NPLM R3, NPLW R5
LIONS MEN CLAIM ICONIC VICTORY IN BRISBANE CLASSICO AS OUR LIONESSES BOUNCE BACK FROM DEFEAT, ANNIHILATING CAPALABA IN A GOAL-HEAVY DOUBLEHEADER AT HOME
Our Lions men rallied in the face of adversity, reasserting themselves in a game that threatened to go against them after Brisbane City fought back from 3-0 down. Following the Classico, our Lions ladies sent a strong message after last weekend’s defeat, putting the Bulldogs down in a 9-0 demonstration.
LIONS VS BRISBANE CITY: NPL MEN
Our Lions won the Brisbane Classico in a display of resilience that saw us fight back after our rivals overturned our early 3-goal lead.
A fast start saw us take control in the third minute, with Ivan Ozzi pressing the City defence, winning the ball and smarty passing it beneath the keeper in his first NPL start. Five minutes later, he doubled our advantage with an outrageous volley over the keeper’s head from the edge of the box.
We made it 3-0 after Matt Ridenton finished off a tidy team move but had our comfort threatened when Macuace pulled a goal back on the brink of half-time. Bowles shifted the momentum after the break, pulling the visitors within one goal before Halliday struck a confidence-denting blow with an excellent equaliser into the top right corner.
Captain Shaun Carlos returned to the pitch, making an immediate impact after an acrobatic effort ricocheted off the woodwork; Pengelly pounced on the loose ball, driving home a breakthrough as we looked to reassure ourselves in an emotional game. Pengelly forced an own goal with intelligent movement on a Lions corner, and veteran Jean Carlos Solórzano made sure our three-goal cushion was recovered with an experienced strike into the bottom left corner.
LIONS VS CAPALABA BULLDOGS: NPL WOMEN
Riding scored four, and Amy Gunston returned from injury in a comprehensive victory at home.
It took just three minutes for our Lionesses to take the lead in a performance that saw us dominate every aspect of the game from start to finish. Tia Appoo opened the scoring via a clever cross from Tegan Riding, who went on to score two goals of her own before the half-time whistle.
With no loss in momentum after play resumed, Appoo added her second after darting inside and finding the bottom left corner with precision. Teagan Thompson scored our best goal of the night to make it five, planting her laces through the ball and sending a curling strike into the top right corner from the left side of the box.
Riding completed her hattrick before adding a fourth goal five minutes later. Macey Edward curled a tidy low effort into the far bottom corner and, to cap off an incredible evening of Lions football, Amy Gunston stepped back onto the pitch after being side-lined with an injury, volleying home our final goal of the night.
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