Lion hearts beat swooping Eagles

Bankstown City Lions overcame adversity before overcoming Bonnyrigg White Eagles in a dramatic penalty shootout after the Lions had three players sent-off in this Tiger Turf Cup semi-final at Seymour Shaw Park.

The outcome should have been ‘oh so different’ for the Eagles as they pummeled Bankstown almost into submission but the plucky underdogs hauled themselves up off the canvas to produce a gutsy display of fortitude and plenty of ticker to get over the line.

In an even and hotly contested opening 15-minute spell where the tackling wasn’t for the faint-hearted it was a probing run by Eagles’ U/20 Domenic Cutri that led to Richard Luksic bringing down the striker on the edge of the box and lucky not to find himself in the book, or off, as the last man between goal and attacker - but the subsequent free-kick was squandered.

Moments later and Cutri was again badly fouled, this time by Brett Studman which eventually led to the youngster being substituted early on when replaced by Ilkan Gurbuz who immediately made an impression.

The first caution of the match was collected by Phillip Makrys of Bankstown in the 26’ minute for a swiping tackle that looked no worse than some that had gone before but referee Chris Griffiths-Jones had obviously seen enough and had already handed out a few stern words to several players.

Bankstown continued to be under heavy pressure for much of the first-half and goalkeeper Zlatko Joseski kept them in the match when saving well from Bonnyrigg’s Giovanni Leuzzi, turning in a Man-of-the-Match performance, and clearing the danger at the second attempt but it wasn’t to be his night when sent-off prior to the start of the second-half of extra-time.

Paul Harries had a glancing header slip wide for the Lions as it exposed the fact Eagles shot-stopper Ali Akbal didn’t fancy high crosses nor cope with them too well, but the best chance of the half fell to Bonnyrigg when Gurbuz sent unmarked Daniel Willoughby clean through with only Joseski to beat only for the striker to be unable to gather the ball under control and twisting this way and that before getting a shot off by which time the Lions had a man back on the goal-line to clear.

Several more cautions were meted out before the whistle went and both sides headed for the sheds still locked in a goal-less draw.

Again it was the White eagles who fired the first warning shot when Willoughby crossed for Cutri to head narrowly wide, which was followed barely sixty seconds later by the first send-off when Makrys went into a tackle on Gary Dal Broi with the studs showing and the letter of the law was followed as a yellow card was shown to add to the one in the first-half and off he went as Bankstown were reduced to ten-men.

Strangely in football, this appeared to break the shackles of the Lions and with the sleeves now firmly pulled up they started to play some good football with neat interplay and little one-two passes that was most pleasing to the eye but the tough tackling was never far from the front by either side.

James Monie came on for Paul Harries, not before team-mate Tayfun Devrimol went into the book and was shortly joined by Leuzzi for a trip on the edge of the box for Bonnyrigg.

Chances came and went and the Super League outfit was in the ascendancy but they couldn’t turn their opportunities into goals and if a fault could be laid at their feet after this performance, this was it as again a chance was spurned when everyone, including the goalkeeper, missed the ball and a tangle of arms and legs saw the ball eventually out to the wing where a simple chipped cross would have seen Bonnyrigg take the lead; once again though, it was over hit and another golden chance was spurned.

Bankstown could have stolen the match with ten-minutes to go after a move down the left saw Monie brought down. The resultant free-kick flicked on by Ibrahim Haydar only for wrong-footed player/coach Peter Tsekenis to clip it over the bar.

The final act of normal time saw Bonnyrigg almost snatch a richly deserved winner as Willoughby was sent away down the right and his cross caught Joseski in two minds, but the Lions shot-stopper did enough to deflect the ball to safety at full stretch and diffuse the danger. So it was, the match entered extra-time still locked at nil-all.

Nikola Zonjic and David Petrovic both received yellow cards for Bonnyrigg who were again unlucky when seeing a goal-bound header bounce back off the bar and away to safety and then just before the end of the first period when Willoughby had a shot cleared off the line, after Joseski managed to take the sting out of the effort, by Luksic at the second attempt after the first almost bobbled over his outstretched foot.

Then, dramatically, before resuming the second period of extra-time the referee consulted one of his assistants and produced a bombshell when running the length of the pitch to show Joseski a red card in the Lions goal for dissent and the custodian was none too pleased with the decision, nor were his team-mates, and with four-minutes of time remaining, plus stoppage, Robert Mileski was shown a straight red for a high reckless challenge that left Bankstown down to just eight players and almost certainly out of the Tiger Turf Cup Final.

But they hung on in a gritty display of aptitude for penalties and, in reality, the only option for them to win the game at this juncture.

And win it they did with a heroic display by substitute goalkeeper Andrew Bazi, on for sacrificed Chris Gody-Bascur after Joseski departed the field, when saving one and pushing another onto the post.

This was after Akbal had saved the first Bankstown effort from Monie to give Super League Bonnyrigg the initiative, a position though they were unable to grasp.

White Eagles coach Blagoja Kulevski said afterwards:

“It’s bitterly disappointing because we created the chances but couldn’t take them.

“Take nothing away from Bankstown, we wish them congratulations and good luck in the Final.”

Peter Tsekenis, happy with the result but disappointed with some aspects of the game, said:

“We went down to eight men and we had to pull our sleeves up, dig in and play with plenty of heart.

“At the end of the day, Bonnyrigg’s eleven couldn’t beat eight Lions and that says a lot about our guys.”

Match Stats

Bankstown City Lions 0

Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0

*Bankstown win 6-5 on pens after extra-time.

Referee: Chris Griffiths-Jones

Assistants: Sarah Ho, Scott Edeling

Fourth Official: Brendan Johansan

Venue: Seymour Shaw Park (Sutherland)

Attendance: 957

Bansktown City Lions: 1. Zlatko Joseski; 2. Ibrahim Haydar (8. George Nohra 85’), 3. Shane Webb, 4. Brett Studman, 5. Richard Luksic, 6. Peter Tsekenis, 10. Robert Mileski, 16. Tayfun Devrimol, 11. Phillip Makrys, 19. Paul Harries (37. James Monie 58’), 99. Chris Godoy-Bascur (20. Andrew Bazi 105’)

Substitutes Not Used: 12. Stefce Soleski, 21. Hassen Akil

Yellow Cards: Phillip Makrys 26’, Peter Tsekenis 39’, Tayfun Devrimol 58’, Zlatko Joseski 101’, George Nohra 115’

Red Cards: Phillip Makrys 50’, Zlatko Joseski 105’, Robert Mileski 116’

Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 23. Ali Akbal; 2. Paul Cotte, 4. David Petrovic, 5. Mark D’Alessandro, 7. Nikola Zonjic, 8. Daniel Willoughby, 10. Lenox Tweneboa, 11. Gary Dal Broi, 12. Domenic Cutri (6. Ilkan Gurbuz 26’), 14. Giovanni Leuzzi (3. Damir Prodanovic 101’), 15. Steven Bozinovski

Substitutes Not Used: 1. Daniel Holmes, 16. Jovica Zrinjanin, 20. Milan Zoric

Yellow Cards: Steven Bozinovski 30’, Giovanni Leuzzi 60’, Nikola Zonjic 92’, David Petrovic 97’

Red Cards: Nil

Penalty shootout sequence:

Bankstown City Lions: Monies (x), Devrimol (o), Bazi (o), Nohra (o), Webb (o), Luksic (o), Studman (o)

Bonnyrigg White Eagles: Petrovic (o), Cotte (x), Willoughby (o), Bozinovski (o), Zonjic (o), Tweneboa (o), D’Alessandro (x)

Player Ratings:

3 - Giovanni Leuzzi (BWE)

2 - Lenox Tweneboa (BWE)

1 - Peter Tsekenis (BCL)

-By Micky Brock 

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