sort out this week and one of these things was discipline following all the yellow cards through frustration that we collected,? explained Tsekenis.
?I think we showed massive progress tonight, and we also played a very good match tactically to outsmart Sutherland ? the boys really put in a great effort, and the thing that was really well done was the fact that we took our chances.
?We looked to press them early, and obviously that can?t be maintained for 90? minutes, though we changed our plan a few times when it suited, which shows a lot of variation. That was really important for us tonight,? added Tsekenis.
?Before we opened the scoring we probably had two good chances, so I was a little worried that it was going to be another tough night, though with the first goal we maintained a good rhythm and we found the second goal, which was important.?
Despite the Blues handing Sutherland a rare loss at home ? and by a heavy four goal margin ? the Sydney Olympic coach is not getting too carried away:
?The win tonight is great, though it is one win out of the twenty-two matches, we are not looking into it any more than that. We?ll look to next week, we have another big game, and we will need to confirm the good that has come out of tonight?s match,? Tsekenis concluded.
Out of the Sutherland Sharks dressing shed, Robbie Stanton was disappointed with his side?s showing, though could not argue the final result:
?They (Sydney Olympic) thoroughly deserved the result tonight, they were more determined than us, and to be honest we showed a little disrespect to the shirt as for some our players it didn?t look like the match meant that much.
?I think we got into their game, we played their game, and it doesn?t suit us, it isn?t our style.
?The past two weeks I feel that we have been scared to play football and I said to the players that if we are going to lose a match, lose playing the way we have been playing over the past twelve-months, and not by playing a style of game that is foreign to us,? explained Stanton.
Apart from the result, the disappointing aspect cited by Stanton was the side?s inability to execute the game plan:
?As I said, if we are to lose, we are to do so playing the style of football we have been working on. The thing that really disappointed me tonight, apart from the result, was the fact that we did not stick to the plan we had from the start.
?We need to immediately pick ourselves up, and a number of the players out there tonight will need to take a good look at themselves ahead of some important matches to come,? Stanton ended.
Sutherland Sharks 0
Sydney Olympic 4 (David Gullo 17?, Chris Triantis 32?, Sam Awad 61?, Kutaiba Elrich 90?)
Saturday 26th May, 2012
Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda
Referee: Ryan Shepheard
Assistant Referees: Craig Fisher and Nathan Wolton
Fourth Official: Leigh Pigram
Bench: J. Woods, Z. Elrich, W. Angel, V. RigSutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 5.Paul Cotte (4.Yianni Fragogianis 46?), 6.Matthew Gordon, 8.Chris Price, 9.Hussein Salameh, 10.Matt Bailey (16.Klim Gjorseski 60?), 12.Hayden Morton, 14.Nick Stavroulakis (C), 18.Michael Stuart (3.Tyson Rhodes 73?), 19.Blake Powell, 23.Panni Nikas
Substitutes Not Used: 22.Simon Jaegar, 17.Pat Savor
Yellow Cards: Panni Nikas 78?, Nick Stavroulakis 89?
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney Olympic: 1.Paul Henderson; 2.Emmanuel Giannaros, 3.Brett Studman, 7.Phil Makrys (C), 8.Peter Triantis, 10.Chris Triantis (6.Marco Sama 84?), 11.William Angel (15.Zac Elrich 75?), 12.Troy Danaskos, 14.Sam Awad (17.Kutaiba Elrich 82?), 19.David Gullo, 21.Marton Vass
Substitutes Not Used: 18.David Dascal, 32.Luke Kairies
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 ? Sam Awad (SO)
2 ? Chris Triantis (SO)
1 ? Panni Nikas (SS)
-By Joseph Carlucci
