Paco strolls to come-from-behind win over Northcote City
Pascoe Vale has earned three points on the road, defeating Northcote City 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park.
Despite going behind early thanks to a Jonathan Bounas strike, Paco slammed home three unanswered goals to seal the victory.
Bounas’strike after just four minutes proved to be a catalyst for Northcote’s dominance in the opening quarter of an hour.
An audacious lob from 25 yards didn't seem to reach Bounas’intended trajectory, however it proved too much for Paco custodian Alex Pavlidis as he could do nothing more than parry the ball into his own net.
Northcote’s dominant period over a rather shaky Pascoe Vale outfit culminated in a fizzing volley from James Kalifatidis on 14 minutes which flew just over the crossbar.
The remainder of the half saw Pascoe Vale slow the game down in an effort to compose themselves and look to undo the damage caused early on.
This approach proved successful as a Mat Lazarides cross found Joseph Youssef who found himself enough space in the box to take a touch and calmly slot the ball past Northcote keeper Chris Theodoridis after 29 minutes of play.
The opening quarter of the second half saw Pascoe Vale enjoy their own period of dominance; exploiting the wings and getting in behind the Northcote defence effectively.
Just on 55 minutes, a pin point Luca Santilli cross found the head of Youssef whose subsequent strike rattled the cross bar which left Theodoridis rooted to his spot.
With Paco looking more and more likely of finding an equalizer, Northcote looked to break up the play and slow down the tempo of the match.
This lead to a few flared tempers from both sets of players leaving referee Paschalis Nahs without a moments peace; giving out numerous bookings in an attempt to regain order of the match.
Nahs would prove pivotal in the outcome of the game as he awarded Pascoe Vale with a penalty when Aaron Turner was pulled down in the box just on 73 minutes.
Tomislav Milardovic’s subsequent conversion saw Paco earn a 1 goal lead which historically is a good position to be in if their past performances are anything to go by.
Paco added insult to injury five minutes from time as another brilliant cross from Santilli found the head of Youssef whose powerful header found the back of the net despite a touch from Theodoridis.
In the dying embers of the game Paco looked to have added a fourth as a Santilli strike was parried into the path of 16-year-old Carlos Matti. However his desperate lunge at the ball wasn't enough to push it over the line.
Despite an early scare, Paco did well to maintain their composure and earn the 3 points to state their claim as finals contenders.
Match Details
Northcote City 1 defeated by Pascoe Vale 3 at John Cain Memorial Park, Thornbury
Pascoe Vale: 35. Alexander Pavlidis, 2. Adrian Talarico, 4. Adam Nakic, 7. Luca Santilli, 8 Joseph Youssef, 10. Davey Van’t Schip, 13. Mathew Lazarides (11. Carlos Matti 86’), 16. Tomislav Milardovic, 18. Tom Black (3. Nathen Megic 46’), 21. Michael Ferrante, 23. Jake Halliday
Unused Subs: 1. Dennys Martin 19. Andrew Scicluna,
Yellow Cards: Adam Nakic 61’
Red Cards: Nil
Northcote: 22. Chris Theodoridis, 4. Jacob Eliopoulos, 12. Jordan Wilkes, 5. Gregory Lombardo, 7. Bonel Obradovic, 10. Marino Gasparis (17. Aron Handakas 84’), 20. Nicholas Kokolakis, 11. Evan Kounavelis (18. Nikola Markovski 70’), 23. Jonathan Bounas (6. Aaron Ward 67’) 8. James Kalifatidis, 9. Calvin Mbarga
Unused Subs: 1. Gianluca Fantacci, 14. Anthony Ramzy
Yellow Cards: Evan Kounavelis 61’, Bonel Obradovic 75’, Chris Theodoridis 82’, Calvin Mbarga 93’
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