The much-anticipated Australian Championship kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday night, as South Melbourne edged past Sydney Olympic 3-2 in front of a passionate crowd at Lakeside Stadium.
South Melbourne snuffed out Olympic’s early lead on the stroke of half-time before surging ahead shortly after the break. Olympic struck back through another sensational goal, only for the hosts to seal victory with a late strike worthy of the occasion.
Full-time: South Melbourne FC 3 – 2 Sydney Olympic FC
The match began cautiously, with both sides intent on avoiding early mistakes. Olympic showed promise early and were rewarded just 12 minutes in when debutant Ali Auglah unleashed a superb long-range strike that skipped past South keeper Javi Lopes and nestled into the bottom corner.
The home side responded with a string of set-pieces, coming close through Sebastian Pasquali and Nahuel Bonada, before Marco Jankovic headed narrowly wide from a corner. Olympic’s Ryan Fuetz tested Lopes again with a low drive in the 40th minute, but South finally found the breakthrough on the cusp of half-time when Yuki Uchida capitalised on a loose ball to fire home.
The sides went into the break level, setting up a tense second half. Within ten minutes of the restart, Oliver Lavale slid in at close range to give South the lead after another scrappy exchange inside the box.
Olympic came agonisingly close to equalising when Fuetz curled a shot against the far post in the 67th minute, but the hosts continued to press, forcing several saves from Jack Gibson.
In the 83rd minute, Fuetz produced a moment of brilliance to level the score once more – a dipping strike from distance that soared into the top corner. Yet, just four minutes later, Jordan Lampard restored South’s advantage with a stunning side-footed effort into the top left, sealing the win for the home side.
As the final whistle blew, chants of “Hellas!” and “Olympic!” echoed across Albert Park – a reminder that for Greek Australians everywhere, this was more than just a football match. It was a renewal of identity for two great footballing institutions, and the beginning of a new chapter for the game in Australia.
Source: Football Australia
