Round 6 Wrap up | 2020-2021 Macron SFL WA

Cockburn EWA FC 4 – 2 Curtin Footbalista FC

Friday Night Lights, and Round 6 of the Macron State Futsal League opened with an entertaining contest between 2 sides that love to attack. Cockburn extended their winning streak to 4 games with a close victory over a determined Curtin. A first half double from Niko Cvijanovic gave EWA a solid start. Footbalista responded via Moreno Cappello to narrow the margin at half-time. Second half strikes from Alex Gamble and Sergio Coelho and a counter from Hazrat Akhlaqi ended the scoring as a flurry of yellow cards ensued, and Footbalista captain Milad Sabbagh received his marching orders for dissent. The victory maintained Cockburn’s hold on 4th spot on the ladder, and, extended their lead over the chasing pack to 5 points. Whilst Curtin ended the weekend in 10th, 3 points outside the Top 6.

Byford Venom FC 1 – 4 Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC

Byford have demonstrated a noticeable improvement this season, and kept Rockingham scoreless for the first half of the first half. It took strikes from Cumbre mainstays Nestor Fonseca and Faris Noor Rani to give the minor premiers a half-time lead. And when Vaughan Audrain scored for Byford midway through the 2nd half, it looked like an upset may be on the cards. But Fonseca & Noor Rani completed their doubles to retain Rockingham’s perfect start to the season & cement their hold on 2nd spot, on goal difference.

Joondalup ECU Jets 1 – 9 South Perth FC

Joondalup had troubled every side that they have met so far this season, despite boasting a solitary win. But, in South Perth they faced an opponent determined to retain their grip on the top spot. New recruits Daniel Muzzarelli, Remo Capitani & Justin Pearce gave South Perth a commanding 1st half lead. A close match appeared to be brewing when Joshua Bennett replied for ECU early in the 2nd half. But, 6 goals in the final 6 minutes eliminated any doubt that South Perth would end the weekend in 1st position on the ladder, as Pearce, Capitani & Muzzarelli completed their doubles, and Roberto Armellini, James Toth and debutant Cameron Reid added singles.

Stirling Braza Ginga FC 4 – 3 Perth AFC

If ever there was a case of a match of two halves then this was it. An exhilarating end-to-end encounter saw AFC take a commanding first half lead via a hattrick from the impressive Andrija Jukic. AFC had won all of the matches that Jukic had featured in this season. But, Stirling, still missing a host of stars, still had stalwarts Victor Brauner and Pavel Parihuzic to rely on, and they responded with 2 goals each in the 2nd half to turn this match around. A flurry of yellow cards late in the match results in AFC coach Rob Caruso receiving his marching orders for dissent. The victory drove Braza up to 7th on the ladder, equal on points with the 6th placed Lions. For AFC, they remain in 11th spot, only 3 points outside the Top 6.

Perth Longobarda FC 3 – 0 Murdoch Warriors FC

The highly anticipated encounter between 2 of the Top 6 finalists from last season ended with Longobarda extending their winning streak to 3, and in the process prolonging Murdoch’s winless run to 3 matches. A cagy 1st half saw both goalkeepers excel with Ricardo Louro in particular showing why he is the golden glove winner from last season. A solitary goal from Cristiano Dos Santos gave Longobarda the half-time lead. Second half strikes from Alex Kretowicz and Jan Cok secured the victory, as the Longobarda defence withstood a Warriors fightback with the help of the post, crossbar and the heroics of man-of-the-match Louro. The victory bolstered Longobarda’s hold on 3rd place on the ladder, as Murdoch remained in 5th, with a long list of chasing teams hot on their heels.

Perth Lions Futsal Academy 3 – 2 Fremantle FC

Close encounters are the feature of this absorbing matchup, and so it proved once again with The Lions getting the better of Fremantle in a 5 goal thriller. MVP Danilo Neves gave Fremantle the lead midway through the first half with a fine chip over the impressive Daniel Forbes. SFL top goalscorer Jamal Yusof responded for The Lions to end the half all square. Young gun Ali Milhem gave The Lions their first lead of the match early in the 2nd half and when Yusof scored his 2nd with 10 minutes remaining Fremantle called a timeout & came out with a 5th man ploy. The tactic paid immediate dividends with Milan Rosic in fine goalscoring form restoring the deficit to one. Kris Antonic responded with The Lions’ timeout & they can out with a different ploy to counter Fremantle’s 5th man. The victory drove The Lions above their opponents into 6th on the ladder, as Fremantle’s 3rd loss in the row brought them down to 8th.

Balga FC 5 – 0 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

Balga overcame a determined Canning with a solid victory anchored by the impressive Eraste Vyamungu. Canning kept Balga’s best squad so far this season at bay with a string of saves from Nick Cooper, until Vyamungu came on and scored midway through the 1st half. Conor O’Driscoll scored five minutes into the 2nd half to extend Balga’s lead, and as The Ultra Tigers chased the game, gaps opened up to help Luke Ross, Gideon Servatius and captain Luqman Sayyed improve their goal difference. The victory took Balga up to 9th on the ladder, only 3 points outside the Top 6, with The Utra Tigers still chasing their first points of the season.