Melbourne Victory put on an impressive display in a 3-0 away win over Port Melbourne Sharks.
Suffering a tough loss to Oakleigh Cannons in their previous fixture, Victory were determined to bounce back in Round 6 – making five changes to their previous starting XI.
Christian Siciliano, Austin Ganino and Tommaso Minutoli were all promoted from the bench, along with the additions of captain Damien Bozinovski and debutant Patrick Wall to the starting side.
Victory started strong at JL Murphy Reserve, continuing to emphasise playing positive, possession-based football.
With Damien Bozinovski stepping back into the centre of defence alongside John Radimisis, Josh Inserra stepped across to right back in his second NPL appearance of the season; while Kayne Razmovski shifted into his most familiar midfield role.
Making his Senior NPL debut, Patrick Wall immediately stood out for Victory with his speed and directness on the right wing – creating an excellent chance for Tommaso Minutoli that was denied by Luka Romic in Port Melbourne’s net.
Returning in gloves for Victory, Christian Siciliano pulled off several impressive stops to deny an opening goal for the home side.
In the 23rd minute, Tommaso Minutoli found himself through on goal after making a smart run in behind the Port Melbourne defence.
The number nine was stopped well by Port Melbourne’s goalkeeper, but an excellent follow-up from Patrick Wall saw the debutant send his side ahead with a calmly slotted finish.
Tommaso Minutoli had found the opportunity to double Victory’s lead not far from the break after breaking through for another one-on-one opportunity where he rounded the goalkeeper.
However, Minutoli went down in the penalty area after seemingly being brought down by Port Melbourne’s showstopper – a challenge the referee deemed fair to continue play.
While the non-call certainly shocked the visitors, the Young Vuck’s played out the remainder of the half well – leading in shots at goal and on-target in the first 45 minutes.
Remaining unchanged following the half-time break, Victory felt Port Melbourne starting to apply pressure while chasing an equaliser.
Boris Seroshtan called upon Daniel Lazarevski and Parker Williams just before the hour mark to provide some fresh legs for Victory in attack and defence.
Victory began to slowly reclaim control over the game as the home side committed more bodies forward.
A blistering run down the left wing rewarded by Austin Ganino found Tobenna Obani in the penalty area, who hit the byline to cut back the ball for Daniel Lazarevski.
Lazarevski’s effort crashed off the post, causing a goalmouth frenzy that saw the ball accidentally turned in by the Port Melbourne defence for a crucial Victory two-goal cushion in the 69th minute.
Holding the momentum, Victory pushed for more as the Sharks were unable to find a way through.
A deftly weighted lofted through ball by Luka Kolic played through Daniel Lazarevski, who seemingly held up play down the left wing as Victory’s attacking numbers got forward.
Out of nowhere, Lazarevski found the back of the net with a cheekily disguised shot on goal that caught out the defence and goalkeeper alike – scoring his first Senior NPL goal.
Jordan Hoey and Jack Mihailidis entered the field of play in the later stages of the game, where Victory continued to hold strong defensively while attacking with speed on the counter.
Patrick Wall earned a free-kick and a yellow card for his opponent in the final minutes of regulation time after speeding down the right wing – displaying an excellent engine and work-rate in his first senior showing.
Resolute defending complemented by an impressive seven-save performance in goals from Christian Siciliano helped Victory secure their first clean sheet of the season in Victoria’s top-flight.
It was almost notably Victory’s first win of the season, claiming an important three points that saw the young side jump clear of the relegation zone and up to 11th on the ladder.
Victory now prepares to face 10th-placed Melbourne Knights in their upcoming fixture, taking on the Knights at Tompsett Stadium on Friday, March 21.
Match Details
NPL Victoria Men Round 6
Port Melbourne Sharks 0
Melbourne Victory 3 (Wall 23′, Khamis (O.G) 69′, Lazarevski 83′)
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 40. Christian SICILIANO (GK), 3. Josh INSERRA, 4. Damien BOZINOVSKI, 6. Kayne RAZMOVSKI (C), 7. Austin GANINO, 8. Alexander MENELAOU, 9. Tommaso MINUTOLI, 22. Patrick WALL, 26. Luka KOLIC, 29. Tobenna OBANI, 36. John RADIMISIS
Substitutes: 42. Kasper FONSBOEL (GK), 10. Jack MIHAILIDIS (87′), 11. Daniel LAZAREVSKI (57′), 14. Jordan HOEY (78′), 16. Stasi GEORGAKOPOULOS, 20. Parker WILLIAMS (57′)
