SMFC team photo before kick-off against Oakleigh Cannons, Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 9 March 2018. (PHOTO: Goal! Weekly).
South Melbourne FC suffered its first competitive defeat in 2018, losing 4-1 against the Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday night.
Sasa Kolman’s side began the match strongly but the final ball in the area let South down throughout the first half. They were made to pay for this early in the second half when Dean Piemonte expertly chipped Keegan Coulter to open the scoring for the home side. Substitute Oliver Minatel had South level minutes later with a goal that the match officials thought he had scored with his head when it fact it was with his hand.
The controversy surrounding the goal mattered little as the Cannons retook the lead shortly after through a Ryan Paczkowski header. There was five minutes of madness as South conceded two more goals in the space of two minutes, firstly with an unmarked Giuseppe Marafioti tap-in at the back post before Kristian Konstantinidis was caught trying to dribble out of defence, with the ball eventually falling to Goran Zoric to score Oakleigh’s fourth and final goal.
Post-match, Kolman remained upbeat. “We had a 10-15 minute period where we were poor. On another night it could have been 2-0 to us [in the first half, instead of 0-0]. That’s football. We have only been together a short time and will keep working on our structure.”
In the Under 20s match played prior to the Seniors, South Melbourne missed an injury time penalty as it drew 2-2 with the Oakleigh Cannons. Andrew Mesourouni and Tristan Meaker scored South’s goals.
FINAL SCORE: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 4-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)
Goals:
1-0: Dean Piemonte (47′)
1-1: Oliver Minatel (50′)
2-1: Ryan Paczkowski (52′)
3-1: Giuseppe Marafioti (72′)
4-1: Goran Zoric (74′)
Oakleigh Cannons:
1. John Honos (GK) (c), 2. Tom Matthews, 7. Ryan Paczkowski, 8. Dusan Bosnjak, 10. Dean Piemonte (26. Thomas Podaridis 84′), 17. Giuseppe Marafioti, 18. Steve Pantelidis (16. Mehdi Sarwari 19′), 19. Goran Zoric (11. Wade Dekker 77′), 21. Konstantinos Stratomitros, 22. Anthony Rizk, 23. Shayan Alinejad.
Unused Substitutes: 4. Wayne Wallace, 95. Evan Kraloglou (GK).
Yellow Cards: Marafioti 18′, Stratomitros 23′, Piemonte 42′, Sarwari 65′.
South Melbourne:
1. Keegan Coulter (GK) / 23. Matthew Foschini, 3. Kristian Konstantinidis (20. Ajdin Fetahagic 88′), 39. Christos Intzidis, 11. Brad Norton (c) / 12. Iqi Jawadi (8. Luke Pavlou 75′), 18. Matthew Millar / 17. Andy Brennan (19. Oliver Minatel 46′), 7. Nick Epifano, 27. Leigh Minopoulos / 9. Milos Lujic.
Unused Substitutes: 16. Josh Hodes, 21. Amir Jashari (GK).
Yellow Cards: None.