Darwin Olympic SC defeat Hellenic AC 2-1 in fifth GleNTi Cup
After five long years, Darwin Olympic SC finally has reason to rejoice, clinching their first-ever GleNTi Cup title. Recap the action and check out our 60+ PHOTO GALLERY here.
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After five years of waiting, Darwin Olympic SC finally has cause to celebrate after its maiden GleNTi Cup victory.
In a nailbiter of a match full of passion, the men in red and white came out on top over arch rivals Hellenic AC in a 2-1 scoreline.
Kicking off 10 minutes behind schedule, the clash got off to a frantic start, the first foul coming in the opening 30 seconds.
Hellenic had the run of play early on in the piece, eliciting a raucous response from Olympic’s ‘ultras’ in the stands, banging on the drums and chanting over loud speaker.
Olympic fended off an initial wave of Hellenic attacking plays before mounting numerous counters down the left flank, spearheaded by the efforts of Paraskos Koum.
Hellenic looked to have broken the deadlock with a goal in the 34th, however it was overturned for off-side, much to the disapproval of the blue and white in the dugout.
Olympic’s Krijal Khadka eventually found the back of the net in the 40th, a tap-in off a second ball.
Olympic doubled its tally in the first minute of injury time, courtesy of Endri Prifti who found himself in open space having burned Hellenic’s defensive right side once more.
Not going down without a fight, the men in blue and white were off the mark early in the second, possessing all the momentum and field position early on.
Multi-code athlete and Hellenic striker Stylianos Vrontos got his side on the board in the 50th, scoring a difficult goal off the back of a brilliant chip from Matthew McNab.
From then on the match became a scrappy, foul ridden affair with both sides testing the tolerance of the officials.
Hellenic had its fair slice of chances throughout the rest of the half, but too often would throw away possession in good position with unforced errors and forced through balls.
Olympic also had its share of opportunities, but were clearly more focused on keeping the lead, defending like their lives depended on it.
After three minutes of added time the referee blew his whistle, sealing Hellenic’s fate and announcing the men from Olympic as the new Cup champions.
After the match, Olympic’s assistant coach Bailey O’Leary said he was proud of the way his side dug deep against waves of Hellenic attacks.
“The boys left everything out there tonight,” he said, boasting an ear-to-ear grin.
“We are all over the moon. They’ve done the club proud and we finally have our hands on the cup.
“The last five minutes were as stressful as they come. But the resilience of the guys, all of them sticking to the plan and playing their roles delivered the result and we couldn’t be prouder.”
Elsewhere, in the women’s clash that preceded the men, it was another dominant victory for the women in white and blue who ran away winners in a 5-0 result.
Put to the test in the first half, Olympic didn’t make life easy for the winners, snuffing out dozens of Hellenic go-ahead plays.
Moskoutha Papadakis scored the first goal of the night in the 21st; Sophia Makrylos the assist.
Up 1-0 at the half, Hellenic ratcheted the pace up a few gears in the second.
Sophia Makrylos scored Hellenic’s second in the 50th before Tuula Trikilis made it 3-0 seven minutes later.
Jazzmin Forwood then scored her side’s fourth in the 65th before Jubilee Weo, off the bench, netted Hellenic’s fifth and final goal two minutes later.
After that, Hellenic made a number of subs, so too Olympic, and the scoreline remained at 5-0 until the full time whistle.
PHOTOS
Massive rivalry to reignite in fifth edition of GleNTi Cup
June 3, 2025 – Perhaps the city’s most famed sporting rivalry will rear its head once more this Tuesday night at the fifth GleNTi Cup.
A football match between Greek-founded clubs Hellenic AC and Darwin Olympic SC, the clash has quickly become a highlight of the annual GleNTi Festival.
First contested in 2021, the cup clash has provided some truly iconic moments from both sides.
Current holders of the cup, Hellenic, are hoping to put (by their lofty standards) a poor regular season campaign aside against the top of the table and Australia Cup qualified Olympic.
Eagerly counting down the hours until kick-off, Hellenic president Kosta Boubaris said his club was entering the clash with extra passion, playing for and in honour of a fallen club legend.
“It’s always a big match when these two clubs meet,” Boubaris said.
“The matches are one of the highest attended matches of the year.
“Each year the cup is played in memory of a former (deceased) legend of each club.
“(This year) Hellenic is playing in memory of past player, coach and life member Andrew Papazoglou.”
With ‘bragging-rights’ on the line, Boubaris is hopeful his club will keep its unbeaten run alive.
“Along with the long history between Darwin’s two oldest and most successful clubs, it also means bragging rights at the weekend’s festival where we each have our own stall side-by-side to each other,” he said.
“We’ve won every previous GleNTi Cup, with one draw. But, Olympic have been very strong in the competition this year. When the two clubs meet though, prior results mean nothing as the passion and history mean anything can happen.”
INFO
When/Where: Tuesday, June 3 at Darwin Football Stadium, Marrara
Women’s PL: 6.30pm kick-off, 8.15pm presentation
Men’s PL: 8.30pm kick-off, 10.15pm presentation
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Originally published as Darwin Olympic SC defeat Hellenic AC 2-1 in fifth GleNTi Cup
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