Round 7 Wrap Up | 2019 2020 Macron SFL WA
Fremantle FC 2 – 2 Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC
Round 7 of the Macron State Futsal League opened with a contender for match of the round featuring 6th placed Fremantle taking on table topping Rockingham. Both sides came into this match high on confidence with Cumbre boosting more strength in depth than at any time over the past year & Fremantle undefeated since the long-awaited return of MVP Danilo Neves. And, true to form, they put on a clinic of highly entertaining, nail-biting futsal, with Cumbre’s Faris Noor Rani equalising with 4 seconds remaining to maintain Rockingham’s unbeaten start to the season. Fremantle had gone ahead with a goal from captain Liam Cummins. Cambio Cumbre replied with a goal from their captain Chandra Nagendran. Danilo Neves maintained his record of having scored in every match for Fremantle since his long-awaited return from injury. The draw meant that Rockingham surrendered their lead at the top of the table.
South Perth FC 7 – 3 Curtin Footbalista FC
Another highly anticipated encounter with 5th placed South Perth taking on 9th placed Curtin (who had a game in hand). A close & engaging 1st half was blown wide open by South Perth with an increase in intensity & a higher press in the 2nd half to eventually end up with a comfortable 7-3 victory. Doubles from firebrand player/coach Roberto Boi & the irrepressible Robert Armellini, supported by singles from Ivan Palermo, Filip Rojnica & academy product James Toth completed the scoring for South Perth. It was a bad weekend for Curtin, who also lost their catch-up match with Longobarda on Sunday. They replied with their standout players from last season Farzam Mehrabi (2) & Mason Vojdani. The victory solidified South Perth position in the top half (5th), whilst Footbalista ended the weekend in 11th.
Murdoch Warriors FC 7 – 2 Byford Venom FC
The final match on Friday evening featured 3rd placed Murdoch taking on 13th placed Byford. Murdoch came into this match high on confidence following their surprisingly comfortable win over Cockburn the previous week. But, Byford surprised their more fancied opponents & took an early lead with a double from the impressive & improving Brando Vanderros. The Warriors realised that they were in for a tough match, and, despite missing superstar Lucas Mello, proceeded to claw back the lead & finish with a handy victory. Devan Conry impressed with a brace of goals, with Justin Pearce, Alex Basto, Massimo Basulo, Joel Di Toro & Sasha Drew also on the scoresheet. The victory propelled Murdoch to the top of the ladder.
Spearwood Lions FC 6 – 3 Canning Ultra Tigers FC
The 1st match on Saturday afternoon featured 10th placed Spearwood taking on 14th placed Canning. With The Ultra Tigers looking for their first victory of the season, Canning took an early 2-0 lead in this absorbing encounter, played in front of a large crowd. And they were looking good until The Lions spearhead Jamal Yusof decided to take control of the match with a 4 goal, 5 star performance that blew everyone at the Pro Futsal Centre away. Chris Castro & new recruit Bakr Zeyad also impressed and added to the scoring. Canning were good for long periods in this match & will take heart from their positive performance. Their goals came from Jamie Dunn, Khalif Omar & Shaz Ramlee. The victory boosted Spearwood up to 9th on the ladder.
Joondalup ECU Jets 3 – 3 Stirling Braza Ginga FC
Having secured their first win of the season, Joondalup took on champions Stirling who had just dropped their first points of the season. And, despite falling behind & trailing 3-0, ECU were playing with confidence, intensity & a physical presence that had defined their play from last season. Braza had taken the lead with goals from Chris Rocchi, Victor Brauner & Moh Totonchy. But, missing head coach & influential player Thiago Mesquita, they appeared to panic when The Jets launched their comeback in the 2nd half. This season & last season’s top scorers for The Jets contributed with Luke Palmateer scoring a brace & Joe Higgins scoring a stunner. Either side could have won it as both Stirling & Joondalup went for the win late on. But they had to settle for a thrilling draw & the first time that Braza had surrendered a 3 goal lead.
Perth AFC 4 – 2 Cockburn EWA FC
With upsets in the air, and, having extinguished Stirling’s perfect record the previous week, AFC looked ready & hungry against an out-of-sorts Cockburn. And, true to form, despite EWA hitting the post more times in 1 game than the previous 6 rounds, and Kristian Usedo’s heroics in goals, AFC defeated their more fancied opponents. Clean-shaven Andrija Jukic led the way with a double, with Kevin Higgins & Nathan Thorpe contributing with singles. Cockburn responded with goals from Jesse Lazzaro. AFC went up to 10th with the victory, and within touching distance of the top 8. EWA’s longest barren run in 2 seasons keeps them in 4th, but within reach of 5th-7th, and 4 points behind Stirling in 3rd.
Perth Longobarda FC 4 – 2 Balga FC
A contender for match of the round featured 8th placed Longobarda taking on 7th placed Balga in the final match of Round 7 of the Macron State Futsal League. Longobarda entered the match high on confidence on the back of their recent victory in the International Phuket 5s tournament in Thailand. But, with Balga looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Joondalup, they started strongly and took an early lead. As per the surprises from the previous matches of this round, with comebacks galore, and despite their jetlag, Longobarda fought back & ended 4-2 victors. Man-of-the-match Alex Kretowicz impressed with a double. He was ably assisted by singles from Darko Mikic & Jeevan Krishnan. Balga captain Luqman Sayyed was also on the scoresheet, with the 2nd goal attributed as an own-goal. Despite boosting the oldest roster in the league and a congested fixture list, Longobarda turned up the next day (Sunday) and defeated Curtin 5-2 in their catch-up match from Round 6. With 6 valuable points in the bag, Longobarda jumped to 6th on the ladder (equal 4th on points).