By Riley Beveridge (@RileyBev)

Moreland registered its first victory of the NPL 1 season, comprehensively defeating Kingston City 4-0 at De Chene Reserve on Sunday afternoon.

The Zebras raced out of the blocks and struck twice inside 25 minutes through Adam Centofanti and Evan Batsis.

They then continued their charge after the interval, with Joel Nikolic and Jack Turner adding their names to the score sheet on a comfortable afternoon for the hosts.

Moreland started brightly from the outset, with Simon Tolli at the heart of every foray forward for the Zebras. He picked out Nick Symeoy with the game’s first chance, but Kingston keeper Sermin Sadikovski was at the rescue for the visitors.

From the resulting corner, Moreland took an early lead. Sadikovski didn’t get enough on his clearance and Centofanti applied the finish with a controlled volley.

It could have been two within seconds. Andrew Doig lost possession for Kingston in a dangerous position, but Robert Arelini could only angle his shot just wide.

Kingston was under increasing pressure but had a great opportunity to level the scores against the run of play, with Arthur Papadopoulos shooting over from a promising position.

Tolli was wreaking havoc for Moreland and after cutting in from the left, forced Sadikovski into a fantastic save.

The City keeper was in fine shot-stopping form and moments later denied James Papadimitriou from close range.

But Sadikovski was powerless to stop Batsis from the ensuing corner, with the Zebras midfielder finding the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Moreland cruised to a two-goal halftime lead and continued its domination after the interval.

Just eight minutes following the restart, Sadikovski palmed Papadimitriou’s shot straight to the feet of Nikolic, who touched into an empty net.

The Zebras were relentless and went in search of a fourth. Tolli shot over following Scott Robson’s incisive pass, before Nikolic scuffed an effort wide after being teed up by substitute Liam Brian.

At the other end, Alex Stojanovski was barely tested in Moreland’s goal. Only a long-range effort from Michael Gerace forced the Zebras keeper into action throughout the second period.

Instead, Moreland continued to dictate the game and soon added a fourth. Tolli’s cross found substitute Turner, who turned home a simple finish to conclude a comfortable afternoon for the Zebras.

Speaking after the match, Moreland manager Danny Gnjidic was satisfied with his team’s performance, saying the Zebras gained a lot of confidence from last weekend’s Dockerty Cup win over Kingston.

“We got a last of confidence after last week’s effort and I think that showed in the performance,” Gnjidic said.

“I saw a resolve and an expectation from the players in the warm-up that I haven’t seen so far this year. They definitely took that into the game and it showed.”

Meanwhile Kingston lamented a lethargic display.

“It was a long afternoon; it was very disappointing,” a club spokesperson said.

MATCH DETAILS

FT: Moreland Zebras 4 (Centofanti 9’, Batsis 25’, Nikolic 53’, Turner 81’) defeated Kingston City 0 at De Chene Reserve

Moreland Zebras: 1. Alex STOJANOVSKI (GK), 14. James PAPADIMITRIOU (17. Jack TURNER 72’), 5. Nick SYMEOY, 7. Scott ROBSON (13. Mario PIRVANO 82’), 8. Simon TOLLI, 9. Joel NIKOLIC, 10. Danillo BONILLO-OSPINA, 22. Robert ARELINI, 15. Evan BATSIS (4. Liam BRIAN 65’), 16. Mile MEDJENOVIC, 18. Adam CENTOFANTI

Unused Subs: 21. Nicola KOSTADINOVSKI, 6. Angus MARTIN

Yellow Cards: Nick SYMEOY (55’)

Red Cards: None

Kingston City: 1. Sermin SADIKOVSKI (GK), 4. James KARVELIS, 2. Peter LORD, 12. Nicholas STAMATIOU, 19. Andrew DOIG (8. Anthony STAVRIDIS), 17. Deniz SABANOVSKI, 7. Velibor MITROVIC, 15. Gino DEFEO (16. Tas AGAPITOS), 14. Arthur PAPADOPOULOS, 3. Stacy TSALKOS (10. John MACLEAN), 20. Michael GERACE

Unused Subs: 13. George Maliaras, 5. Kemal CURAN

Yellow Cards: Nicholas STAMATIOU (57’), Peter LORD (69’)

Red Cards: None