A tightly contested encounter looked destined to end all square, but a late strike saw Warilla Wanderers edge past Unanderra Hearts to claim their first win of the season.
The game sparked to life within the opening minutes, with Hearts nearly taking the lead just five minutes in. Christian Cabo struck the woodwork after rising to meet a well-delivered corner.
But instead of an early lead for the hosts, it was the Wanderers who opened the scoring. Just two minutes later, a ball whipped into the Hearts’ box was flicked on past the defence and found Joshua Petrovski, who coolly slotted it past the keeper to make it 1–0.
Hearts responded swiftly. After a slick passage of play, Aleksandar Najdoski unleashed a powerful low drive from 25 meters out to level the score in the 10th minute.
Najdoski came close to doubling his tally in the 22nd minute, curling an audacious outside-of-the-foot effort just wide of the post. With momentum now firmly with the home side, Hearts pushed to take the lead before the break.
In the 34th minute, Cabo’s miscued shot fell kindly for Daniel Carreno, who narrowly missed the target. Moments later, Byron Chaplain was played through on goal, but Wanderers goalkeeper Jhye Withers produced a brilliant 38th-minute save to keep the scores level.
The sides went into the break even, though Hearts would regret their missed opportunities.
The second half unfolded a more physical affair, with both teams adopting a more direct style as fatigue set in. Clear-cut chances were fewer, but both sides continued to threaten.
Wanderers’ Jack Murray saw his 56th-minute strike drift wide, while Hearts’ Shuhei Nagasawa was denied in the 78th minute when clean through on goal with Withers again coming to the rescue for the visitors.
As stoppage time ticked on, a draw seemed inevitable. But in the 92nd minute, Farshad Valadkhani threaded a superb ball through the Hearts backline to Martin Castelli. The number 10 showed composure under pressure, holding off his shot until the last moment before firing past the keeper with a composed finish to steal all three points.
It was a dramatic end to a well-contested match, with the red-and-whites celebrating their first points of the season after facing considerable pressure in the first half. For Hearts, it marks a disappointing end to their perfect start.
Next weekend, Unanderra Hearts make the trip to Shoalhaven, while Warilla Wanderers return home to face Thirroul.
Report by Simon Dahlen
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