Series Futsal Victoria, Round 17, 2019/20
Campbellfield FC 10–2 Regent FC
CAM- U. Cicek 4, M. Nguyen 2, S. Soufi, F. Albuquerque &
N. Pham
REG- Fundi & M. Ahmed
Our first fixture was a relegation battle for the ages as this was a must-win fixture for a Regent side seeking to escape the automatic relagation spot whilst Campbellfield look to escape the zone completely.
Cambo kicked off the game strong with a quick opener from an Ubeyde Cicek free kick. He struck from distance and placed the ball precisely around the wall and into the bottom corner. Not long after, Michael Nguyen and Henrique Pimenta both would score tap-ins to make it 3-0, but Regent didn’t let them get away with it as Fundi struck from the flank to compensate. Regent closed the half with another goal through a tap-in from Mubarak Ahmed, which promised us an interesting second half as we sat at 3-2.
Campbellfield went into the second half leading, and only saw their lead stretch as they fired multiple goals past a lacklustre Regent side. It was a second half cleansheet, Cicek hattrick, a second Nguyen goal and firsts for Nam Pham, Sofiane Soufi and Fabio Albuquerque that allowed for Cambo to run away with this one 10-2. A man of the match performance for Cicek saw him get two assists and four goals as he stood out massively in an important win for his side.
Man of the Match: Ubeyde Cicek (Campbellfield FC)
Altona Knights FC 6–2 Western Wolves FC
ALT- D. Piosi 2, E. Ponari, K. Hassany, M. Saric & Z.
Galanopoulos
WOL- S. Oraha & l. Ramadan
Our next clash saw a seemingly in-form Altona Knights side take on a strong Western Wolves in a battle that will provide more meets than what meets the eye.
This one was dramatic from the get-go as Karrar Hassany found himself scoring his first goal of the season in a highly important match. Altona didn’t slow down though as Edison Ponari fired one of his own in an effort to take the game away from Wolves early. David Piosi would then score a brace for Altona, but it was met with two wolves goals, one from Salmon Oraha and one from Lokman Ramadan. The first half ended 4-2 in Altona’s favour as Wolves’ looked for a resurgent second half.
The second half saw the drama continue as Altona’s air-tight defence became untouchable. They held a dangerous Wolves’ attack to 0 second half goals, whilst extending their lead further. An empathic Mark Saric finish after errors at the back from Wolves made it 5-2, and a Zois Galanopoulos finish topped off the game and a fantastic performance for Altona.
Man of the Match: Karrar Hassany (Altona Knights FC)
Pascoe Vale FC 3–3 (1-0 Penalties) Fitzroy FC
PVA- A. Gomez, A. Caro & A. Lima
FIT- J. Soufis, S. Gluhak & C. Sewell
Next up was the SFV El Classico as Fitzroy looked to slow down Pascoe Vale in their hopes to edge closer to their first title in 6 seasons.
Our first half was a contest of the highest quality as both sides tested each-other to the limit, as expected. Pascoe Vale may have broke first blood through a fantastic Andre Caro strike from distance, but it was Fitzroy who held most of the chances, with Corey Sewell missing an absolute sitter at the back post to the stadium’s disbelief. Quality chances but better goalkeeping from Pascoe’s number meant that Fitzroy were left trailing after the first half.
Our second half began with a bang as Corey Sewell equalised emphatically with a header off of a Peter Tamburrino assist. The injured Alejandro Gomez would take to the court though and have his say as he took the lead back though with a fantastic left foot strike into the near-post corner. The match remained back and forth with both sides having chances, but it was Sinan Gluhak’s tap-in from close range that made the game all square once again. With the minutes running down Pascoe were becoming desperate for a winner, which they believed they found through Alison Lima’s close range finish but it was none-other than Jimmy Soufis who struck a corner into the area, which deflected into the back of the net with under 10 seconds to go to take the game into penalties.
The penalties saw Fitzroy struggle to beat an incredible Reza Behbahani as he kept all the takers out from scoring, whilst Andre Caro’s strike saw Pascoe take the three points and maintain their spot on top of the ladder.
Man of the Match: Reza Behbahani (Pascoe Vale FC)
Moreland FC 5–4 Carlton Heart FC
MOR- C. Russo 2, L. Vaz, J. Filho & A. Ibrahim
CAR- C. Rajab 2, A. Diaz & D. Aliano
Our last match pitted a Moreland side desperate to redeem themselves after falling to Carlton Heart once in the semi-finals of the club’s cup already. Carlton would look to edge away from the relegation zone further with a monumental win if they could pull it off again.
Our first half kicked off with Moreland on the strong foot as Cosimo Russo powerfully struck the goal to take his side in front. The lead didn’t last long though, with Chaaban Rajab striking a fantastic free kick to equalise from distance. It was a Daniel Aliano header that took the slightest touch off of the youngster that took the lead for Carlton, and an Arturo Diaz goal that stretched it further. Challenges were made and insults were thrown as this one heated up in the closing minutes of the half.
Our second half had eyes peeled as Carlton managed to hold onto the lead for a few minutes, before eventually falling to the star-studded Moreland team. Although Rajab’s header to make his brace did keep his side in it for majority of the half, it was the Lucas Vaz and Russo goals that allowed for Moreland to keep up. A Jose Filho equaliser set Moreland up for the eventual Atay Ibrahim winner with under two minutes to go. The win sees Moreland maintain their pressure on league leaders Pascoe Vale who sit just three points ahead.
Man of the Match: Atay Ibrahim (Moreland FC)
