Arrive there about 5ish, spend a few minutes figuring where everybody is and decide to join the SU bunch. Am abused for not turning out for the Carringbush side (9-2 loosers) even though I have not completed my transfer of registration - I am so good RMIT are charging a transfer fee for me to go to Carringbush.
There was a game in the Tennis centre between the Melbourne Tigers and ? (basketball). There were far more people heading over the road to watch the footie. With the defection of the head honcho in bball to cricket (is he on valium?) one has to wonder at the velocity taken by the bball regime. From the new game it's going to the gone game. I missed the tram stop and had to walk about 100m, arsehole trammies.
The youth game was just over at this point. They didn't hang around and walked straight out of the changerooms into the pavillion and off. Exchanged a couple of yo's with them.
Spotted Eddie K in the crowd. Twice I've seen him at Olympic Park. Maybe he is banned from the Lakeside oval?
The game is underway. De Amicis? is flattened in the first minute, no yellow. De Amicis flattens someone else and no yellow. Dentente.
The city boys were playing 3 markers and Milan sweeping/double teaming on Curjica. I've yet to see a top-quality team go hammer and tongs at the Southo midfield (with Damianos and Panop., you'd think they'd be a bit wet behind the ears). city chose not to, instead playing 2 up and 3 in the middle with the remaining bloke also tracking back to double team Trimmers (or that's how it appeared to me).
The Petkovic brothers would be keeping goal, both are left footed and goalies of course. Mama and Papa must have been very cruel during their childhood.
It was a very stale effort in the first half, it took about 10 minutes from Souths to get their first shot on the corner flag, a typical skyed effort from Damianos.
The only thing to cheer us up was the scorelines announced from Sydney. Groans went up when the commentator said "Sydney United 2...Brisbane Strikers.......(pause) 0 ". Shit was the most favoured adjective used at this point. At some stage the result was 2-1 and the SU bunch could not contain their delight.
The only things thrown were NOT flares and were NOT thrown by the souths supporters!!!! Che culo, what next? The city supporters - quite a few in the main grandstand - threw bog paper onto the running track. There's a symbol in there, I'm not going to tell. Souths did manage to light one flare, the security boys got in and out with it fairly quick.
The second half was a much better affair, enlivened by a few more nasty tackles (which involved a lot of set-tos) and as a direct result an indirect free was in the penalty area. Souths stuffed it as usual.
Milan and Trimboli were the two class acts on the pitch and both were subduded. Trimmers got a foot to a ball in the midst of a scramble in the first half that was deflected wide but that was about all. He showed a lot of class in trouble, ditto for Milan. I was a little pissed that Milan was told to stick closer to his goalie and he hardly went on one of those runs. Maybe last week took too much out of him.
It was a game of cat and mouse really, excellent skills and defensive work cancelling each other out. Although I'd be lying if city were the ones most likely to score.
Curjica, who had a useful if unproductive game, went off for Kelic around 70 minutes.
Souths were looking more and likely to score, and a few chances went missing in the second half. De Amicis got behind the defence and crossed it to the far post, where Kelic was too far in front of the ball. Coveny turned and shot just wide of the post.
Full time, sudden death extra. City kickoff, souths blitz the ball holder and it breaks for Trimboli to do his Moller impression. [HEY!! Andy Moeller can't help it if he gets hacked down all the time, besides it was Polak.... - TE] Damianos swings it over and finally Blatsis/Orlic gets above the defence and nods it home. Cue jubiliation and the souths bench rushes onto the pitch. Adelaide are stunned, a sudden death goal wouldn't come this quickly shortly? Angie is a clever bastard (sometimes).
So it's to Sydney for the preliminary final. I doubt whether the Souths midfield and defence can cope - although they've only conceded 1 goal in 3 finals.