Round 12 Wrap up | 2020-2021 Macron SFL WA

As the Macron State Futsal League went into a 2 week break, Christmas came early for Rockingham, South Perth, Stirling, Balga, Canning, AFC & Byford as we saw the 2 form sides of the league lose, and a change at the summit.

Curtin Footbalista FC 2 – 5 South Perth FC

The final round before the Christmas break opened with an entertaining encounter, in a match of 2 halves. South Perth started with purpose, and an early own-goal gave them the advantage. Curtin responded with a double from Moreno Cappello who came on off the bench to give Footbalista the advantage at the halfway mark. South Perth started the 2nd half with more determination and 2 quickfire strikes from Remo Capitani and Robert Armellini turned this match around. Late strikes from Filip Rojnica and Armellini’s 2nd settled the encounter as Curtin went 5th man to chase a result. South Perth cemented their position in the Top 3 as a result of this solid win.

Perth Longobarda FC 1 – 4 Stirling Braza Ginga FC

Longobarda’s 8 match winning run came to a halt against a determined Stirling. A cagey 1st half was blown wide open by a late strike from young gun Connor Crews to give Braza the edge at half time. Longobarda responded early in the 2nd half with a goal from the impressive Jan Cok. And Longo were in this match until Victor Brauner took over to give Stirling the lead once again, midway through the 2nd half, and late strikes from Chris Rocchi and Claudio Tavares sealed a season-defining victory for Braza, who did well to neutralise the dangerous Alex Kretowicz. Brauner’s solitary strike took him to the summit of the goalscoring charts, 1 ahead of Kretowicz. The loss saw Longo surrender the summit after spending 3 weeks there, whilst Stirling bolstered their hold on 6th spot.

Cockburn EWA FC 3 – 4 Balga FC

Yet another absorbing match up with Balga coming out on top in a 7 goal thriller. Both sides entered this match with confidence, and they exchanged blows time & again; Eraste Vyamungu opened the ledger for Balga, and Mark Gavranic responded soon after for Cockburn. When Conor O’Driscoll restored Balga’s lead, Igor Cvijanovic answered back for EWA, to send the sides balanced at the halfway mark. A piece of ingenuity from Balga’s keeper Michael Dudek gave his side the lead once again, against his former side, but yet again Cockburn battled back with a strike from brandon De Abreu. It took man-of-the-match O’Driscoll with his 2nd goal to settle this seesawing encounter for Balga, who refuse to draw their matches. As much as EWA tried, Balga held on to jump to 7th on the ladder, ahead of Fremantle.

Murdoch Warriors FC 4 – 5 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

Two sides keen on ending 2020 on a high, battled in a fluctuating encounter, in which Canning came out on top. Murdoch started well, with Masoud Kanani giving them the lead, midway through the 1st half. Canning mainstays Shaz Ramlee and Afiq Mutalip responded for The Ultra Tigers to give them a slender lead, which was wiped out by Kanani’s 2nd to send the side level at the halfway point of the match. Canning started the 2nd half brightly with Tarek Atta restoring their lead, but an own goal and a Joel Di Toro strike gave The Warriors the lead. A late double from Canning target Josh Watkins settled the encounter, as Canning claimed their 2nd win of the season, with both victories coming against Top 6 finalists from last season. The victory saw Canning climb to 12th on the ladder, as Murdoch remained in 10th spot.

Fremantle FC 0 – 6 Perth AFC

In a round that was filled with surprises, AFC thumped an impotent Fremantle to remain 6 points outside the Top 6. A guarded 1st half was blown wide open by 2 quickfire goals AFC talismen Andrija Jukic and a Nathan Thorp special. A late own goal gave AFC a 3 goal advantage at half-time. And whilst the crowd were waiting for Fremantle to convert their chances into goals, Ivan Palermo and Gabriel Kieswetter took the match well away from their opponents. Fremantle created several guilt edged opportunities as they played their 5th man card, but they were punished once again as Oscar Pit scored from distance into an empty net. The win retained AFC 9th on the ladder, as Fremantle dropped to 8th.

Byford Venom FC 3 – 2 Joondalup ECU Jets

Byford secured a morale-boosting 1st win of the season, in yet another intense and low scoring encounter with Joondalup. The Venom started brightly with a Riley Maring opener. ECU equalised via a strike from Josh Green, assisted by Luke Palmateer. Caleb Vanderwal restored Byford’s lead in the 2nd half, only for Palmateer to balance the ledger once again. And with both sides going for the winner late on, it was an own goal by The Jets that settled an evenly contested encounter, to give The Venom an early Christmas present.

Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC 3 – 1 Perth Lions FA

The final match of the year turned into a blockbuster, with Rockingham edging The Lions to return to the summit following a 3 week absence. Both sides started well, as they looked to end the year on a high. And it took a late 1st half strike from Nestor Fonseca to open the scoring for Cumbre. Faris Noor Rani doubled Rockingham’s advantage early in the 2nd half, but Ali Milhem brought The Lions roaring back into a hotly contested match. With the yellow cards flowing, it was not until late into the encounter that Noor Rani scored his 2nd to finally put The Lions away. The Lions, who were on a 5 match winning run, remain in 5th spot, 3 points ahead of Stirling in 6th, and a further 3 points ahead of Balga in 7th .