By David Manuca

A hat-trick from Oakleigh forward Dean Piemonte helped the Cannons to a 5-1 win over Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve on Saturday afternoon.

Piemonte opened his account after just seven minutes before Osagie Ederaro equalised for the home side inside the opening 15 minutes.

Gully then suffered a hammer blow just before half-time with Dusan Bosnjak netting a goal with the last kick of the 45.

The home side pushed for an equaliser to get back into the game, but Oakleigh capitalised on Gully’s openings at the back and Piemonte made it 3-1 with 13 minutes to play.

That goal opened the floodgates for the away side, with Piemonte adding a third and then Goran Zoric making it 5-1 in stoppage time to wrap up the result.

It was a perfect start for Oakleigh, with Piemonte giving it an early lead. 

Zoric teed up Bosnjak whose shot was saved by Gully goalkeeper Kieran Gonzalez, but Piemonte was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Oakleigh almost made it 2-0 when Bosnjak hit a shot past Gonzalez but luckily for him Rodrigo Vargas had made his way to the line and blocked the shot. 

Within seconds, Gully had the ball at the other end with Ederaro tapping home from Mathew Sanders' pass to make it 1-1. 

Sanders had a chance himself to make it 2-1 to Gully on 38 minutes but his shot from Jason Hayne’s low cross was deflected off target for a corner.

The game was locked at 1-1 in the dying stages of the first-half until Bosnjak popped up with a goal with ultimately the last kick of the half, with his shot trickling past the Green Gully defence and goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Gully had to find an equaliser again but for the majority of the second half, every foray forward lacked any conviction or urgency.

Oakleigh had the best of chances, with Bosnjak forcing Gonzalez into a save on 69 minutes before a Zoric cross was turned just wide of the post by Adam Le Cornu a minute later.

A costly error from Gonzalez saw Gully’s hopes dashed minutes later, with his clearance from a Mathew Reid back-pass smashing in to Piemonte and into an empty net.

Gully kept pushing for a goal to get it back into the game but its added pressure up front saw Oakleigh take advantage of the space at the back. 

Piemonte secured his hat-trick with seven minutes to play with a cheeky chip over the on-rushing Gonzalez after being played through with a delicate pass over the top of the defence by Bosnjak.

Zoric then added a fifth in stoppage time when he one-upped Piemonte with a world-class chip of his own. 

Green Gully coach Bob Stojcevski believed the scoreline was not a reflection of his side’s performance. 

“The scoreline was obviously embarrassing for us. I don’t think it was a true reflection of the way the game went. We were certainly in it until half-time,” Stojcevski said.

“I actually thought we should have been ahead at half-time but committed football suicide with a couple of incidents. We gifted them the second goal and then the third goal was absolute suicide.  

“Once the third one went in, the margin was so great we tried to open up and chase it, but when you chase a game from 3-1 down it can only lead to disaster.”

Oakleigh Cannons boss Miron Bleiberg agreed with Stojcevski that 5-1 was a harsh scoreline, but believed his side was more than worthy of the three points.

“We were not the dominant side, I think the game was even and 1-1 at half-time was a fair reflection and we scored a goal before half-time but that’s football,” Bleiberg said.

“Always a goal close to half-time has some mental influence but it’s up to the coach to eliminate that.

“I don’t think that 5-1 is a reflection that it was one-sided. But I don’t think in the second half that our goalkeeper was required to make any saves."

MATCH DETAILS:

Green Gully 1 (Ederaro 14’) defeated Oakleigh Cannons 5 (Piemonte 7’, 77’, 84’, Bosnjak 45+1, Zoric 90+2) at Green Gully Reserve. [HT: 1-2]

Green Gully XI: 1. Kieran GONZALEZ, 2. Daniel JONES, 4. Mathew REID (9. Brent FISHER 81’), 5. Rodrigo VARGAS, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 11. Jem BERKANT (6. Stephen DOWNES 67’), 12. Mathew SANDERS, 16. Thomas DENG, 17. Andy VARGAS (10. Ratip CILELI 86’), 20. Osagie EDERARO.

Unused substitutes: 23. Christopher AILAKIS, 18. Peter DENG.

Yellow cards: Nil

Oakleigh Cannons XI: 1. John HONOS, 7. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 5. Aron WILFORD, 18. Adam LE CORNU, 12. Tremayne SADLER, 3. John BLACK, 23. Dominic D’ANGELO (2. Thomas LAKIC 67’), 21. Andreas GOVAS (14. Nathan FOSTER 59’), 8. Dusan BOSNJAK, 19. Goran ZORIC, 17. Dean PIEMONTE.

Un-used substitutes: 35. Harry RAWORTH, 16. Ariel RITZ, 4. Ian KAMAU.

Yellow cards: Nil

Image credit: Mark Avellino