Melbourne Victory host Eltham Redbacks FC in the VPL Men 1 Semi-Final.
Besart Berisha’s team is two matches away from sealing the Club’s return to the Senol NPL Victoria Men competition, starting with an all-or-nothing contest at the Home of the Matildas on Friday, September 11, kick-off 7:30pm AEST.
In the regular season, the Boys in Blue edged Eltham 2-1 on opening night and shared the points in a six-goal thriller away from home, but will be taking nothing for granted in the pressure cooker of finals football.
Admission is free to get behind Victory as they go for a place in the final against the winner of Northcote City FC and FC Bulleen Lions.
The Boys in Blue
Besart Berisha’s side finished third on the 2026 ladder, with 13 wins from 24 matches earning them hosting rights for the Semi-Final versus Eltham Redbacks FC, who ranked sixth thanks to two wins and, critically, a last-gasp draw with Champions Melbourne Knights FC, when former Victory man Marco Rojas scored a 91st-minute equaliser.
Contrastingly, Victory’s squad, one of the youngest the Club has fielded in NPL action, had secured their finals berth a few weeks earlier to avoid any final-day dramatics, but still finished the season strongly, beating Port Melbourne 4-0 in Round 26 to leapfrog Northcote City FC and be the highest-ranked team in the fight for promotion.
More impressive still, they laid down this goal-laden marker without the services of competition Golden Boot winner, Mikey Ghossaini and Captain, Lewis Marinucci, who was away with the Young Socceroos. Ghossaini signed to an A-League Men’s contract in July, plundered 18 goals, two clear of Eltham’s Billy Romas, including one in the season opener against the Redbacks back in February.
Last time out
A goal in either half from Daniel Matina, buoyed by scoring in the A-League Men’s pre-season fixture at St Albans Dinamo, was followed up by efforts in the closing stages from Alex Lee and James Carrocci, who himself scored a hat-trick past Dinamo, to land Melbourne Victory third spot.
Just over 16km east, it was a man at the other end of his playing career, Marco Rojas, coming up trumps for Eltham Redbacks, with his injury-time leveller completing a busy final half hour, during which Melbourne Knights FC had sprung into a two-goal lead, only for Yianni Panakos to halve the arrears before the 45-time New Zealand international struck.
