Oakleigh Cannons have advanced to the National Premier League semi-finals overcoming Green Gully 5-2 in a thrilling encounter at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday night.
It was a classic finals dual that ebbed and flowed throughout the 90 minutes, but it was the Cannons who prevailed thanks to their potency in the attacking third.
The frenetic opening set the tone for the remainder of the evening as Gully struck first on 14 minutes after John Honos fumbled Jay Davies cross and was punished by Liam Boland who drilled a low shot past the Cannons custodian.
Just two minutes later the home side found an equaliser from an unlikely source in Steve Pantelidis. The defender diverted a cross from Goran Zoric past Rani Dowisha; the perfect time to score his first goal of the season.
Zoric was proving to be a handful for the Gully defence with his direct dribbling and trickery and on 28 minutes he would put the Cannons ahead with a cool finish with the outside of his right boot.
Nine minutes into the second half Oakleigh added a third when Dean Piemonte swung in another delicious ball in that found Adrian Chiappetta at the back post who nodded the ball home from close range.
Gully refused to lie down and they pulled one back through substitute Nicholas Krousoratis as he latched onto a header that was flicked on by Boland.
The Cannons responded to every Gully challenge and they did so once again with a quarter of an hour remaining courtesy of a stunning volley from Dimitri Hatzimouratis, after a smartly dinked pass by Piemonte teed up the striker – his 15th of the campaign.
That strike proved to be a crushing blow for Arthur Papas’ side, and the Cannons put the icing on the cake two minutes later when Hatzimouratis turned provider laying it off for Dusan Bosjnak who rolled the ball into the net after another swift counter-attack.
It was Bosjnak’s 21st goal of the campaign as he continues his superb season.
Tempers flared before the final whistle as Sean Lovemore and Luke Walker ignited a scuffle between both sets of players, but in the end it was Oakleigh’s night as they deservedly progress to face either Bentleigh Greens or Heidelberg United next week.
The Peak:
With Gully pulling a goal back to make it 3-2, the game was very much on a knife’s edge as the momentum threatened to swing back in the visitors favour.
That was snuffed out almost immediately as Piemonte linked up with Hatzimouratis before the latter unleashed a rasping volley that sent the Cannons faithful into raptures.
You will struggle to see a better goal this finals series than that from Oakleigh’s number 11.
The Trough:
Containing one of the most experienced defensive units in the league, Gully were uncharacteristically disjointed at the back as the Cannons picked them apart at will.
Lapses in concentration also cost the visitors dearly as they were guilty of conceding just minutes after scoring twice.
Allowing Oakleigh to restore their two goal lead after clawing their way back into the contest knocked the stuffing out the visitors.
The Game Breaker:
Goran Zoric was instrumental in dragging the Cannons back into the match after they went a goal down early in the first half.
Zoric was electrifying down Oakleigh’s right hand side as he took the game by the scruff of the neck in a devastating 15 minute period.
The winger provided a menacing cross that found Pantelidis for the home side’s equaliser before he put the Cannons ahead with a smartly taken finish.
What We Learned:
Last night’s barnstorming performance from Oakleigh is an another example of how destructive they can be – especially in the final third.
The attacking trio of: Bosjnak, Hatziouratis and Piemonte have 44 goals between them and they’re all capable of producing moments of individual brilliance at any given time.
Add Goran Zoric that the equation and you have a quartet full of x-factor that are a handful to contain when firing on all cylinders.
Peter Tsolakis’ charges will hold no fear whoever their opponent is next week – and why should they with the offensive artillery they possess.
For Gully they will lick their wounds and turn their attention to next Tuesday’s FFA Cup clash against NPL rivals the Melbourne Knights.
They can be happy with their marked improvement from last season’s seventh place finish, with a first finals appearance since 2013 a big step in the right direction.
Teams:
Oakleigh Cannons: Honos, Chiappetta, Lambropoulos, Pantelidis, Rizk, Okud, Piemonte, Stratomitros, Zoric, Bosjnak, Hatzimouratis.
Green Gully: Dowisha, Reid, Jones, Vargas, Richardson, Murphy, Lambadaridis, Christodoulou, Davies, Walker, Boland.