Round 20 Wrap up | 2019-2020 Macron SFL WA

Curtin Footbalista FC 2 – 2 South Perth FC

Friday Night Lights at Pro Futsal Bibra Lake, with Round 20 of the Macron State Futsal League opening with a thrilling draw between Curtin (12th) & finals chasing South Perth (7th). A cagey 1st half saw Curtin goalkeeper Milad Sabbagh excel in keeping South Perth at bay. And when Footbalista Stalwart Farzam Mehrabi opened the scoring halfway through the 2nd half, it looked like an upset was on the cards. South Perth’s very own superstar Robert Armellini equalised with 5 minutes to go. Mehrabi restored the lead for a spirited Curtin, only for academy product James Toth to equalise shortly after. South Perth piled on the pressure, looking for the winner, and having hit the post on 4 occasions and had 2 disallowed goals they had to settle for a draw, with Sabbagh in inspired form.

Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC 2 – 1 Fremantle FC

The match-of-the-round, with a tantalising 6 pointer between 2 former SFL Champions ending with Rockingham (5th) defeating Fremantle (6th) in a mouth-watering finish. Cumbre tightened up their defence after the previous week’s showing as a 2nd successive 0-0 half-time scoreline ensued. Fremantle president Luke Tidy opened the scoring halfway through the 2nd half & Fremantle had several 1v1 opportunities to put the match to bed. Cumbre maintained the intensity & tested Frank Del Rosso on numerous occasions themselves, until 2 late strikes from Spanish sensation Raul Sanchez & returning superstar Mason Vojdani settled another close encounter between 2 giants of the sport in Western Australia.

Cockburn EWA FC 5 – 1 Perth AFC

The final match of a captivating Friday evening of futsal saw in-form Cockburn (4th) defeat a gallant AFC (10th). EWA avenged the Round 7 defeat with a determined performance. Niko Cvijanovic opened the scoring halfway through the 1st half, with late goals from Mark Gavranic & an own goal taking Cockburn to a 3-0 half-time lead. But for yet another terrific performance from Jason Quintilliani the story may have been different, as the young goalkeeper made some outstanding stops to deny AFC. An early 2nd half goal from Brandon De Abreu settled the outcome, with late strikes from Martyn Sharpe for AFC & Gavranic’ 2nd rounding out the scoring. With their 3rd win in a row, EWA cemented their place in the Top 6, 6 points ahead of 7th placed South Perth with a 20 goal superior goal-difference.

Byford Venom FC 2 – 4 Murdoch Warriors FC

An inspired Byford (13th) troubled table-topping Murdoch (1st) with a strong performance in the opening match of Saturday’s list of Round 20 fixtures. The Warriors went into half-time with a 2-0 lead via strikes from academy products Justin Tang & Alex Basto. The Venom responded early in the 2nd half to bring the match to life with goals from Riley Maring & Vaughan Audrain to level the tie. With an upset brewing, Murdoch stepped up once again as their high press & defensive errors from Byford decided the encounter; a Mauricio Da Rocha double settling the match. The victory took Murdoch closer to claiming the minor premiership as they maintained the 6 point gap over Stirling.

Canning Ultra Tigers FC 1 – 7 Spearwood Lions FC

Canning (14th) came into this match with a point to prove. Despite missing 3 starting players, they began on fire, taking an early lead via Jules Leveque. Spearwood (8th) responded with goals from Jamal Yusof & Chris Castro to take a 2-1 half-time lead. The Lions completed the double over a brave Ultra Tigers with a 5 star 2nd half performance; With Yusof & Castro again on the scoresheet, and Spanish recruit David Vall Brossa scoring his 2nd hattrick in 2 matches. The result takes Spearwood to only 2 points outside the Top 6 as their 3rd victory in a row improved their chances of playing finals futsal come May.

Stirling Braza Ginga FC 3 – 1 Joondalup ECU Jets

Two sides that played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Round 7 met in another Mitchell Freeway derby. Having lost 3 of their past 5 fixtures, Stirling (2nd) were looking to get back to form with a solid victory over a battling Joondalup (11th). A closely fought out 1st half ended with Braza leading 2-0 via a thunderbolt from Fernando De Paula & a fine goal from in-form AJ Martino. The lively Aaron Bell responded for ECU early in the 2nd half, only for De Paula’s 2nd of the match to settle the outcome. The win took Braza back up to 2nd, hot on the heels of table-topping Murdoch.

Balga FC 4 – 5 Perth Longobarda FC

A contender for match-of-the-round with Balga (9th) succumbing to in-form Longobarda (3rd). With Balga having returned to finals contention on the back of a 2 game winning streak, they were looking to maintain that form. But, it was Longobarda, looking for their 4th win in a row, who took an early lead via Cristiano Dos Santos. Balga responded via Eraste Vyamungu, only for the returning Alex Kretowicz to restore Longo’s lead. Conor O’Driscoll equalised with virtually the final kick of a pulsating 1st half. A match the ebbed & flowed continued in the 2nd with Kretowicz, Vyamungu & Dos Santos all completing their doubles. Remo Capitani, leading by example once again, gave Longobarda a match winning 5-3 lead with 2 minutes to go. A late Adam Mangion goal not enough for Balga to get anything out of an exciting fixture.