It was a case of “better late than never” for Hoppers Crossing coach Shaun Barbara and his players after a 2-0 win over Geelong Rangers in the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 2 at Grange Reserve on Saturday.
The Reds certainly left it late, scoring twice in the last five minutes to come away with three points that keep them in top two.
Fab Albuquerque jr finally broke the deadlock in the 86th minute, before substitute Musa Kamara scored a penalty sealer from the spot in stoppage time.
Barbara always had faith Hoppers Crossing would eventually score. The Reds had done most of the attacking throughout the game on the back of strong midfield play from Andrew Ruiz, Kwaku Dade and Daniel Sweeney.
“We’ve certainly got belief that we’ve got goals in us,” he said. “Geelong came well organised, well prepared and I thought defensively they were really good. We kept going forward and playing the style that we wanted to play.”
The first half was full of Hoppers Crossing attacks. The Reds’ advances were denied time and again by a rigid Rangers defence.
The Rangers had their moments on counter-attack and could well have taken a lead if not for a fine double-save from Reds goalkeeper Kieron Sharratt.
“That could have changed the complexion of the game completely, but he did really well to keep that out,” Barbara said.
Hoppers Crossing was one of the most free-scoring teams in the competition in the earlier rounds, but perhaps it made a rod for its own back.
The Reds are now coming up against sides that have a defence-first mindset and are not easy to break down.
Barbara pleaded with his team to remain patient in his half-time address.
He did, however, implore his players to move the ball a bit quicker and work harder off the ball to create more chances.
“I think that probably coincided with how Fab got in to score,” Barbara said.
“There were a couple of good passes and good movement off the ball, which opened up a pocket of space and he was able to break through.”
Kamara’s game sealer came on the back of a penalty, which he earned for himself.
The former Truganina Hornets striker was taken down by Rangers defender Ashley Knowles, who received a second yellow card.
Hoppers Crossing remains second on the ladder, two points behind rivals Altona City.
The Reds will be keen to keep the pressure on when they host Essendon United at Grange Reserve on Saturday.
In state league 4, Point Cook remains on top of the table after a 1-0 win over Bell Park at Saltwater Reserve. James Varsamakis scored the only goal for the game in the first half.
Truganina Hornets thrashed Melton Phoenix 4-1 at Arndell Park with Senanu Oforikumah, Zach Busuttil and Abu Sillah getting on the scoresheet.
In NPL2, Werribee City conceded a late own goal in a 2-1 loss to Moreland City. Robert Naumoski scored a second-half equaliser for the Bees, but a point was lost when George Slefendorfas was tagged with an own goal.
