South Melbourne lifted the inaugural Australian Championship trophy, downing Marconi Stallions in a tight contest on Saturday afternoon.
South Melbourne 2-0 Marconi Stallions
South Melbourne became the first-ever champions of the competition courtesy of two goals in a drama-filled first half.
The side put their opponents under some early pressure, with a couple of warning shots inside the first five minutes.
Their initiative paid off 11 minutes in as they flew into the lead. Manny Aguek snatched a loose ball on the halfway line, racing forward, then skipping past Stallions’ defender Anton Mlinaric before blasting an effort home.
Hellas came close again eight minutes later as Jordon Lampard took on a bouncing strike from outside the area, forcing James Hilton into a low save.
From the resulting corner, South Melbourne doubled their lead, adding to a sensational start for the team. Max Mikkola’s right-wing delivery met Marco Jankovic, who sent a glancing header into the far side of the goal.
They almost went three goals up in the 37th minute, when Nahuel Bonada’s volley took a looping deflection that dipped just over.
The Stallions had two big chances to halve the deficit just before the break, the first of which saw Damian Tsekenis nod over a left-wing cross from a great position.
Deep into stoppage time, Lachlan Griffiths’ header looked to be harmlessly bouncing to Hellas goalkeeper Javier Lopez. It slipped out of Lopez’s grasp, rolling towards the line. After a Video Football Support (FVS) review, there was insufficient evidence to rule that it had crossed the line.
South Melbourne held on to their two-goal advantage at the break, making the most of their blistering start to the match.
The side continued to create chances soon after halftime as Yuki Uchida was able to sprint into space, driving into the box before Hilton batted away the midfielder’s shot.
Marconi had an opportunity 69 minutes in as substitute Jordi Swibel attempted an overhead kick, but it bounced straight to Lopez, who held on.
Hellas had managed the second effectively and held on for the remaining minutes of the game to see out the result and lift the Australian Championship trophy.