Sport

Outstanding Olympic able to snare vital three points

SYDNEY Olympic have kept their finals hopes alive after a stunning 2-1 victory over Sydney United 58 at Belmore Sportsground on Sunday evening.

A goal to the very swift Tariq Maia in the 26th minute, had Sydney United 58 with the advantage after the first stanza, but a 10-minute block early into the second half saw the pace of the game change drastically.
A goal to Olympic substitute Jack Stewart and a well-taken penalty from Olympic skipper Jason Madonis, saw the home side work their way back into the game.
Despite a massive amount of pressure from the visitors, Olympic remained resolute in defence to hold on to the lead to take a hard-fought three points from the game.
It was a crucial three points for the reigning Premiers and Champions, but their finals football hopes will now depend on a loss from Sydney United 58 next weekend, as well as a win against Sydney FC.
Both teams threatened in the opening stages of the match, creating an abundance of goal-scoring opportunities, but neither were able to make their mark on the game.
A robust defensive line for the visitors stifled Olympic’s chances while they built momentum before opening scoring in the 26th minute.
The home side seemed to regroup at the half-time break, while a substitution sparked some positivity on the field.
Stewart came on in the 52nd minute in place of Billy Patramanis and scored just moments later in his first play of the game.
Neither team stopped fighting until the final whistle, but Olympic managed to maintain their one-goal advantage to finish the game 2-1.
Olympic coach Abbas Saad was very pleased with his team’s fight to come back from a one-goal deficit.
“I thought we played some good football,” he explained.
“The belief from the boys and the positivity in our play, just kept us going.
“We knew if we could get one goal back, we could go on and win.
“It was fully deserved, and we showed a lot of fight.”