https://youtu.be/O_rGOrGYwUo
The Hobarts Zebras ensured that they kept themselves amongst the title contenders with a 3-0 win over Kingborough Lions in the Safari Derby on Saturday night. Mathew Pace bagged himself a brace, with one goal in either half before Mathew Sanders scored his seventh goal of the season in stoppage time to put the game to bed.
The Lions found themselves in third spot after a good start to their campaign albeit results against lower placed sides, and this match was chance to make a real statement to the rest of the league. But neither side seemed real intent on making any sort of a statement during a first half that was uninspiring to say the least. Both teams shared a good amount of possession but without either side really penetrating or getting behind the other.
The Zebras looked to be resorting to the long ball, but it wasn’t really working for them with most balls going through to Mitch Stalker in goals for Kingborough. Tommy Little picked up a slice of cheese twenty-six minutes after his return from suspension when he bought Kantzos down on the edge of the box, Chris Downes hit the target from the resulting freekick, but Kiwi goalkeeper Samuel Whatman got down to his left well to keep it out. The first real chance fell to the always-tricky Nicky Edwards when he beat two players on the edge of the box before his strike from just inside the area beat the keeper and narrowly missed to the left of goal.
The Zebras started to get their link-up play together in the final ten minutes of the first half and it resulted in Pace putting them one-nil up in the 45th minute. Jayden Hey released Riley Dillon down the left, the ambidextrous wide-man drilling in a low-cross with his left that Pace rocketed first time to beat the keeper and to give the Zebras the lead at the break.
Into the second half and the game continued much the same, with the Zebras slightly outperforming their opponents, but a long-range strike from Horacio Gutierrez Jr. against the run of play excited the Kingborough fans as it whistled past the far post.
With half an hour left to play the games intensity lifted due to a few heavier tackles and it looked like the game might open up for the Lions to get themselves back in it. But it was to be the Zebras that doubled their lead and it was that man Mathew Pace again. Dillon swung a freekick deep into the back post where Charuza was lurking, the big Czech volleyed it back inside to Sanders who’s goal bound shot was turned in on the line by Pace.
The goal really took any intensity that was building out of the game which suited the Zebras as they looked to shut up shop with some defensively minded substitutions. The vast majority of chances left in the match feel to the Zebras, and they finally got their third in the 92nd minute when Sanders showed great hustle and composure to regain the ball after his first shot was blocked and roll his second effort into the bottom corner.
The result moves Zebras up to third as Kingborough falls to sixth, and with the Lions having a bye next week they will feel disappointed to go into their mini-break on the back of a loss after a promising start to the season.