A weekend that initially looked to be a reasonably stock-standard round of Victorian Premier League matches turned into an exciting collection of games.
A weekend that initially looked to be a reasonably stock-standard round of Victorian Premier League matches turned into an exciting collection of games, highlighted by Miron Bleiberg's return to the State League, a big upset with Hume City defeating South and Richmond again lamenting the one that got away.
Pascoe Vale 0 Bentleigh Greens 1 (Batsis 51') One goal was enough for Bentleigh Greens to take all three points from their encounter against Pascoe Vale. Evan Batsis' strike in the early stages of the second half shot Bentleigh up to second place on the VPL table.
Pascoe Vale take on in-form Dandenong Thunder next week while Bentleigh Greens host Melbourne Knights on Friday night in what should be an interesting contest.
Oakleigh Cannons 0 Dandenong Thunder 1 (Bran 58') Miron Bleiberg's return to coaching in the VPL was spoiled by a second half Bryan Bran penalty. The Grand Final rematch lived up to expectations however as the visitors were clearly the better team on the night and were deserved of the three points.
Next week Dandenong take on Pascoe Vale in the last of five home lockout matches while Oakleigh travel to South Melbourne who will be eager for three points.
Hume City 3 (Sumbul 24- Ofli 28' Canham 81-) South Melbourne 2 (Hatzimouratis 45- (pen) Kelly 58-) Hume City caused arguably the upset of the round after defeating powerhouse South Melbourne in a thrilling encounter. South looked to complete yet another come from behind victory in a matter of weeks however a late Sean Canham strike sealed all three points for the hosts.
Hume take on winless Richmond next week while South Melbourne play host to Oakleigh Cannons.
Northcote City 2 (Piemonte 58- Obradovic 88-) Green Gully Cavaliers 0 Northcote City extended their unbeaten 2013 VPL season with a 2-0 victory over Green Gully. The hosts overpowered the Cavaliers in the second half, leaving them with only one win on the board after six rounds.
Former Melbourne Victory player Rodrigo Vargas will be disappointed after receiving two yellow cards late in the game, leaving him out of next week's clash against Port Melbourne. Northcote City travel to Southern Stars.
Melbourne Knights 3 (Alijenad 6' J.Colosimo 76 A.Colosimo 78') Southern Stars 0 Melbourne Knights secured their first win since Round Two in a fairly lacklustre game at Knights Stadium. Shayan Alinejad scored the opener after just six minutes before brothers Jacob and Anothony Colosimo both stamped their names on the scoresheet in the second half.
Melbourne Knights take on Bentleigh Greens next week in a mouth-watering clash while Southern Stars will host undefeated Northcote City.
Richmond 1 (Karaham 5') Port Melbourne Sharks 2 (Ibrahim 17' Sarkies 49') Looking for their first win of the season, Richmond took an early lead against Port Melbourne with Karahan's header after just five minutes. However, former Melbourne Heart players Kamal Ibrahim and Kristian Sarkies sealed the three points for the visitors with goals either side of the break.
Cellar-dwellers Richmond host Hume city next week, while Port Melbourne take on Green Gully.
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Image: Melbourne Knights