Monday, 3 May 2010 12:36 PM
By Liam Coventry-Poole – courtesy of the FFV (Photo by Cindy NItsos)
Richmond have overcome South Melbourne 3-0 in frosty conditions at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night, in a free flowing game that saw three separate goal scorers for an inform Richmond outfit.
Richmond had the opener in the sixth minute courtesy of a free header from Erhan Karahan after a great strike from a corner to the near post. Karahan finished with style, with a well-placed head into the bottom left-hand corner of the net, giving South Melbourne keeper Peter Zois no chance.
Karahan was busy again in the 14th minute with a decent hit on goal that found itself into the chest of Peter Zois.
Richmond continued to pressure the South Melbourne box with encouraging link up play between David Scullion and Erhan Karahan, creating numerous crosses going into the path of the Richmond front row, but they couldn’t muster any genuine shots on goal.
Richmond’s second corner looked just as dangerous as the first, once again finding Karahan on the near post, but he couldn’t get a clean head on the ball, with the rebound finding itself at the feet of Michael Catalano, whose half volley was only denied but a block from a number of bodies.
Karahan’s pressure down the left wing continued, with a decent left-foot cross almost finding the head of Milos Lujic, only yards out from goal.
South began to get into the game after the 30th minute, with a five minute purple patch of countless corners and dangerous balls into the box, but they couldn’t produce any genuine shots on goal until Carl Recchia found the back of the net, but it was disallowed by the referee’s whistle for a foul on the Richmond goalkeeper Stjepan Gal.
Richmond punished South Melbourne for their missed chances and scored against the run of play via a brilliant effort by David Scullion. After Scullion looked to lose the ball he set up a well manifested one-two with Michael Catalano, where he then broke through the defence and put it away with a classy finish.
The game opened right up, as South began to press again, with half chances falling to Eddie Cetkin and Fernando De Moraes, but they still couldn’t capitalise on any of this pressure, looking at a two goal deficient, going into the second half.
The second half immediately went back to the free flowing game it was on the brink of half time, as Scullion and Karahan were at it once again with some great link up play down the left after a couple of dangerous counter-attacks.
South Melbourne began to create chances for themselves at the 50th minute mark with Gianni De Nittis through on goal, but once again rued his chance, forcing a great save by Gal.
As he did at the end of the first half, Fernando De Moraes found himself unmarked at the far post, but yet again his volley went just wide of the post.
The South Melbourne barrage of chances continued into the half, with Steven O’Dor missing a chance in the box, and Daniel Vasilevski hitting the right hand post from the edge of the penalty area.
It looked like it was just a matter of time until South Melbourne seized one back. De Nittis found himself one out with Gal after an embarrassing mistake by Richmond defender Antun Kovacic, however instead of taking the shot, De Nittis confused the South supporters by attempting to cross the ball to an unmarked De Moraes, and the ball was easily cleared.
Richmond began to get back into the game with decent chances coming from a Milos Lujic header which went extremely close, and Daniel Visevic, whose free kick scraped the top of the crossbar in the 76th minute.
One minute later Richmond ruined any glimmer of hope of a South Melbourne comeback when substitute Krncevic headed home a centre metre perfect lob cross from influential Daniel Visevic, putting the nail in the coffin.
The game went quiet in the last ten minutes, with the exception of a close lob shot by Richmond’s Visevic, and the match ended with a 3-0 victory to Richmond, a score line which failed to tell the entire story.
Next week Richmond travel to Altona to face the Magic, while South Melbourne are at home to the Oakleigh Cannons.