25-yard Bosnjak free kick leads Oakleigh to win over Gully
By Lou Verga (@LouVerga)
A cracking Dusan Bosnjak free kick has led Oakleigh Cannons to a 1-0 win over Green Gully 1-0 on Friday night at Jack Edwards Reserve.
The goal, scored after half an hour of play, proved to be the winner as Oakleigh staved off a second half fight-back from Gully with John Honos making a string of fine saves.
It took 20 minutes for either side to register a shot on target.
Mirjan Pavlovic got great contact on a half volley from distance but it was rifled straight at Rani Dowisha.
Three minutes later Liam Boland, who moved to Gully from the Cannons in midseason, had the ball in the back of the net but was flagged for offside.
That was before former Oakleigh captain Evan Christodoulou made a nice run into the area and let loose a low shot but Honos was well positioned in the Oakleigh goal.
But it was Bosnjak who found the back of the net in the 31st minute with an excellent 25-yard free kick that went over the wall and dipped under the crossbar just in time to beat Dowisha.
Gully came out with renewed vigour in the second half and had the better of the chances.
Rinor Muriqi curled a free kick of his own towards the bottom corner in the 58th minute but Honos dived to divert the ball wide.
Five minutes later Hakeem Aloraibi had a header cleared off the line by a defender after he got good purchase on the header from a corner.
Oakleigh were now restricted to playing on the counter as Matthew Breeze was the next to be denied by Honos with ten minutes to go. The keeper had to be at full stretch to get a hand on the winger’s header as it looked destined to creep inside the bottom corner.
The Oakleigh custodian was to be called on again in the 89th minute, as he first parried substitute Simon Tolli’s strike before somehow keeping out Boland’s close-range header.
Arthur Papas’ men saw out the result to make it two consecutive wins.
Match details:
Oakleigh Cannons 1 (Bosnjak 31’) defeated Green Gully 0 at Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh
Oakleigh Cannons: 76. John HONOS, 3. John BLACK, 6. Steve PANTELIDIS, 8. Dusan BOSNJAK (19. Goran Zoric 60’), 10. Dean PIEMONTE (12. Tremayne Sadler 84’), 14. Mirjan Pavlovic, 15. Jake McLEAN, 18. Adam LE CORNU, 21. Jakob WILLIAMS, 22. Matthew FOSCHINI, 26. Lambros HONOS (25 Delarno PHAROE 90+2’)
Unused substitutes: 16. Rowan McNAMEE, 35. Lajos HUN
Yellow card(s): None
Red card(s): None
Green Gully: 23. Rani DOWISHA, 4. Daniel JONES, 5. Rodrigo VARGAS, 6. Jem BERKANT (16. Simon TOLLI 70’), 9. Evan CHRISTODOULOU, 10. Rinor MURIQI (21. Luc JEGGO 79’), 11. Matthew BREEZE, 14. Amadu KOROMA, 17. Alon BLUMGART, 20. Hakeem ALORAIBI, 38. Liam BOLAND
Unused substitutes: 1. Sebastien MATTEI, 2. Mathew REID, 8. Tomas MURPHY
Yellow card(s): None
Red card(s): None
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