A youthful Melbourne City put up a great fight but ultimately suffered a late defeat on Saturday afternoon, going down 1-0 against Hume City at Nasiol Stadium.
City came up just short after a late goal decided an end-to-end contest. With both sides creating chances and possession frequently changing feet, the match stayed finely poised until the final moments.
Team News
With a large number of our usual NPL squad currently with the first-team who are busy in preparation for two interstate games in quick succession, several youngsters were called up to make their first senior NPL starts at City.
Head Coach Stuart McDonald gave first starts to Fraser Brown, Ashton Filies, Rian Korcari, Rinor Kutleshi, Haris Rizmani, and Harley Truong.
Starting XI: 1. Lachlan CHARLES (C) (GK), 9. Tobias SERVIN, 24. Dimitri VLANES, 32. Fraser BROWN, 35. Rian KORCARI, 40. Nicholas VARDAKAS, 45. Haris RIZMANI, 55. Ashton FILIES, 64. Rinor KUTLESHI, 65. Jake PILOVSKI, 66. Harley TRUONG
Substitutes: 8. Luca YATES, 30. Christian SOUVLIS, 52. Harry VALENTINE, 67. Sam ROBSON (GK), 71. Deng AGOOK, 72. Dhilan CALLEJA
What Happened?
City’s young squad opened the contest enjoying much of the ball as we looked to work our way through Hume’s defence and into the final third.
Our first chance soon followed as Nicholas Vardakas picked out Dimitri Vlanes on the left, with the winger cutting the ball back for Haris Rizmani, whose first-time effort was dealt with by the goalkeeper.
Harley Truong then saw his shot go wide as momentum soon shifted in favour of the hosts, who tested our defence after enjoying a spell of possession.
Goalkeeper Lachlan Charles was called into action after a loose pass at the back allowed a Hume attacker to pounce on the ball. With the shot being hit at the edge of the box, Charles went down to his left to produce a sharp save to keep us in the game after 26 minutes.
Past the half hour mark, we were able to have more of the ball at our feet as we gradually settled back into the contest. Hume threatened from a swift counterattack, but Charles was well positioned to collect their effort comfortably.
Charles was needed again as a swift move from the hosts came down the right, with the City ‘keeper spreading himself well to deny a one-on-one effort from close range, as it proved to be the final major chance before the half ended goalless.
The hosts remained in control as they started the second half with intent. Our defence held strong, as we confidently kept Hume’s chances to a minimum.
Soon after, a long ball from Charles found Tobias Servin alone down the left side of our attacking half. Servin took control of the ball as he drove into the box to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his low effort rolled narrowly wide of the far post. Shouts for a penalty followed as Servin was brought down by a late challenge, though the referee waved them off.
At the other end, the hosts found another opening, with a volleyed attempt from inside the area taking a deflection off a City defender before going out off the post. Minutes later, a bicycle kick was attempted from close range following a scramble in the box, with the ball flying just over the bar.
As the game passed the hour mark, both teams became increasingly physical as the battle for possession intensified, with the intensity rising as we searched for the decisive moment.
We were then put under immense pressure again as Hume produced wave after wave of attacks, though our defence remained resolute as we held strong to keep them at bay. As the second half wore on, several changes were made as further young City talents got their first taste of senior NPL football.
Charles continued his bright performance, remaining composed as he came out to claim every ball and relieve pressure on the defence.
Unfortunately, we were unable to withstand Hume’s continued attacking pressure late on, as the hosts worked the ball well through the wide areas before delivering a cross to the back post to break the deadlock.
With minutes left to play, we pushed higher up the pitch in search of a late goal, creating pressure but unable to find the decisive touch in the final third.
What’s Next?
We enjoy a bye this weekend before returning back to ctrl:cyber Pitch on Saturday August 15 to face South Melbourne in a huge contest as we continue our push for a place in the top six of the league table.
