Round 1 Wrap up | 2020-2021 Macron SFL WA

Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC 7 – 0 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

The highly anticipated 2020-2021 Macron State Futsal League season commenced with minor premiers Rockingham jumping straight to the top of the table with a dominant performance against Canning. Despite little transfer activity in the off-season, Cumbre were clinical against The Ultra Tigers taking a 3 goal half-time lead with strikes from stalwarts Faris Noor Rani, Nestor Fonseca & Tyler Garner. The 2nd half was just as impressive with strikes from Darrell Pragash, new captain Michael Lino, and Noor Rani & Garner completing their doubles. Canning battled hard to get on the scoresheet, but a combination of Rain Blauberg & good defending kept them at bay.

South Perth FC 6 – 5 Perth Lions Futsal Academy

The 2 busiest clubs in the transfer market clashed in an enthralling encounter. With South Perth and The Lions having recruited heavily during the off-season, all eyes were on the 2 ambitious clubs, looking to break into the Top 6 this season. It was The Lions who started on fire, with last season’s leading goalscorer Jamal Yusof scoring twice in the 1st half and new recruit Wim Harihiru completing a comfortable 3 nil half-time lead. South Perth responded early in the 2nd half with a strike from Daniel Muzzarelli, as the match heated up & the yellow cards started flowing. The Lions new captain Baqr Al-Qaraghuli restored the 3 goal advantage, midway through the 2nd half, only for South Perth to go on a scoring spree with 5 goals in 8 minutes to turn this match upside down; with Remo Capitani opening his account for his new club, Muzzarelli completing his hattrick on his debut for South Perth, and Filip Rojnica contributing with a blistering double. Yusof got one back late on for The Lions, to complete his very own hattrick, but the time ran out & South Perth stole victory from the jaws of defeat.

Curtin Footbalista FC 4 – 2 Perth AFC

Two sides looking to improve on their fortunes from last season met in another closely fought encounter. Curtin, sporting several new recruits, started well, with a goal from Moreno Cappello. AFC responded with a goal from academy product Jak Attfield to tie the match at half-time. Captain Nathan Thorp gave AFC the lead from a set play in the 2nd half, but late goals from the ever-present Farzam Mehrabi and Hesam Mizan turned the match around for Footbalista. And, with the last play of the match, a long throw from Milad Sabbagh found the head of Hazrat Akhlaqi to seal the victory.

Cockburn EWA FC 5 – 3 Byford Venom FC

Saturday’s proceedings opened with an intriguing encounter between 2 clubs under new management. Cockburn, under the tutelage of Diego Garcia, started strong, keeping Byford pinned in their half, and forced Tom Amoraal into several excellent saves, before man-of-the-match Mark Gavranic scored with an exquisite chip. Gavranic doubled the lead shortly after, before The Venom, under the guidance of new head coach Edgardo Garrido, hit back twice late in the 1st half with goals from Vaughan Audrain & Brodie Stevens to square the ledger at half-time. EWA came out firing again in the 2nd half with goals from Deklan Burdle, Gavranic (for his hattrick) and Alex Gamble to finally settle the encounter. The lively Audrain, with his 2nd, gave Byford the final word in this enticing encounter, to show that The Venom will have more bite this season.

Murdoch Warriors FC 3 – 2 Stirling Braza Ginga FC

The match-of-the-round and what a way to kick off the new season with a repeat of the most exciting match of last season’s finals campaign. Murdoch avenged their heart-breaking loss to Stirling by upsetting the reigning playoff champions in a captivating encounter. Connor Crews opened the scoring early in the 1st half for Braza, only for Justin Tang to equalise for The Warriors midway through the half. Crews doubled his & his side’s tally late in the half before a flurry of yellow cards brought the half to a close. The 2nd half was a tightly fought affair, with Alex Basto restoring parity for Murdoch, and, with virtually the last kick of the match, Basto scored to the winner for The Warriors to kickstart their season in fine fashion. A worthy mention to Murdoch recruit Ahmad Rahimi, who excelled in goals.

Fremantle FC 4 – 3 Balga FC

In another mouth-watering encounter Fremantle outlasted Balga in a fast paced match. Fremantle flew out of the blocks, with their high intensity & fast moving futsal keeping Balga under pressure. But it took until the 16th min for Fremantle to take the lead via academy product Jake Pizzuto. Balga equalised on the stroke of half-time with a fine strike from captain Luqman Sayyed. Last season’s Most Valuable Player Danilo Neves restored Fremantle’s lead early in the 2nd half, only for the enigmatic Eraste Vyamungu to restore parity once again. Quickfire goals from captain Liam Cummins and academy product Benji Mikhael gave Fremantle a 2 goal buffer, until a late own goal made it a tense finish.

Perth Longobarda FC 4 – 3 Joondalup ECU Jets

Another 7 goal thriller left us thrilled at the prospect of an even tighter season than we experience last time around. And, as with The Lions encounter against South Perth, The Jets were left to rue what might have been.. Man-of-the-match Jan Cok opened the scoring for Longobarda early in the 1st half, only for Joondalup to score 3 quickfire goals via Luke Palmateer, Paul Grant and Joe Higgins to take a solid lead at half-time. A 2nd half double from Cok (to complete his hattrick) and the winner from Jon Bucolo saw Longo coach Brian Watkins outmanoeuvre The Jets counterpart Felippe Testa. A scintillating ending to captivating 1st round of the new season of The Macron State Futsal League. What will round 2 have on offer?