Round 12 Review – Futsal Premier League 2 Open Men’s
Round 12 in the Futsal Premier League 2 Open Mens was all about the late drama. There were some games which went right to the end and shows there is plenty to fight for. The top four remains in the balance into the last fortnight. Let’s get onto the review!
Sydney Futsal Club 2 defeated by Sydney City Eagles 3
Sydney City Eagles took the spoils in a 3-2 win over a spirited Sydney Futsal Club at NC of Indigenious Excellence on Sunday afternoon.
Sydney Futsal Club can hold their head up high after a big effort from the mostly young side against one of the top teams in the FPL2 Open Mens competition. Arsallan Mangal fired home twice early in the second half to bring it back to 2-2.
For Sydney City Eagles, it is a win which has them in second position headed into the final two weeks of the season. Patrick Antelmi scored a brace while Matthew Trotter slotted home the winner late in the contest.
On a humid afternoon in Sydney, these two sides set about their work quickly and established a fast pace for the contest. Both had some early shots which sent out a warning.
Patrick Antelmi had a pair of efforts in the 7th minute which started to break open the contest where the attacker fired wide on both attempts.
Looking to respond, Omid Mokhtar cut inside well for Sydney Futsal Club which fizzed wide then the hosts cut open the defence with a quick passing move before fading wide.
Sydney Futsal Club started to find their groove. Bruno Lariccia and Gustav Soerensen combined well for Soerensen to have an effort rattle the post.
It was an open contest despite being locked up at 0-0. Matthew Trotter and Antelmi both were denied by Sydney Futsal Club keeper Ata Hoveidaeifar in quick succession.
Sydney City Eagles did find an opener before halftime. Anthony Tomelic provided the pinpoint pass for Antelmi to back heel the ball home for 1-0.
Soon it was double delight for Sydney City Eagles. Antelmi was found well again, weaved past the defence and keeper to tap home and make it 2-0.
Sydney Futsal Club clawed a goal back before half-time. Arsallan Mangal finished off a quick passing move which saw him fire home for 2-1.
Andrew Ferrera almost had Sydney Futsal Club on level terms headed into the break but his effort after cutting in struck the post.
The hosts did equalise just after half-time. Once again, Mangal was the man of the moment. He wiggled past the defence and kept pushing before he lashed home for 2-2.
Antelmi had the chance for an instant response for the Eagles but thrashed the first of two efforts in the second half against the crossbar.
Eagles keeper Aaron Messina was called upon to keep the sides level when he produced a wonderful save on Ferrara as the hosts were pushing.
Sydney Futsal Club started to pile up the chances as they searched for an upset win against the Eagles. They moved the ball well but weren’t able to find the killer pass.
Mokhtar and Antelmi both had chances for their sides headed into the final stages of the game but neither could find the mark.
It was the Eagles who found the winner on Sunday. Another wonderful pass from Tomelic found Trotter wide open on the left and he swept home for 3-2.
Sydney Futsal Club pushed forward for another equaliser. Ferrara poked one wide of the mark and goal scorer Mangal fired high from a move as the final whistle sounded.
Post match the Sydney Futsal Club coach was delighted with the effort from the youngsters in his side and sent a message to his experienced charges:
“It got away from us, we got close. We are missing a lot of players and had some younger players on the court. The younger players stepped up and I think some of the older guys need to step and show their worth. We are missing the finals which we were expecting so we have a few games to show themselves and having the young players match it up with the Eagles gives us something to build to.” he said.
Sydney City Eagles player Robert Perre was happy to take away the points in a tight tussle which the side had to graft hard for:
“It was a bit frustrating and we made it hard for ourselves. They defended deep and we played into it, rushing into things and being ill disciplined. We got away with it due to our quality. We will take that every week.” said Perre.
MATCH STATS
Sunday 27 September 2022
NC of Indigenious Excellence
Sydney Futsal Club 2 (Mangal 2)
Sydney City Eagles 3 (Antelmi 2, Trotter)
Sydney Futsal Club: 6. FERRARA Andrew, 11. FEIJO Luca, 12. MOKHTAR Omid, 18. MAHDI Kaisem, 27. MANGAL Arsallan, 28. ANDRADE Lucas, 30. SOERENSEN Gustav, 41. DARDANO Fabrizio, 45. LARICCIA Bruno, 71. HOVEIDAEIFAR Ata
Yellow cards: Mokhtar
Red cards: nil
Sydney City Eagles: 1. DIMITRAKIS John, 2. MESSINA Aaron, 5. TOMELIC Anthony, 8. CIMINO Michael, 13. MORABITO John, 15. PERRE Robert, 19. TROTTER Matthew, 20. CREMONA Lachlan, 42. ANTELMI Patrick
Yellow cards: Antelmi
Red cards: nil
West City Crusaders 6 defeated by SD Raiders Futsal 7
In a wild encounter, SD Raiders Futsal triumphed 7-6 over West City Crusaders at PCYC Hawkesbury on Saturday afternoon.
The Crusaders held the lead for a majority of the game and had a 4-1 lead going into the break which would have seen them cause an upset especially shorthanded. Kwadwo Boamah-Addai fired home a brace while Jacob Parsons, Kurt Elborough, Ryan Faulkner and Guy Lee all found the back of the net.
SD Raiders Futsal roared into life in the second half helped by going for the extra man. Captain Simon Nicholas scored a hat-trick in the comeback win alongside doubles from Matthew Barkho and in form Martin Fernandez.
Raiders Futsal Club 2 defeated by Phoenix Futsal Club 5
Phoenix Futsal Club claimed a big scalp in their 5-2 win over Raiders Futsal Club at Thomas Hassell Anglican College.
The visitors showed a glimpse of their talent in the result where they led 2-0 going into the break and won their fourth game of the season. Jordan Smylie scored a pair of goals to take his tally for the year to 20 goals.
Phoenix Futsal Club’s other goal scorers were Ibrahim Sweedan in the first half while Cody Peluso and Daanish Awaz scored in a flurry in the final few minutes. The result snapped the back-to-back streak of losses they came into the game with.
Raiders Futsal Club were on a hot streak before it was broken on Saturday night which has seen them drop from top spot on the ladder. Their goals both came in the second half to Goran Ljuboja and Christopher Godoy Bascur.
South Coast Taipans 3 drew with Boomerangs FS 3
The Saturday night fixture saw South Coast Taipans and Boomerangs FS draw 3-3 in a pulsating contest at UOW Sports Hub.
This was a big fixture in the context of South Coast Taipans season and the hosts were in fine form early in the contest. Giovanni Panuccio bookended the result with his pair of goals while Jyden Harb also found the back of the net.
Boomerangs FS played their part in a thrilling game of futsal. It has also helped almost secure them a spot in the FPL2 Open Mens top four. Michael Rinaudo and Nicholas Dahl both scored in the second half alongside an own goal.
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
