Round 11 and 12 Review – Futsal Premier League 2 Open Men’s
It was a massive weekend of Futsal Premier League 2 Open Mens action with eight thrilling contests that played out across Saturday and Sunday.
It finished with Dural Warriors being confirmed Premiers with the top four race going down to the wire otherwise.
Match of the Round: SD Raiders Futsal 10 defeated Phoenix Futsal Club 8
It was a Futsal Premier League 2 instant classic as SD Raiders Futsal and Phoenix Futsal Club poured on the goals in a 10-8 bonanza that thrilled the spectators at Fairfield Youth & Leisure Centre.
SD Raiders Futsal in the words of coach Sergio Malfara “never do it easy” and the hosts didn’t lead the contest until the 47th minute. Jordan Figon put in a seven-goal performance which led to his coach calling him the best “target in Australia” with Matthew Barkho, Nick Carle and Joshua Da Silva the other scorers.
That result will be a tough pill for Phoenix Futsal Club to swallow. The visitors played their best futsal this season against one of the heavyweight contenders led by an Ethan Denis hat-trick. Matthew Luttringer, Joshua Mathie, Jordan Smylie and Tom Louw all scored on a wild afternoon of futsal.
The contest got off to a rollicking start with Phoenix Futsal Club ahead 3-nil within four minute of kick-off. Matthew Luttringer rolled home the first quickly followed by Joshua Mathie and Ethan Denis confirmed their fast start.
Once SD Raiders Futsal had got themselves started, Matthew Barkho almost flicked home after some smart work then Jordan Figon continued his supreme goal scoring form with SD Raiders first goal then Matthew Barkho rolled home the second.
Phoenix Futsal Club kept the bit between their teeth with Denis responded immediately with a smart finish on the breakaway to make it 4-2.
Figon continued to be a nuisance for the Phoenix defense. He showed strength in holding off a defender before thrashing home for 4-3 then the rare sight of a futsal header to level the contest at 4-4 in a whirlwind first half.
The first half ended in a flurry of action as the game continued at a breathless pace. Phoenix quickly restored their lead with Mathie slotted home his second for 5-4 then Figon added a fourth in the first half for 5-5. There was an after the whistle penalty kick for Phoenix Futsal which was saved.
Coming into the second half, there was no cool down for the teams. Denis completed his hat-trick for 6-5 then a pea roller free-kick from Tom Louw doubled the advantage to 7-5 for Phoenix Futsal Club as they chased the win.
SD Raiders Futsal refused to give up the fight with Nick Carle rattling the post followed by a sweeping move that somehow didn’t cross the goal line as frustration grew for the home side. They did find some joy through the power play.
It allowed SD Raiders to monopolise possession and look for the gaps in the Phoenix Futsal Club defense. Joshua Da Silva tapped home at the far post for 7-6 then still on the advantage, Carle rocketed home to make it 7-7.
From there, SD Raiders Futsal took control of the contest as Figon roared into action. He scored the last three goals of the contest which was met with a thunderous roar after each goal. SD Raiders Futsal ended up 10-8 victors in a wild contest.
Jordan Smylie added a late consolation for Phoenix Futsal Club through a sumptuous volley which brought the contest back to 9-8 for a slight recovery but Saturday was another night of frustration and told the story of the visitors season.
Speaking afterwards a delighted Sergio Malfara remarked on the spirit of his side who had to work for the result helped by the masterful effort from Jordan Figon:
“We don’t like to do it easy that isn’t SD Raiders Futsal. Credit to Phoenix but it is another three points for us.” On the form of his target man Malfara added: “Jordan Figon is the greatest target in Australia.”
For Phoenix Futsal Club coach Elliot Jurd was left frustrated with the loss despite having the greater share of the contest in general play against a strong side:
“We let in too many soft goals tonight. I thought on the balance of play we were good but they had the superior finishing through Jordan Figon who scored seven tonight. It is the story of our season, just small crucial stuff that has let us down.” said Jurd.
Match Stats
Saturday 30 November 2019
Fairfield Youth & Leisure Centre
Referee: A Mansour
2nd Referee: A Brett
3rd Referee: R Wazzi
SD Raiders Futsal 10 (Figon 7, Barkho, Carle, Da Silva)
Phoenix Futsal Club 8 (Denis 3, Chance, Luttringer, Mathie, Smylie, Louw)
SD Raiders Futsal: 1. IORFINO Adrian, 7. FERREIRA Luis, 10. BARKHO Matthew, 15. COTTER Declan, 18. KOUTRODIMOS Jack, 19. CARLE Nick, 20. MALFARA Sergio, 22. IBRAHIM Daniel, 23. FIGON Jordan, 92. DA SILVA Joshua, 93. FAHMI John, 99. PAZ Matias
Yellow cards: Carle, Cotter, Figon
Red cards: nil
Phoenix Futsal Club: 4. MATHIE Joshua, 5. DENIS Ethan, 6. CHANCE Angus, 7. NELSON Todd, 10. LUTTRINGER Matthew, 11. WYLIE Isaac, 15. VANDERVELDE Jack, 16. SHAHEEN Jacob, 18. LOUW Tom, 36. MOORE Joshua, 89. SMYLIE Jordan
Yellow cards: Denis
Red cards: nil
Dural Warriors 5 defeated Raiders Futsal Club 2
Dural Warriors took another step towards the Premiership with a comfortable 5-2 result against Raiders Futsal Club at The Centre – Dural on Saturday.
The unbeaten leaders were at their usual fluid best, striding out to a 3-nil half-time lead before they added a pair in the second half to remain nine points clear of the closest opposition in the Futsal Premier League 2 ladder.
Golden Boot leader Wade Giovenali was right in the thick of the scoring again, slotting home a brace to take his tally to an impressive 23 goals for the season. Samuel De Oliveira also fired home twice alongside Ahmed Sweedan single goal for their scoring.
Raiders Futsal Club remain in the top four despite the loss but did find some consolation in the two second half goals against the leaders. Sharpshooter Adolph Koudakpo and Kodai Hayashi were the scorers as the visitors aim to regroup.
Sydney City Eagles 5 defeated West City Crusaders 4
It was a dramatic 5-4 success for Sydney City Eagles in their pursuit of the finals as they defeated West City Crusaders on Saturday night at Michael Clarke Recreation Centre.
The first half was a quiet affair with Sydney City Eagles holding a slender 1-nil advantage before an eight-goal second half saw the home side pick up three vital points to hold onto their seven-point lead over fourth place.
For the home side, Aaron Cimitile and Robert Perre led the way with braces each while Lachlan Rose found the back of the net once to take his season tally to 14. The only downside for the Eagles was a red card to Patrick Antelmi.
This result dealt a massive blow to West City Crusaders finals chances but Saturday showed that the visitors will be a tough fixture for any side. Abdul Mohseni scored his seventh of the season with Ryan Faulkner, Alexander Murrell and Antonio Perri the others to find the scoresheet. Simon Zahra was given his marching orders as an added blow for the Crusaders.
South Coast Taipans 8 defeated Sydney Futsal Club 1
Starting their weekend off right, South Coast Taipans had an 8-1 success against Sydney Futsal Club at UOW Sports Hub on Saturday evening.
The Taipans ran riot against the visitors in the first half. South Coast led 6-nil at the break before they added two more in the second half to draw level in fourth position with Raiders Futsal Club headed into the final three weeks.
Cody Waller took the headlines with his hat-trick to continue his purple patch of form recently. Kyle Del chipped in with a pair of goals with Tyson Black, Klime Sekutkoski and Kristian Sekutkoski the others to find the back of the net in the rout.
For Sydney Futsal Club, it was another disappointing evening as they fell to their eighth loss of the season and a downbeat start to the double-header weekend. Patrick Pace was their lone goal scorer in the second half as they lick their wounds and go again Sunday.
Round 12 Match of the Round: Sydney City Eagles 7 defeated Phoenix Futsal Club 3
Four straight victories has Sydney City Eagles cemented in third position after their comfortable 7-3 result against Phoenix Futsal Club Sunday night at Michael Clarke Recreation Centre.
Sydney City Eagles were bright in their ball movement and blew away Phoenix Futsal Club in the first half to record their eighth win of the season. Lachlan Rose continued his strong form with a hat-trick with Aaron Cimitile chipped in with a brace. Michael Cimino and Matthew Trotter added goals in the strong performance.
For Phoenix Futsal Club, they used all their energy in their first game this weekend and tonight, the visitors never got going. Ethan Denis fired home a brace with Kosta Pavlovic scoring his maiden goal in the first half of the contest. Now they will look to finish the season on a high in the last two contests.
Coming off their resolute victory on Saturday night, Sydney City Eagles picked up where they left off in the first minute tonight. Lachlan Rose thrashed home to make it 1-nil.
The waves of attack continued to flow for the Eagles with Aaron Cimitile curving wide of the post then Rose made it double delight when the target man weaved through the Phoenix defense and swept home to make it 2-nil.
Firing on all cylinders the Eagles kept the pressure on. Matthew Trotter tried a rabona finish quickly followed by Bruno Antelmi putting it wide of the mark. Trotter made it 3-nil after Antelmi angled the pass into his path to slot home.
Phoenix Futsal Club did find a response through Ethan Denis. The attacker was first to respond after the initial rebound fell in his direction, Denis fired into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.
Eagles restored their three-goal advantage, a minute later when Cimitile pounced on an error from the Phoenix Futsal Club and arrowed home to make it 4-1. Youngster Kosta Pavlovic hit back for Phoenix when he tapped home from Josh Spencer’s shot for 4-2 at the break.
In a small dose of déjà vu, Sydney City Eagles were on the board again early in the second stanza when Michael Cimino had a low effort bulge into the back of the net for 5-2.
Phoenix Futsal Club had a pair of chances to get back into the contest – the first was whistling shot from Matthew Luttringer which flew past the post then Denis thrusted home on the half hour to reduce to deficit to 5-3.
From there, it was all Eagles. The side produced the move of the match where they cut open the Phoenix defense which ended with Cimitile cushioned the ball into the bottom corner for 6-3.
Rose put the icing on the victory cake for Sydney City Eagles with his hat-trick. Rose had an earlier chance scooped over but this time, the opening was created by Robert Perre for Rose to fire low for 7-3 in a professional Eagles win.
Talking afterwards Sydney City Eagles coach Roy Perre was delighted with his side’s haul after a busy weekend of futsal action and the manner of their result today despite their absences:
“The boys stood up today, it was good, a very dominant performance. The ball control was firm and I’m very happy after that. We were up against it both days and got the job done.” said Perre.
For Phoenix Futsal Club coach Elliot Jurd, his side never got going tonight after their huge effort the day before and now look to finish the season on a high in the next fortnight:
“We used all our energy yesterday against SD Raiders. So, we’ve ended up with a threadbare squad that did okay but we weren’t going to have the quality against a clinical Eagles side. We were poor and that is the story of our season. We want to try and win our last two games and come back stronger next season.” finished Jurd.
Match Stats
Sunday 1 December 2019
Michael Clarke Recreation Centre, Carnes Hill
Referee: C. Lee
2nd Referee: N. Gongolidis
3rd Referee: R. Wazzi
Sydney City Eagles 7 (Rose 3, Cimitile 2, Cimino, Trotter)
Phoenix Futsal Club 3
Sydney City Eagles: 2. NOLAN Andres, 3. MORABITO John, 4. PELEKANOS Peter, 5. ROSE Lachlan, 8. CIMINO Michael, 10. CIMITILE Aaron, 11. BRECKENRIDGE Vincent, 14. ANTELMI Bruno, 15. PERRE Robert, 18. LANE Brendon Lane, 19. TROTTER Matthew
Yellow cards: Antelmi
Red cards: nil
Phoenix Futsal Club: 1. BRUNACCI James, 3. SPENCER Josh, 4. MATHIE Joshua, 5. DENIS Ethan, 10. LUTTRINGER Matthew, 11. WYLIE Isaac, 19. GOMEZ Migel, 20. PAVLOVIC Kosta, 21. SCARDELLI Nick, 22. BRADEKJI Jeremy, 36. MOORE Joshua
Yellow cards: nil
Red cards: nil
West City Crusaders 4 defeated by Dural Warriors 9
Dural Warriors confirmed their Premiership with a 9-4 result against West City Crusaders tonight at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium in a wild contest.
The first half was a close contest with the Warriors only leading through a single goal at 3-2. Crusaders poacher Kwadwo Boamah Addai fired home a brace while for Dural Warriors Greg and Wade Giovenali both found the back of the net alongside a Glen Kelshaw goal.
In the second half, it was one-way traffic with the visitors running away with the contest to confirm their trophy. Ahmed Sweedan scored a hat-trick as Brendan Hoyer the other Warrior on the scoresheet. For Crusaders Benjamin Lam was their lone scorer with Boamah Addai also shown a red card.
That result confirms that the undefeated Dural Warriors were crowned Premiers of the Futsal Premier League 2 competition as they look for a swift return to the top division. Now their focus turns to completing the undefeated season in the final two weeks.
South Coast Taipans 3 drew with SD Raiders Futsal 3
Both sides were forced to share the points after a thrilling 3-3 draw between South Coast Taipans and SD Raiders Futsal Sunday night at Illawarra Sports high.
Buoyed by their crushing victory on Saturday evening, Taipans were cruising in the first half of the contest where they strode out to a 2-nil lead so they looked prime to keep the pressure on Raiders Futsal Club in fourth spot. Kyle Del scored a brace alongside Mitchell Ferraro.
Taipans added a third goal to start the second half before they were shown a red card to Alex Masciovecchio which kickstarted the SD Raiders Futsal comeback. A side that does things the hard way, SD Raiders scored thrice through Matthew Barkho, Diego Molina and Sebastian Cal in the second half to snatch a point.
The result isn’t a terminal one for South Coast Taipans who remain two points outside the top four after picking up four points this weekend. For SD Raiders Futsal, it is a performance which will put a few more grey hairs on the head of Sergio Malfara but they remain in second spot.
Sydney Futsal Club 2 defeated by Raiders Futsal Club 5
Raiders Futsal Club held onto their spot in the top four after their 5-2 success against Sydney Futsal Club Sunday night at National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
The visitors put their loss on Saturday night behind them with a professional performance where the side led 4-1 at the break. Marko Filipovic, Nicholas Marco, Slaven Ljuboja and Adam Voloder all struck in that period to put the contest to bed.
Consistent goal scorer Jovan Miladinovic was the only Raiders Futsal Club player to find the back of the net in the second half which has helped the Raiders to put a two-point gap between them and the chasing South Coast Taipans headed into the final fortnight.
Sydney Futsal Club found goals in each half through Andrew Moussallam and Anthony Musumeci in the defeat which has left them rock bottom of the Futsal Premier League 2 competition ladder with only a fortnight left in their season.
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
