Chris Ikonomidis showed major determination and drive over the weekend when Melbourne Victory went up against English Premier League legends, Manchester United.
Ikonomidis’ finish in the fifth minute stunned the crowd and showed everyone that he was not to be messed with on the field. If the clinical finish from near the penalty spot wasn’t his first touch of the game, it was one of them, one of the many sweeping and passing moves.
“It’s exactly what we’ve trained, week in, week out, so I think the coach and the coaching staff will be buzzing off that because we do this pattern play every day,” Ikonomidis said.
“Sometimes it seems mundane finishing (in training) against no opposition, but it came off against one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
The rush that swept through the Melbourne crown was felt all the way in Sydney this weekend at Lambert Park while Sydney Olympic earned some crucial points against APIA Leichhardt, winning with 1-0 victory.
A Roy O’Donovan header early in the second half was the difference between the two teams despite a 90-minute battle that proved to be a tight affair befitting the occasion of a grand clash between two historic giants.
If three points are the name of the game then Sydney Olympic certainly achieved that, but APIA Leichhardt will be disappointed not to have secured a point in the inner-west derby between two of the oldest and proudest clubs in Australia.
The chess-like game saw both teams work their best, going toe to toe for a goal at every given opportunity.
After the game, Sydney Olympic coach Ante Juric was very happy to have secured all three points at Lambert Park against a tough APIA Leichhardt side.
“It was obviously a big game because we are close on the ladder,” he said.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have been unlucky not to have secured better results, so that was also in us today as motivation.
