Wollongong Olympic came from behind to win the Bert Bampton Cup in style, claiming a 4-1 victory over Wollongong United at Crehan Park on Sunday.
It was Olympic who appeared to start on the front foot, with both Nicholas Littler and Kyle Jackson wasting chances inside the opening ten minutes.
It was a competitive contest that showcased why both sides are currently the front-runners in the league.
Midway through the half, Jason Madonis created a yard of space on the right before cutting back into the box and firing a shot that was well saved by Tom Alston.
United started to probe the Olympic defence; however, it was Nav Darjani who made an impact when he used his pace to get around Chris Price and drive into the penalty area. He was clipped and brought down, with the referee pointing to the spot.
Darjani himself stepped up and completed the job with a neat finish, putting United ahead on 37 minutes.
Right on the stroke of half time, Shoji Mori had two cracks at goal with Alston on hand to deny him on both occasions and preserve United’s lead at the break.
Just eight minutes after the restart, Olympic somewhat deservedly equalised. Rick Goodchild showed a clean pair of heels before being upended by Yosuke Akiyama inside the box. Guy Knight stepped up and confidently dispatched it to level the game.
Just seconds later, Shoji Mori should have perhaps done better as he blasted over from close range. Olympic were starting to dominate proceedings at this stage.
On the hour, Kyah Jovanovski combined with Jordan Nikolovski inside the box, with the latter just sliding his effort wide.
With 20 minutes left, an Olympic corner was floated in with Littler getting a header on target. The ball was parried in the air, and with a crowd of players all contesting the ball, it appeared that Jarrod Lasala turned it into his own goal, handing Olympic the lead back.
With pressure mounting and time ticking away, the game git a little fiery. United were looking to throw players forward, whilst Olympic were looking for that final finish.
On 80 minutes, Goodchild showed some class, turning his defender before firing a shot from the edge of the box that crashed against the crossbar.
Seconds later, Bailey Barbarovski put in a timely tackle to deny Madonis, who was clear on goal. He couldn’t be denied just two minutes later when Harry Callahan slipped him in behind the defence again. This time, Madonis tucked it under Alston to make it 3-1.
In stoppage time, Joshua Alcorn broke free and slipped it past Alston to end the match as a contest, with Olympic running out 4-1 winners.
Player of the Match – Jason Madonis
Photos courtesy of Gragrapix
