South Melbourne FC have continued their strong start to the OFC Pro League, recording a dominant 5–0 victory over PNG Hekari FC to close out the opening round of the competition at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.
The win marks South Melbourne’s second consecutive victory, leaving the Australian club on the maximum six points from two matches and one of only two teams – alongside Auckland FC – to maintain a perfect record so far in the tournament.
Three goals in the opening half set the tone for the Oceania Club of the Century, who asserted control from the outset after being made to work hard in their opening match against Tahiti United.
South Melbourne struck twice inside the first seven minutes. Tommy Giannakopoulos opened the scoring with a header from a Jack Painter-Andrews cross, before Jordan Swibel marked his first start of the campaign by chesting home a Yuki Uchida delivery to double the lead.
PNG Hekari FC showed brief resistance, with Rex Naime heading narrowly wide from a set piece and John Orobulu firing a long-range effort off target. However, South Melbourne restored full control just before the break when Max Mikkola converted from close range. While initially ruled offside, the goal was awarded following a VAR review, sending South Melbourne into half-time with a commanding 3–0 advantage.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with South Melbourne continuing to exploit space across the PNG side’s backline. Swibel added his second goal in the 57th minute, chasing down a long ball from Uchida and finishing powerfully past goalkeeper Dave Tomare.
The only setback for South Melbourne came shortly after the hour mark, when Bulgarian goalkeeper Ilia Shalamanov-Trenkova was forced off following a head knock, with Jake Charlston coming on as his replacement.
Swibel was substituted with 20 minutes remaining as a precaution ahead of the next round, while substitute James Lackay went close soon after. PNG Hekari goalkeeper Tomare was again called into action late in the match, conceding a penalty after colliding with Jack Pope. Nahuel Bonada struck the crossbar from the spot, but made amends moments later by scoring South Melbourne’s fifth goal in the 87th minute after winning possession inside the box.
South Melbourne FC now travel to Papua New Guinea for the second round of the OFC Pro League, sitting second on the competition table. PNG Hekari FC return home still searching for their first points of the campaign.
Final score:
PNG Hekari FC 0
South Melbourne FC 5
(Giannakopoulos 3’, Swibel 7’, 57’, Mikkola 45’, Bonada 87’)
Half-time: 0–3
