Round 8 Wrap up | 2020-2021 Macron SFL WA

An exhilarating round of futsal, with closely fought matches between sides close to each other on the table in all 7 encounters.

Fremantle FC 2 – 1 Curtin Footbalista FC

Round 8 saw Fremantle return to winning ways in a tightly fought contest against a gallant Curtin. Fremantle flew out of the blocks with a goal not long after the kick-off via their charismatic captain Liam Cummins (4th goal of the season). Academy product Benji Mikhael doubled the lead with a fine solo goal (2nd goal of the season) midway through the 1st half to give Fremantle a comfortable hold on the match. Footbalista withstood any further damage & started the 2nd half with purpose, with off-season recruit Hazrat Akhlaqi (6th goal of the season) piercing the net with a thumping drive. Both sides had further opportunities to add to their tallies in an entertaining encounter. The victory took Fremantle to 6th on the ladder, whilst Curtin remain in 12th position on the back of a 3 match losing streak.

Cockburn EWA FC 7 – 2 South Perth FC

A contender for match-of-the-round, with Alek Kukic running the show on his first start of the season. South Perth started well with an early goal to target Filip Rojnica (9th goal of the season). Cockburn responded via Niko Cvijanovic (4 goals so far this season), and when off-season recruit Aden Da Luz (4th goal of the season) gave EWA the lead, it looked like the 2nd perfect record in successive weeks was about to be broken by Cockburn. The 2nd half was all about Kukic whose quickfire early double put the game out of reach for South Perth. But they kept battling and reduced the deficit via Daniel Muzzarelli (10th goal of the season), only for EWA to respond with a family combo – Stefan (2nd goal of the season), Igor (3rd goal of the season) and Niko Cvijanovic’s 2nd of the match rounding out the scoring. The victory cemented Cockburn’s position on the ladder (4th), whilst South Perth remained top, albeit by goal difference.

Perth Longobarda FC 4 – 3 Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC

Yet another contender for match-of-the-round saw Longobarda become the form team of the competition on the back of 5 wins in a row. Longo started well, taking the lead via man-of-the-match Cristiano Dos Santos (5th goal of the season). Rockingham equalised midway through the 1st half via their very own talisman Faris Noor Rani (10th goal of the season). Darrell Pragash (3rd goal of the season) stepped up to restore Cumbre’s lead, only for speed wiz Alex Kretowicz (10th goal of the season) to restore parity. In a high quality encounter, the 2 adversaries kept trading punches in the 2nd half with Dos Santos, Nestor Fonseca (14th goal of the season) & finally Darko Mikic (3rd goal of the season) adding to their respective sides’ goal tallies. With Rockingham chasing the game, they played 5th man & peppered the Longo goal, only for a combination of a defensive wall, excellent cover play & the excellent Ricardo Louro keeping them at bay. The result means that Longobarda rose to 2nd on the ladder, whilst Cumbre dropped to 3rd.

Balga FC 1 – 5 Stirling Braza Ginga FC

Saturday’s list of matches were just as impressive as Friday’s, with the opener proving to be the Victor Brauner show. Balga came into this match high on confidence, on the back of their best run of the season. Whilst Stirling have struggled to get going, with several of their back-to-back title winning side still at bay. But a 4 goal masterclass from Brauner (taking him to the top of the scoreboard with 15th goals in only 8 matches) blew the green machine away. Brauner scored 2 in each half, and although the impressive Conor O’Driscoll (8th goal of the season) pulled one back, young target player Fahed Kassis sealed the victory with his 3rd goal of the season & 2nd in successive games. The win moved Stirling to 7th on the ladder, just one point outside the Top 6 despite their shacky start to the season. Balga dropped to 10th, only 3 points behind.

Murdoch Warriors FC 2 – 3 Perth Lions FA

Yet another captivating matchup, with the experience of The Lions trumping the youth of The Warriors. Murdoch took the lead via young gun Alex Basto (3rd goal of the season), only for strikes from Jamal Yusof (11th goal of the season), Dorian Mardi and James Oldroyd to turn this match around. A late response from Massimo Basolu (5th goal of the season) made for an interesting finish. But The Lions held on, cementing their position in the Top 6 (5th), as The Warriors run of 5 matches without a win dropped them out of the Top 6 (8th) for the first time this season.

Byford Venom FC 4 – 4 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

Byford & Canning played out 2 high-scoring & electrifying draws last season that left them both wondering what could have been. And, yes, they did it again, with yet another engrossing draw! The Venom jumped to an early 2 goal lead, with a double to young gun Eddie Garrido (taking his tally to 3 goals in 4 games this season). Josh Watkins responded for The Ultra Tigers with his first strike of the season to bring his side roaring back into the contest at the halfway mark. When Vaughan Audrain (6th goal of the season) and Travis Bosveld (3rd goal of the season) gave Byford a 4 goal advantage midway through the 2nd half, it looked all but over for the hapless Canning. But a late fightback mustered by the enigmatic Shaz Ramlee with 2 goals (taking his season tally to 3 goals in 8 matches), and the equaliser by Afiq Mutalip brought the house down. As The Venom continue to chase their first win of the season, The Ultra Tigers have managed to secure their first point.

Joondalup ECU Jets 2 – 6 Perth AFC

The final match of the round witnessed AFC hold on to a lead and an important win, moving them up to 9th on the ladder. AFC started well, with their 4 most experienced players giving them a 4 goal advantage at the halfway mark; Nathan Thorp (6th goal in 7 matches), Oscar Pit (3rd goal in 7 matches), Ivan Palermo (5th goal in 7 matches) and Andrija Jukic (9th goal in 4 matches). Joondalup posed a threat in the 2nd half with early strikes from Jimmy Fung (3 goals in 8 matches) and Luke Palmateer (5 goals in 5 matches) putting the AFC faithful on edge, and forcing head coach Rob Caruso to call a time out. His team settled afterwards & scored 2 unanswered goals via an own-goal & a Jukic rabona special.