South Melbourne 4 (Curjica*, Lozanovski x2, Coveny)
Carlton 4 (Tricarico, Cervinski, Lapansky, Vlahos)
Crowd : 12000 (est)
Players trialling overseas : Grella, Lozanovski (just returned),
Anastasiadis (to Wolves tonight on 2 week trial)
* Trimboli's effort looked over the line when Curjica made sure of it. Being his 300th game and all, I am sure Curjica will agree to credit the Great Man with the strike.
Anastasiadis
Colosimo
Atkinson Cervinski Douglas
Bresciano Marth Lapansky Vlahos
Moreira Tricarico
Curjica Coveny
Trimboli
Clarkson Polak
DeAmicis Lozanovski
Orlic Iosifidis
Baser
Petkovic
Trimboli's 300th game for Souths. A great occasion for a great player who may have another 200 if he's (very) lucky. A great player with a great attitude who doesn't spend half his pitch time whinging at teammates, opponents, officials or supporters.
Pre-match speculation revolved around who would make way for the return of Marth and Lapansky. Stergiopolous, Markovac and Josifovski all went to the bench with the latter losing out (unfairly) to Moreira.
The predictable jokes about Moreira and playing with Ronaldo are getting a vast airing around Melbourne these days. You have to give a new bloke to our game time to settle in but he's done practically nothing. It is especially disappointing when he went through pre-season like Ronaldo through defences. He continually loses the ball when in posession. He cannot make a run across or behind a defender. His dribbling is very poor. His shooting (er what shooting?) ...
Souths had Blatsis and Panopolous out through injury (and suspension?). Polak turned out for what must be his only appearance in the last 2 seasons. Clarkson, who would be an international if he played in Sydney, has made a good start to the season. Ditto for DeAmicis, who has never been in a bent-over position in the vincinity of Raul Blanco. DeAmicis is simply underrated and a gem on the left. What I'd give for him to come to Carlton...
Finally! A good sized Carlton contingent - maybe 100 or so behind the Scoreboard end who were intent on making as much noise possible. I hardly heard (snicker) chants from the Hellas end all game. Mind you we had a lot to make noise about. There was this Souths Maluca who followed us *everywhere* mouthing it off. I had to seperate him from trouble about 5 times. Some people really ask for it. Also asking for it was the South Moron who claimed that the area directly behind goal was 'theirs'. Yes, at the other end to the Scoreboard... I despair with fans like these.
The game had barely started when Lapansky flicked a short ball over the top. Marth, waiting for an offside call, finally moved that big arse downward in front of Orlic and flicked it into Petkovic. Tricarico following up whacked it goalbounds.
Marth got booked for what looked like an incidental challenge. These reputations are a heavy thing to carry around. But still I have to acknowledge that Lennie is the best ref around and far more deserving of FIFA recognition (even they have to get it right sometimes!) than Bent Brett & Brazzale. Today's game was well-refereed (New Shock Horror) and even our players rarely mouthed at him.
Gole no. 2 came from a throw-in that Moreira (don't choke on that cuppa) controlled near the touchline and slipped over Petkovic to Cervinski. Dave, a foot off the ground, used his head to put it in.
2-0 up with the game barely started. A few "5 nil" chants were going around and the Souths Malucas had shut up (both of them).
Then for the next 20 minutes it was all Souths. Classical passing that simply tore us to pieces. Brilliant off-ball running from Coveny and Curjica. Superb backup from DeAmicis and Lozanovski. Their first came when Lozanovski - finally - beat Roly? down the right and sent a perfect cross to Trimboli, whose header Dino could only push onto the post. The ball rebounded inside where Curjica made sure it was over.
You will understand I am confused over the exact order of goles in this period, what with muttering "why didn't I f*cking tape it?" Lozanovski dribbled in and blasted it past Dino and their 2nd/3rd was of course the fabulous freekick the Macedonian gave Dino a ghost of. Dino got a hand to it but couldn't stop it. Lozanovski, finally, plays well against us. It took him a long, long time to do it.
The general absentee in all this was Simon Colosimo. Either injured or having one of those days.
3-2 down after 2-0 up. The Souths Malucas were going right at it and chanting "Manchester United???"
Little Lubo to the rescue. His corners leave a lot to be desired but his long rangers are in the special class. His 35m effort against Ad City is already legend. Picking it up 25m from goal, his shot was low and hard. Marth disguised it - it looked impossible for the big lug to avoid it - but he did and Petkovic was doubled when it came off the dirt and bounced over him.
OF COURSE Souths get one more and OF COURSE Lennie blows for time when we kick off. Coveny burnt his marker and blasted it across Dino.
I finally meet up with people I'm supposed to meet up with. Messrs Jaworsky and Smith are wearing the look that only arriving at the ground with the score 3-3 can bring.
The second half had two things - Marth's sending off and Vlahos' goal. My only quibble was Baser looking like he went in as well. No objections to Marth walking - 2 footed on a yellow is asking for it.
Stergiopolous' bleached hairdo reminded me of an (unsuccessful) attempt 5 years ago. He came off the bench replacing Sir Simon.
I buy a donut just behind the goal and OF COURSE I get stuck behind a fat bastard loading up and OF COURSE we equalise just as I'm handing over the change.
Again the Souths Maluca is giving it all he's got and again Yours truly plays peacemaker. When will these idiots learn?
A thoroughly enjoyable sociable post-match not only for myself but Mrs. Roly who gets a kissed hand from an incurable much to our amusement. Have a few with Tony confirming the existence of the Eurotrash to end a great day - possibly my best-ever football day.
A good day for Carlton and lesser extent Souths. Carlton are right up with it and looking forward to Gippsland next week. Souths get a draw out of a potential banana slip. They did draw against 10 men from 4-3 but I think they will be satisfied with a point.
The only negative is the return fixture is next March. I won't be able to last that long.