Check out all the weekend’s NPL and VPL highlights and our Goal of the Week

TALKING POINTS: The NPL top-six is far from set, while the VPL1 premiership race has been thrown wide open by a red-hot Caroline Springs George Cross.

Caroline Springs George Cross celebrate a goal. Picture: Mark Avellino

We’re getting towards the pointy end of the NPL and VPL seasons.

The race is on for premierships and finals berths with seven weeks remaining.

Another classic weekend of action saw a number of stunning results – big wins and shock upsets.

Plus, check out our cheeky nomination for Goal of the Week.

Caroline Springs George Cross celebrates a goal. Picture: Mark Avellino

GEORGIES GO BERSERK

It might be the biggest upset of the VPL1 season. Caroline Springs George Cross smashed VPL1 ladder-leader Melbourne Victory 4-0 at Epping Stadium on Sunday, in what could prove a seismic result in the competition’s premiership race. The Georgies were sitting 12th – third last on the ladder – heading into the match. Victory were marching towards a title five points clear on top. However, the score might not come as a surprise to some. Caroline Springs beat Melbourne Victory to the VPL2 premiership last season, defeating the A-League academy 2-0 at Epping Stadium along the way. The Victory made five changes for the match and has lost key playmaker Eli Adams after he signed for Newcastle Jets. George Cross struck first and struck hard. Aiden Brown scored twice and Ottman Benhaddou and Morgan Filer also found the back of the net to give the visitors a 4-0 half-time lead. It was essentially game over. The win catapults the Georgies up the ladder, sitting ninth with two games to finish the round. Victory meanwhile falls back to the pack, now just three points ahead of Preston Lions and Northcote City. It faces an all-Academy clash against Melbourne City next weekend.

GOAL OF THE WEEK

Some high-quality team goals this week but only one individual piece of brilliance in our eyes. That came from Avondale’s Cian Cuba, who continued his blazing hot goalscoring form against Manningham United. Sometimes you need a slice of luck and Cuba got just that. A deflection bounced perfectly for the Avengers midfielder to cheekily lob the ball over Blues keeper George Tzamouranis. A quick thinking, beautifully taken opportunity.

08:30: GOAL! Avondale FC score to make it AVFC 1 : MUFC 0.

Watch live and free at https://t.co/h6s3fuVIqL#NPLMVICpic.twitter.com/VC87RKhExQ

— NPL Victoria (@nplvictoria) June 22, 2024

GULLY RESURGENCE CONTINUES

After a disappointing nil-all draw with Altona Magic last week, Green Gully came out all guns blazing on Saturday, taking down Oakleigh Cannons 4-2. The Cannons, backing up after a mid-week Australia Cup win couldn’t handle Gully’s fast start at Gully Reserve, the hosts taking a three-goal lead at half-time. Josh Hope scored twice and Adolph Koudakpo and Jamie Latham both hit the scoreboard in a dominant display. Latham’s goal his first of the season. The Cavaliers remain in NPL finals contention and are now only seven points behind sixth-placed Port Melbourne. Disappointingly for Oakleigh, it’s a third straight league loss and sees them fall 10 points behind South Melbourne in the premiership race.

HUME BOUNCES BACK

Copy and paste. Rinse and repeat. All three of Hume City’s goals against St Albans looked carbon copies of each other, which is sure to please coach David Chick. Attack down the right wing, cross into the box, tap in. First it was Mikael Platt to Josh Gulevski in the sixth minute, then it was Aamir Abdullah, a touch from Josh Bingham, and Gulevski made it two after only 11 minutes. The third, in the 37th minute, came from a horror turnover and Gulevski fed Bingham who set up Abdullah at the back post. It was a big response for Hume after copping a 5-0 hammering from Avondale in their last match. The win puts the club in a strong position to play NPL finals and also in contention to host a final, now just one point behind Heidelberg United and Oakleigh Cannons in third and fourth.

AVENGERS, SOUTH LET LOOSE

The league heavyweights have again cleared out at the top of the table. South Melbourne sits on top five points ahead of Avondale with a further five points back to Heidelberg United and Oakleigh Cannons. Hellas and the Avengers flexed their muscle in Round 19. South smashed Altona Magic 4-0 at Lakeside Stadium. Nahuel Bonada’s brace takes him to 11 goals for the season, joint second in the competition and only two behind teammate and captain Harrison Sawyer. Emilie Peios and Max Mikkola also found the back of the net. It was the same margin for Avondale, a 5-1 win over Manningham United. The Avengers brushed off Australia Cup defeat in mid-week to bounce back to winning ways at Avengers Park on Saturday. Like Bonada, Stef Zinni also scored a double and also sits on 11 goals. George Ott, Cian Cuba and – in his return from international duties with Somalia – Yusuf Ahmed also hit the scoreboard.

KNIGHTS FOR FINALS?

Melbourne Knights are on the charge. Three wins on the trot – and a draw before that – has rekindled the club’s NPL finals hopes. Friday night’s 6-0 demolition of Moreland – admittedly, the bottom team – was a glimpse of last season’s form that had been sorely lacking this year. Gian Albano scored a brace, his second game in a row with a goal, while Mitch Hore, Ciaran Bramwell, Joseph Franjic and Saif Sakhi all found the back of the net at Knights Stadium. Knights are now just five points behind six-placed Port Melbourne but face a massive challenge on Saturday when they travel to fifth-placed Hume Ciy.

THUNDER RETAIN DERBY TROPHY

Make it an even dozen for Dandenong Thunder. The Thunder retained the Jim Memeti Cup for the 12th time on Saturday night, defeating cross-town rival Dandenong City 1-0 at George Andrews Reserve. The victory continued the club’s extraordinary dominance of the fixture and flipped the script on the higher-placed Hadjuk, putting a major dent in their finals aspirations. As he did in the Round 6 match, Birkan Kirdar produced the match-winning moment. Just past the hour mark, the former Melbourne Victory gun smashed the ball home. Kirdar started the attack, winning the ball in midfield and charging forward, releasing Ali Sulemani. A cross from Jay Romanovski found Wade Dekker with his back to goal and the striker laid it off for Kirdar to bury.

LIONS, NORTHCOTE KEEP PRESSURE ON

Preston Lions and Northcote City set the tone for the weekend and ladder-leader Melbourne Victory faulted. The Lions earned a 2-1 win over Bentleigh Greens at BT Connor Reserve in a dramatic finish. Chok Dau had put the Lions ahead with his second goal in as many games before a Ben Bowler worldie equalised just 40 seconds into the second half. Just as it looked like the game was heading for a draw, Sayed Fatemi poked home a rebound to snatch victory in the 92nd minute. Meanwhile, at John Cain Reserve, Hercules claimed a 2-0 win over Eastern Lions. Second-half goals to Kevin Lynch and Michael Domfeh made for a less tense finish for City. The results, coupled with Melbourne Victory’s defeat sees the premiership race on a knife’s edge. Both Northcote and Preston are now three points behind Victory.

WARRIORS HOLD UNITED

Western United could rue an untimely 2-2 draw with bottom-placed North Geelong if they are to miss out on the VPL1 premiership. The A-League academy team held a 2-0 lead on the half-hour mark at Ironbark Fields thanks to a brace from Nic Koek. However, North Geelong would hit back almost immediately through Shun Nakamura. Sonny Brimmer then found the equaliser in the 56th minute to send both clubs home with a point. Western is now four points behind ladder-leader Melbourne Victory, which lost to Caroline Springs.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

The VPL1 weekend rounds out with two Monday night matches. Kingston City hosts Brunswick City at The Grange and Bulleen Lions welcomes Melbourne City to the Veneto Club. A win would see Bulleen jump up to fifth but a loss would see Melbourne City leap-frog them to sixth. Meanwhile, Brunswick and Kingston are separated by just one point in 10th and 11th.

NORTH SUNSHINE’S TO LOSE?

It’s probably too early to say with seven matches left but is the VPL2 premiership North Sunshine’s to lose. The Eagles claimed a dominant 4-1 win over Pascoe Vale on Friday night at CB Smith Reserve. Combined with Brunswick Juventus’ 2-2 draw with Box Hill United and Altona City and FC Melbourne losing, North Sunshine stands alone at the top of the table with a three-point lead. They host Nunawading City on Friday at Larissa Reserve but must still play Essendon Royals, Brunswick, Altona and Srbija in the run home. In a show of strength, North Sunshine was three goals up at half-time before finishing the job. Redouane Sarakh scored a double and Ndue Mujeci and Hayato Nishinoue also found the back of the net. Nick Hatzigeogiou was the Rams goalscorer.

DOVETON SHOCK

Doveton delivered on its threat to knock off a top club on Saturday with a stunning 2-1 win over Altona City at McIvor Reserve. The Doves had comes close with a 2-2 draw against Essendon Royals and 1-0 loss to Brunswick Juventus before breaking through for a third win of the year. Josh Frame gave the visitors a shock 1-0 lead at half-time, finding the back of the net in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. It was a taste of the drama to come. Jason Quinlan made it 2-0 in the 86th minute before Jayson Ziro clawed one back for Altona in the 90th. In a frantic finish, City couldn’t find an equaliser. The result sees Doveton jump out of the bottom two, to 10th, one point ahead of Goulburn Valley. Altona City, meanwhile, falls six points behind league-leader North Sunshine.

NUNAWADING SHOCK

A second-half blitz delivered Nunawading City one of the biggest wins of the VPL2 season on Saturday. A 3-2 victory over high-flying FC Melbourne at Mahoneys Reserve is sure to keep City in mid-table safety for this season but delivers a major blow to Srbija’s premiership hopes. Goals to Alex Kubenko and Luka Ninkovic sent the teams into half-time level before Miki Gamo and Andrew Visciglio put the home team on top in the second half. Andrija Kecojevic scored Srbija’s second goal but they couldn’t find a late equaliser. The result sees FC Melbourne fall three points behind North Sunshine in the title race.