NPL Victoria wrap: Port Melbourne goal of the year contender, Young Socceroo runs riot

A goal of the year contender snatched a last-gasp win for Port Melbourne, a Young Socceroo was red-hot and North Geelong breaks the drought.

Melbourne City teenage attacker Raphael Borges Rodrigues

The NPL Victoria competition continue to produce some stunning highlights.

From amazing comebacks and stunning solo goals in the top flight to wild bonanzas in NPL2 and 3, the weekend had it all.

Port Melbourne snatched a last-gasp win with one of the goals of the year, North Geelong was back in the winners circle and Avondale prevailed in a heavyweight battle.

Meanwhile, a Young Socceroos attacker with Brazilian heritage scored an astounding four goals for Melbourne City.

Check out all the major talking points from around the competitions below.

Mo Adam celebrates his game winner. Picture: NPL TV

PORT SNATCH LATE WINNER

Scoring a 90th minute winner is amazing at the best of times but when you score one of the goals of the year to do it, it’s extra special. Mo Adam did just that for Port Melbourne Sharks on Saturday night to cap a thrilling comeback win over Bentleigh Greens. The Sharks had fallen behind to a Tom Strickland special in the 14th minute as he stepped through three defenders before firing home from long-range.

However, some lazy defending from Greens skipper Ben Carrigan saw Port equalise in the 68th minute. Chris Duggan pinched the ball on the byline and his shot ricocheted to Jackson Courtney-Perkins to fire into a wide open net. Just as the game looked to be heading for stalemate, Adam produced his moment of magic. The big striker won the ball back in the left pocket before curling an inch perfect shot over the Greens keeper and into the top right-hand corner. Cue bedlam at Murphy Reserve.

“We know Mo’s got that ability, it’s just about getting it out of him,” Sharks coach Adam Piddick said. “Sometimes he’ll hit them and sometimes it will go 40m over the bar so luckily this time it went in the top corner.”

The win all the more meritorious after Kristian Bombaci was given his marching orders for a second yellow card in the 80th minute. “It was what we needed, it wasn’t pretty, but the boys hung in there and fought it out,” Piddick said. “We got the equaliser and I thought we’d go on and win but then you get the send off and things change again. “That seems to be our problem this year, we’ve played half our games with 10 men, but then Mo Adam comes on - and he’s had a difficult time of it of late - but he came on and made a huge difference. “It meant a lot to the boys.”

It was a critical result for the Sharks to keep pace in the finals battle, sitting sixth with a 4-3-4 record. They will back up against State League 2 North-West leader Clifton Hill in an Australia Cup fifth round clash on Tuesday night. Bentleigh remains last on the table.

89:03: GOAL! Port Melbourne Sharks SC scores to make it PMSC 2 : BGSC 1

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— NPL Victoria (@nplvictoria) April 29, 2023

GOAL OF THE YEAR

Just like last week there was a rich field on contenders in Round 11. Luke Jeggo’s beautiful volley for Green Gully and Wade Dekker’s long-range curler were excellent goals. However, the Port Melbourne-Bentleigh Greens clash produced arguably the two best goals of the weekend. Tom Strickland stepped through three Sharks defenders before firing home from long-range in an extraordinary piece of evasiveness and skill. However, we can’t go past Mo Adam. Given the sublime skill, timing and match-winning impact – it had it all. Having lost the ball, Adam wins it back in the left-hand pocket. He casually steps up to the edge of the area with most expecting a cross but he proceeds to bend it over the keeper and into the top right-hand corner to win the game for Port. Unbelievable.

NORTH BACK IN THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE

It had been nine games since North Geelong’s Round 1 win over Bentleigh Greens so Saturday’s breakthrough win over St Albans was more than welcome. The Warriors snapped an eight-game losing streak the week before with a 1-all draw at Heidelberg United before securing an invaluable win at Elcho Park. A Steve Fidele cross was turned into his own net by Saints defender Troy Ruthven in the eighth minute and it was all North Geelong needed, keeping its first clean sheet of the season. The win lifts the Warriors off the bottom of the NPL ladder, moving a point ahead of Bentleigh and equal with St Albans. After starting the season with a five-game undefeated run, St Albans has now lost six games on the trot.

George Elliss is congratulated after scoring a goal.

HUME WRESTLE BACK DRAW

Hume City found a way. After conceding a goal and red card in the space of five minutes at Knights Stadium on Sunday City snatched a stunning 1-all draw. A Josh Phelps own goal in the dying minutes of the game secured City’s fifth draw of the season and Melbourne Knights’ third. Hayden Tennant had snuck in at the back post and his shot cannoned off the cross bar and into the net off an incredibly unlucky Phelps. The result keeps the Knights in fourth position but City drops a spot to seventh.

CAVALIERS PICK UP STRONG WIN

Green Gully got back to winning form after two straight losses, defeating an in-form Dandenong Thunder 4-2 at Green Gully Reserve on Friday. The Thunder came into the game on a two-game win streak but were shocked by the Cavaliers who surged to a 3-0 advantage after Luke Jeggo, Josh Hope and Alan Gerez all scored inside the first 36 minutes. Goals to Kieran Dover and Leo Mazis gave Dandenong a sniff before Hope sealed the four points in the final minute with his second and seventh of the campaign. The win was the Cavaliers sixth of the season which places them in fifth position on the table.

AVONDALE WINS HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE

Avondale’s undefeated start went on the line on Saturday against reigning champions Oakleigh but the Avengers cemented themselves at the top of the ladder with a handsome 4-2 win. The league leaders went 2-0 up in quick time as Yusef Ahmed opened the scoring and former Avenger Brandon Lundy headed in an own goal inside the first 15 minutes. However, the Cannons were level just 17 minutes later as Wade Dekker scored a pair of excellent goals. First the Oakleigh star curled home from long range before pouncing on a loose ball shortly after. After setting up the opener, Zander Guy put Avondale back in front after a strong run and cut-back from Many Aguek and Luis Diaz sealed the three points, running onto a Liam Boland flick-on, rounding the keeper for an easy finish. It sets up a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash against South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday.

Zander Guy in action for Gold Coast United. Picture: Craig Clifford

SOUTH’S THIRD-STRAIGHT WIN

A four-goal second half steered South Melbourne to a comfortable 5-1 win over Altona Magic at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday. It was South’s ninth win of the season after 11 games which places them in second position on the ladder behind Avondale, which travels to Lakeside on Sunday. It was Magic’s second loss in a row after going on a three-game win streak, seeing them slide to seventh. South forward Maximilian Mikkola starred with two goals.

LIONS GOAL BONANZA

What a wild Monday night at the Veneto Club. A massive crowd packed into David Barro Stadium to witness a crazy, back-and-forth clash between Bulleen Lions and Preston Lions. Connor Bell and Jordan Figon had given the visitors a quick 2-0 lead in the first half. Riki Foster-Hosoai sparked a Bulleen comeback just before half-time, before goals to Carlton Westerdale Luke Lofts within five minutes of each other put the home side in front. However, Preston was level just two minutes later thanks to Bell after a sublime Dalibor Markovic cross. Figon then scored the winner in the 82nd minute turning in a whipped in corner kick to complete a wild comeback win and extend Preston’s lead at the top of the NPL2 ladder.

NORTHCOTE ENDS DANDENONG STREAK

Dandenong City’s four-game win streak came to a crashing halt at John Cain Park on Friday night as Northcote City earned a commanding 3-0 win. Sam Warde opened the scoring for the home team before second-half strikes from Jacob Lever and Steve Sokol within eight minutes of each other wrapped up the win. The result sees Northcote City sit in eighth place and move to within four points of Kingston City in third.

YOUNG SOCCEROO’S FOUR-GOAL STUNNER

Australia Under-20 representative Raphael Borges Rodrigues led Melbourne City to a stunning 5-1 win over high-flyers Langwarrin on Saturday. The son of Adelaide United’s former Brazilian striker Cristiano scored an unbelievable four goals in the win at Lawton Park. Borges Rodrigues, who was born in the Netherlands, opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Lucas Portelli equalised in the 28th. Luke Oresti restored City’s lead before Borges Rodrigues netted in the 41st, 49th and 70th minute to seal a vital three points to lift his team off the bottom of the ladder.

KINGSTON’S BIG WIN

In a battle between second and third it was third-placed Kingston City that triumphed over second-placed Western United. Former Birmingham City junior and A-League striker Peter Skapetis was the hero for the home team, scoring what proved to be the winner in just the second minute. Skapetis’ strike was his sixth of the season, which has him equal second on the competition’s goalscorers charts. Despite the result, United and City remain second and third but the margin has narrowed to just one point, with Kingston owning the superior goal difference at this stage.

VICTORY TAKE DOWN EAGLES

Melbourne Victory prevailed in the NPL3 top-of-the-table against North Sunshine Eagles. Victory moves four points clear at the top after a 3-2 triumph at Epping Stadium. The Eagles had opened the scoring thanks to a Nick Epifano penalty. Victory were level and then in the lead with two goals in three minutes from Alexander Menelaou and Tim Atherinos. Brandon Fumic then levelled the scores again in the 31st minute to complete a hectic first half. William Wilson was the match-winning hero for Victory, slotting home in the 53rd minute to claim all three points, despite going down to 10 men when Franco Lino received two yellow cards in eight minutes to be sent off.