Round 10 Wrap up | 2020-2021 Macron SFL WA

Perth Longobarda FC 9 – 0 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

League leaders Longobarda cemented their position at the summit with a commanding 5 star performance by spearhead Alex Kretowicz. Canning had entered the match with confidence, on the back of their inspiring victory over Cockburn in Round 9, but in Longobarda, they came up against a team that are well drilled & that had won their previous 6 matches. Longo pressed The Ultra Tigers the entire match, depriving them of possession, with Kretowicz temporarily rising to the top of the goalscoring charts with 4 goals in the first half & a 5th in the second (18 goals in 9 matches). He was ably supported by a double from Graziano Lucisano (7 goals in 9 matches), and singles to Philipp Alimov (3 goals in 8 matches) and Darko Mikic (4 goals in 5 matches). Head coach Brian Watkins would have been delighted with the clean sheet as well, kept by understudy Scott Duffy, as Ricardo Louro served the 1st of his 2 match suspension.

Fremantle FC 3 – 3 South Perth FC

The Canning Hwy derby ended up being the match-of-the-round, with both sides having to settle for an entertaining draw. SFL MVP Danilo Neves (4 goals in 10 matches) opened the scoring early in the 1st half with a smartly taken free kick. South Perth are made of sterner stuff this season and responded with strikes from Luka Bergomi (5 goals in 10 matches) and Justin Pearce (5 goals in 8 matches) to take the lead into the half-time break. As we have seen several times already this season, Fremantle too are a hard nut to crack, as they equalised early in the 2nd half via academy product Benji Mikhael (4 goals in 9 matches). And when Fremantle took the lead via speed gun Halil Russo (3 goals in 6 matches) with 2 minutes to go, it looked like South Perth were about to succumb to their 3rd loss in a row. But, a late 5th man play saw off-season recruit Remo Capitani (8 goals in 10 matches) equalise with seconds to go as the 2 sides played out a classic. Fremantle retained 7th on the ladder as South Perth as well remained in 3rd spot.

Murdoch Warriors FC 2 – 5 Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC

Murdoch’s rough patch extended to 7 matches as a relentless Rockingham kept the pressure on table-topping Longobarda. The Warriors started well, with a late 1st half goal from academy product Justin Tang (5 goals in 9 matches) giving them a well-earned half-time lead. But, ill-discipline from captain Meysam Kanani saw him get a 2nd yellow of the half and Murdoch down a player, whilst already light on the bench. Despite the loss of their inspirational captain, Murdoch kept Cumbre at bay until midway through the 2nd half, when the lack of numbers off the subs bench started to tell and a determined Rockingham came to the fore: doubles from the returning Mason Vojdani (2 goals in 4 matches) and young gun Tyler Garner (11 goals in 10 matches), along with a strike from captain Michael Lino (5 goals in 10 matches) settled the encounter. Murdoch responded via Joel Di Toro (2 goals in 6 matches). Credit to former Cumbre custodian Ahmad Rahimi who kept his former teammates at bay for nearly 30 minutes. The defeat saw The Warriors drop to even further unfamiliar territory, 10th on the ladder, whilst Rockingham remain 2 points off the summit.

Curtin Footbalista FC 2 – 5 Perth Lions FA

Curtin were looking for back-to-back wins for the 1st time this season, but in The Lions they found an adversary in very good form. The Lions have roared their way to 5th on the ladder and took a commanding 3 goal lead via spearhead Jamal Yusof (16 goals in 10 matches), Stephen Humble (1 goal in 3 matches) and young gun Ali Milhem (7 goals in 10 matches). Footbalista responded just before half time via new recruit Hazrat Akhlaqi (6 goals in 10 matches) to give them some hope going into the 2nd half. But, a stunning strike from Yusof restored the 3 goal advantage early in the 2nd half, and although Curtin replied via Keivan Baghban’s 1st goal of the season, Lions captain Bakr Al-Qaraghuli (8 goals in 10 matches) settled the encounter. The Lions are flying high on the back of the 5th win of the season, and, with their draft team leading the DSFL league, their strength in depth will be of value into the 2nd half of the season, following the Christmas break.

Joondalup ECU Jets 1 – 3 Balga FC

Joondalup kept Balga at bay for large parts of this match, thanks to an inspired performance by goalkeeper Moutasim Al-Busaidi. But, once Balga captain Luqman Sayyed scored (4 goals in 10 matches), the game changed, as ECU were now chasing a result. An unfortunate own goal by The Jets gave Balga a 2 goal advantage into the half-time break. When Joondalup spearhead Luke Palmateer (6 goals in 7 matches) scored late in the 2nd half, ECU were suddenly back in the match. It took the silky skills of Conor O’Driscoll (9 goals in 9 matches) to eventually settle this match, as Balga moved up to 9th on the ladder, 6 points outside the Top 6.

Cockburn EWA FC 6 – 4 Perth AFC

When 2 high scoring sides clash, an entertaining match ensues. Cockburn were looking to bounce back from their shock loss to Canning, but AFC surprised them by taking an early 2 goal lead via Ivan Palermo (5 goals in 9 matches) and Oscar Pit (3 goals in 9 matches). EWA responded well, with strikes from Brandon De Abreu (1 goal in 7 matches) and man-of-the-match Niko Cvijanovic (5 goals in 9 matches) to restore parity at half-time. When Jesse Lazzaro, in his first start of the season, and Deklan Burdle (2 goals in 5 matches) scored early in the 2nd half, it looked like curtains for AFC. But, Palermo’s 2nd brought them back into the contest, only for young guns James Eustace (2 goals in 7 matches) and Igor Cvijanovic (4 goals in 4 matches) to take Cockburn into their largest lead of the match. A late consolation from Pit demonstrated AFC’s striking strength. EWA retain 4th on the ladder, whilst AFC remain in 9th spot.

Byford Venom FC 1 – 10 Stirling Braza Ginga FC

Byford were rocked for the 2nd week running, as the late fightback by Canning 3 weeks ago appears to have dented their confidence. Stirling were impressive in gaining their 3rd win in a row, as they increased their lead over 7th placed Fremantle to 4 points. The charismatic Victor Brauner (20 goals in 10 matches) once again starred with a 4 goal performance taking him back to the top of the goal scoring charts. He was ably assisted by a double from the returning Thiago Mesquita (2 goals in 3 matches), and Claudio Tavares (1 goal in 2 matches). Young guns Fahed Kassis (4 goals in 9 matches) and Connor Crews (3 goals in 9 matches) also contributed. A late consolation by Zach Heerema (1 goal in 10 matches) the only bright spot in a match that Byford struggled to find their feet in. Credit also to Alistar Jongeing who made a string of saves for The Venom.