The Devonport Strikers have advanced to the final four of the 2019 Lakoseljac Cup after holding their nerve from the penalty spot in a dramatic Quarter Final.
Locked at 1-1 with Hobart Zebras after 120 minutes, Nathan Pitchford was the hero as he denied Adam Mckeown and then Luke Huigsloot in the shootout to see the Strikers through to the next round. Earlier, Riley Dillon had cancelled out Joel Stone's stunning long range opener, before the Zebras played the final 3o minutes with just 10 men following Jayden Hey's controversial dismissal.
That red card is sure to be a major talking point out of the game, with Hey sent-off in the 89th minute for swinging an arm at the Strikers’ Argentinian import Ignacio Giampaoli, who appeared to be making the situation look worse than it was.
The Strikers started the far better of the two sides with their pressure on and off the ball not allowing the Zebras to get a foot in the game.
The pace and trickery of Devonport’s wide-men Eddie Bidwell and Max Fitzgerald was causing all sorts of problems for the Zebras defence and it was the latter who managed to draw a foul from Jordan Muller who picked up a slice of cheese in the 10th minute.
Devonport’s no.10 Joel Stone broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when he pick-pocketed Luke Huigsloot of the ball before delivering a brilliantly calculated lob from 30 yards out to catch Samuel Whatman slightly off his line and give the Strikers the lead in stunning fashion.
https://youtu.be/6FD0qt1t1H0
Despite Devonport’s dominance they couldn’t to add to their lead in what was a fantastic first-half display with chances for Giampaoli, Bidwell and Daniel Syson were unable to be capitalised on.
The first ten minutes of the second-half was more of the same from the Strikers who again struggled to make the most of some good play and half chances falling to both of Devonport’s wide-men.
In the 55th minute Henry Fagg delivered a free-kick from halfway deep into Devonport’s box with goalkeeper Nathan Pitchford and Huigsloot challenging for the ball that fell and bounced off seven players before eventually being turned out for a corner.
The strange piece of play was the start of a revival for the Hobart Zebras who started to push a Devonport side who started to show signs of tiring after implementing such a high-press in the first-half.
Riley Dillon was able to capitalise on Zebras newfound spark in the 65th minute after Nicky Edwards’ drive into the box rolled past Mathew Pace and Dom Smith before Dillon picked up the ball and scooped it cleverly into the back of the net.
The Zebras were all of a sudden on-top in a game in which looked like they could have easily been outclassed in going off the first half, but an inspired tactical change from Zebras coach David Smith to put Huigsloot up top and move Saunders into the midfield really changed the game.
The target-man almost put the Zebras into the lead with ten minutes left on the clock when Edwards found Huigsloot’s head following a free-kick but his header that he drove into the ground bounced up and was tipped over the bar by Pitchford.
With time running out and Zebras continuing to outplay a tiring Devonport team, it looked as though the Hobart side would be the more likely to find a winner in extra-time that was looming.
But with two minutes of regulation-time to be played Hey managed to shield the ball out of play, holding off Giampaoli who kicked the ball away from Hey who was attempting to get the ball to his keeper and this was when he lightly threw his arm at the Argentine.
Hey was sent-off for his actions a minute after the event following a conversation between the referee and his assistant, the whole time of which Giampaoli looked to be milking the situation, refusing to get off the ground and potentially making the situation look worse than it was.
Regardless of it being the right or wrong decision the reality was that the Zebras would be playing extra-time with 10-men.
The Zebras were still able to hold their own in extra-time with both teams exchanging chances, but the efforts were certainly those of tired players with shots from both teams heading well-wide of the target.
Miles Barnard found the back of the net in the 100th minute but his celebrations were cut-short by the assistant’s flag that was raised for offside.
Devonport would go close two more times in extra-time with Whatman tipping Joel Stone free-kick over the bar before coming up with the same reply to a headed effort from Jack Dance.
Tony Peart’s whistle would signal the end of extra-time and that this match would need to be settled via a shootut. All up the game had some 29 shots, thirty-three fouls, seven slices of cheese and one slice of tomato!
The first six penalties of the shootout were all successful with Sanders, Edwards and Ryu Yonezawa converting for the Zebras and Syson, Fitzgerald and Raphael Reynolds replying for the Strikers.
The joy would end there for the Zebras with Adam McKeown’s penalty being saved before Dom Smith’s conversion put all the pressure on Huigsloot but Pitchford produced his second save of the shootout to win the shootout and send his teammates into celebration mode.
https://youtu.be/zw5dyxZJKZk
Devonport’s coach Rick Coghlan spoke of the mood in the Strikers change room whilst also being full of praise for the opposition.
“excitement, joy that’s the highs and lows of football at any level and it’s just an unbelievable feeling for everyone involved,”
“At half-time the onus was on the Zebras to change the game and they did that, they really took it to us,”
“Full credit to them, we just struggled to break them down and that’s been consistent for three games, they’re a very, very organised team.”
Devonport go into the semi-final draw along with Olympia, University and South Hobart which will be held Monday the 12th of May at 11:30am and can be watched through Football Tasmania’s Facebook page.