By Chris Hearn (@_ChrisHearn)

Giosue Tolomeo's late penalty has earned 10-man Whittlesea Ranges an unlikely 2-2 draw against Melbourne City at Epping Stadium.

Luke Gallo's impressive effort saw City lead 2-1 at the break, cancelling out Matthew Iuliano's penalty after Luka Prelevic opened the scoring.



Matthew Cundari was sent off just past the hour mark for dissent, but the open nature of the contest meant it didn't overly hinder the host’s chances with Tolomeo the clear standout.


City started the far stronger of the two sides and deservedly took the lead on four minutes.

Herman Espindola raced in on goal and squared to Wade Dekker, whose attempt was parried by goalkeeper Gian Tapia, leaving Prelevic the simple task of tapping home from close range.

But the hosts would be allowed back into the contest 10 minutes later after a defensive lapse. Baki Efe's weak back pass allowed Cundari to pounce, beating Efe to the loose ball to draw the penalty with the defender escaping being sent off.

Matthew Iuliano assumed responsibility, firing home to the left of City goalkeeper Yaren Sozer.

A solid period of possession followed for the visitors, but chances were proving hard to come by with Whittlesea defending quite deep.



A touch of magic was required and Espindola was the man to provide it.

His scintillating run through the heart of Whittlesea's midfield ended with a pass to Gallo, who cut inside his marker and dispatched a curled finish into the far corner.

City's fluent style was evident after the second goal, denying Whittlesea's forwards any time in possession.

The first half ended in similar fashion to how the second would begin. City continued to control possession, targeting Whittlesea's left side.

Nicholas Symeoy nearly capitalised for City - his bursting run into the area feeding Dekker, whose back heel fizzed across the goal.

The game was an open affair by this stage with gaps in midfield there to be exploited.

Tolomeo created a chance for Matthew Kundevski in a rare foray forward for the hosts, but the bright period would be short lived.

Cundari was given his marching orders after the forward took exception to not being awarded a foul for a high boot.

Tolomeo was played in on goal, but the luckless striker saw his effort cannon off the upright.

Espindola nearly put the result beyond doubt from the ensuing counter attack, but Tapia saved well down to his right.



Whittlesea continued to press forward.

Relentless attack and exemplary work rate saw them rewarded with two minutes of regular time to play.

Ilhan Altunas was fouled, and Tolomeo stepped up to take the resulting penalty.



The forward was rewarded for a tireless shift, particularly when his team lost Cundari, smashing his spot kick down the centre to earn Vinko Buljubasic's side a valuable point.

 

MATCH DETAILS

Whittlesea Ranges 2 (Iuliano 23', Tolomeo 88') drew with Melbourne City 2 (Prelevic 3', Gallo 32') at Epping Stadium. [HT 1-2]

Whittlesea Ranges: 1. Gian TAPIA, 2. Pavle DURKIC (13. Ilhan ALTUNAS 77'), 4. Mario PIRANIA, 6. Andrew TAYLOR, 7. Matthew CUNDARI, 10. Matthew IULIANO, 15. Matthew KUNDEVSKI (21. Danny BAKARAT 74'), 17. Stefan BARICEVIC, 19. Adem MASTADANAGIC, 20. Tobias HAEGELE, 23. Giosue TOLOMEO

Subs: 14. Rami MUSTAFOVSKI, 21. Andreos BACHOS, 26. Jarrod HILL

Yellow cards: Matthew Cundari 21' 65'

Red cards: Matthew Cundari 65'

Melbourne City: 1. Yaren SOZER, 3. Nicholas SYMEOY, 5. Leo ATHANASIOU, 7. Hernán ESPINDOLA, 8. Ratip CILELI (12. Anthony RIZK 83'),, 9. Wade DEKKER, 10. Luka PRELEVIC, 13. Haralambos STAMBOULIDIS 14. Baki EFE, 15. Luke GALLO, 19. Anthony TARANTO

Subs: 18. Ali EYIGUM, 20. Jack WEST-ASTUTI, 21. Mehdi SARWORI, 22. Nicholas GONZALES

Yellow cards: Baki Efe 12'



Red cards: Nil