It all comes down to this. Melbourne City will battle Brunswick City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with promotion to the NPL on the line.
Alessandro Diamanti’s side arrives in the final after a thrilling Semi-Final victory over Melbourne Srbija last weekend. In a contest that swung back and forth across the 90 minutes, City looked set for extra time with the score locked at 3-3 deep into stoppage time. But skipper Marcus Humbert produced a captain’s moment, firing home via a deflection from a corner to send City through in dramatic fashion.
Earlier, it was Lewis Marinucci who got City off to the perfect start, netting on his first senior start inside just three minutes. Diamanti’s decision to push usual centre-back Ryan Kalms further forward also paid off in spades, with the 19-year-old showing a striker’s instinct to score twice before the break.
Between them and Humbert’s late heroics, City sealed a memorable 4-3 win and booked their spot in Sunday’s decider.
Brunswick City will provide a familiar test. They claimed a 2-0 win over us on the final day of the regular season — a result that consigned us to third place and into the playoff path. That loss has only added to the motivation for Diamanti’s men, who know victory this weekend would see City secure promotion to Victoria’s top-flight NPL competition for the very first time.
Plenty of young talents have driven this campaign. Goalkeeper Lachie Charles has been a rock between the sticks, while teenager Beckham Baker continues to impress in attack after a breakout season.
With Humbert leading from the back, Kalms showing his versatility, and Roland Ballah, Akeem Gerald and Aaron Cartwright bringing the x-factor, City has the weapons to get the job done.
It promises to be a huge afternoon, and we want as many City fans as possible in the stands to roar the boys home! Click here to get your tickets!
Kick-off is set for 3:00pm at Lakeside Stadium. Don’t miss the chance to support our Academy stars as they chase a piece of history and fight for promotion.
FIXTURE DETAILS
VPL1 Promotion Playoff Final
Melbourne City FC v Brunswick City
Sunday 14 September, 3:00pm KO
Lakeside Stadium
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