Port Kembla put in their best performance of the season, downing former league leaders Wollongong Olympic 4-1 at Wetherall Park on Good Friday. First-half goals from Lucas Ayala and Fabian Iacovelli set the tone before Tetsunari Nishimura offered Olympic some hope. That was quickly snuffed out when Ayala grabbed his second, and Ryan Chard iced the game late on.
It was a tentative start from both sides, with the only early noteworthy opportunity falling to Jason Madonis after nine minutes. With no options, Madonis picked up the ball in midfield and drove forward before unleashing a left-footed shot from 25 yards out that crashed against the crossbar.
Midway through the first period, Port Kembla appeared to take ascendancy. On 25 minutes, Iacovelli’s nifty footwork created an opportunity for Nicholas Tomasiello whose shot sailed wide.
It was a warning shot that was not heeded. Just three minutes later, Port hit the front. Some good work from Mitchell Di Pietro on the right saw him cross the ball into the box. Ayala snuck in front of the defenders and delicately flicked the ball first time over Justin Pasfield.
Just four minutes later, Olympic were left stunned as Port made it two. Michael Mendez put in a pinpoint cross from the left that was met with a firm volley from Iacovelli at close range.
Olympic weren’t dwelling on that little spell from Port as they finished the half strongly. In the last ten minutes, Olympic created several opportunities.
Firstly, a Tynan Diaz free kick from a dangerous position hit the side netting. Two minutes later, a neat through ball saw Harry Callahan go one-on-one with Adam Rodriguez however, the goalkeeper did very well to smother his effort.
Right on the stroke of half time, a Chris Price header from a corner kick was cleared off the goal line.
Wollongong Olympic started the second much the same way they finished the first. Just ten minutes after the break, an Olympic free kick was launched into the box. It was not dealt with well by Port as Jarvis Paterson snapped a shot that didn’t miss by much.
On 59 minutes, Port countered swiftly with Mendez sending a teasing ball across goal with Iacovelli only inches away from getting on the end of it.
Just a minute later, Paterson delivered a perfect cross to the far post for Kyle Jackson to head towards goal, only to see Rodriguez pull off a fine save.
From the corner, Olympic finally got their reward as a second chance cross saw Nishimura bundle the ball over the line against his former club, giving the visitors a lifeline.
It was short-lived. Just four minutes later, Ayala made the most of a failed clearance. From the edge of the box, the youngster powered a low shot through a crowd of players finding the bottom corner of the net.
On 72 minutes, Port Kembla’s desperation was evident as they somehow cleared from goal line scramble, leaving Olympic frustrated.
As the minutes ticked by and with the game in stoppage time, Ryan Chard neatly finished off a counterattack led by Ayala.
Both clubs are away next week, with Olympic at Tarrawanna and Port visiting Wollongong United.
Report by Bobby Mazevski
