Blistering first-half earns United 58 Waratah Cup final place
Sydney United 58 secured a Waratah Cup final birth with a convincing 6-1 win against Inter Lions at Sydney United Sports Centre on Wednesday night.
United found themselves 5-0 by the break with Patrick Antelmi picking up a four-goal haul while Glen Trifiro also scored.
It was a much quieter second half as Owen Duke scored a consolation for the Lions with five minutes to play before Christopher Payne re-extended Sydney United’s lead.
The visitors had an early chance with Duke finding himself in-behind the right channel and flashing one across the face of the goal within 60 seconds.
From there, it was all Sydney United 58 as blasted their opponents away in a sensational first half from last season’s runners-up.
The side opened the scoring inside five minutes.
A slick move from the hosts saw Bailey Rule slipped in behind in the right of the box.
The fullback slid the ball across to Antelmi who had the simple task of knocking it in from close in.
Five minutes later, United doubled their lead with an almost identical build-up to their first.
Rule once again getting down the right and finding Antelmi in the middle of the box; the forward guiding a low effort inside the left post.
It just kept getting better for United as they added a third goal 21 minutes in.
Glen Trifiro bent a beautiful free-kick from the left edge of the box towards the top left corner that Lions’ goalkeeper Patrick Fouracre could only parry further into the goal.
A flying first quarter of the game from Sydney United had the team in a commanding position with a place in the Waratah Cup final in clear view.
Antelmi notched his hat-trick with four first-half minutes to play lashing home a left-footed strike from the left of the box past Fouracre.
Just three minutes later Antelmi had his fourth, converting Matthew Bilic’s left-sided cross with another accurate finish into the far corner.
The home side went into the sheds having put Inter Lions to the sword in the first period.
Trifiro was denied his second goal five minutes into the second half when another curling free-kick was tipped around the left post by Fouracre.
A special moment came in the 68th minute when teenage goalkeeper Ryan Warner made his Sydney United debut coming off the bench as an outfield player.
Two minutes later, Inter Lions’ substitute Nicholas Paras saw his free-kick batted away by United goalkeeper Luke Cukar.
With five minutes to go, the Lions pulled a goal back.
Duke latched onto a ball over the top into the right channel, touching it beyond an onrushing Cukar and watching it bounce into the roof of the net.
However, just four minutes later United restored their five-goal advantage.
Payne directed a well-struck effort into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box following Bilic’s left-sided cross.
In the dying embers of the match, the Lions had two opportunities to score another consolation.
Oliver Green was denied by a top save from Cukar before Ante Bakmaz headed the follow-up off the line.
In the end, all the hard work was done by Sydney United in the first half as they earned another shot at silverware.
The United 58 boys will now await the winner of APIA Leichhardt v Mt Druitt Town Rangers who face off on Wednesday 28th of June at Lambert Park to determine who their 2023 Waratah Cup Final opponents will be.
Match Stats
Sydney United 58 FC 6 (Patrick Antelmi 5’ 10’ 41’ 44’, Glen Trifiro 21’, Christopher Payne 89’)
Inter Lions FC 1 (Owen Duke 85’)
Wednesday 14 June 2023
Sydney United Sports Centre, Edensor Park
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Sydney United 58: 20. Luke Cukar (GK), 2. Cristian Gonzalez, 3. Bailey Rule, 4. Adrian Vlastelica (C) (11. Yianni Perkatis 60’), 5. Anthony Tomelic, 9. Patrick Antelmi (6. Christopher Payne 46’), 10. Devante Clut (14. Andreas Agamemnonos 60’), 16. Ante Bakmaz, 17. Matthew Bilic, 18. Glen Trifiro (45. Ryan Warner 68’), 21. Yianni Fragogiannis (7. Taisei Kaneko 46’)
Substitutes Not Used: Nil
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Inter Lions FC: 1. Patrick Fouracre (GK), 4. Alex Becerra, 6. Evan Patramanis (10. Nicholas Paras 67’), 7. Owen Duke, 8. Patrick Scibilio (9. Oliver Green 46’), 11. Fikret Berisha (2. Billy Patramanis 46’), 12. Sam Armson, 15. Stephen Athanaseris (16. Ellis Bellos 73’), 19. Giuseppe Tilio, 20. Daniel Georgievski, 23. Lachlan Everett
Substitutes Not Used: 21. Anthony Costa (GK)
Yellow Cards: Owen Duke 38’, Evan Patramanis 50’
Red Cards: Nil
Report by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
