Monday, 2 March 2009 11:28 AM
Dandenong Thunder have commenced Victorian Premier League life in stunning style by defeating South Melbourne FC at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday evening.
South came into the game in form following a clinical 3-0 victory over Heidelberg last Sunday in the Hellenic Cup final and had high expectations going into today’s game.
Dandenong on the other hand came into the game as an unknown quantity with plenty of VPL experience in former South Melbourne NSL players Levent Osman and Marcus Stergiopoulos, as well as former Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Stuart Webster.
The first half started off in true round 1 fashion, with both sides coming out of the blocks quite slowly in an attempt to feel out their opponents.
South’s first genuine goal scoring opportunity came when former New Zealand International hit the upright from a tight angle, following some excellent work by Goran Zoric on the left flank.
Dandenong, despite ample possession really didn’t muster an opportunity until former South winger Hamlet Armenian broke down the right to send a dangerous cross into the path of Colin Quirk who failed to capitalise on the golden chance.
However it was Dandenong that would go into the break with a one goal advantage following a mix-up in the South Melbourne defence that saw newly appointed club captain Rama Tavsancioglu slot the ball past a helpless Tommi Tomich in goal.
The second half commenced in a similar manner to the first, with both sides quite reserved in the opening 20-25 minutes of play.
South though seemingly had the better opportunities of the period, with both Goran Zoric and Joseph Youssef having chances foiled by the desperate Thunder defence.
With Dandenong sitting back, South continued to pile on the pressure and with five minutes to go missed another chance at goal, with another Zoric shot being blocked by the defence.
As the whistle blew, hundreds of travelling Thunder fans hailed the victory, their first ever in the Victorian Premier League.
