Back-To-Back Wins As We Beat Olympic On The Road

A late header from Thijs Van Amerongen sealed a 2–1 victory over Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday evening, giving us back-to-back wins for the first time this campaign.

It was a result that reflected the quality of our performance across the night, disciplined, patient, and clinical when it mattered most.

We came out of the blocks quickly, with Tye McGowan sending a powerful header into the left post from a corner in the fifth minute. Just sixty seconds later, Tariq Maia tested Olympic goalkeeper Josip Orlovic from the right side of the box, forcing a strong save.

The pressure paid off in the 15th minute. Another corner found an Olympic defender, who headed the ball clear, straight into the path of Maia outside the box. He met it on the volley and struck it perfectly into the bottom right corner. A sensational finish to put us ahead.

We continued to create, with Maia again threatening from range in the 32nd minute, only for Orlovic to get down well to his left and keep it out.

Olympic drew level just before the break. A well-weighted long ball from their captain, Ziggy Gordon, released Yuto Fujita on the left, and the winger took it in his stride to slot home calmly. A frustrating way to go into the dressing room at 1–1.

Head Coach David Perkovic addressed a minor defensive detail at the break and reiterated the message: keep moving the ball quickly, maintain the momentum.

"We just addressed something defensively from a tactical standpoint. It was only a minor problem," he said. "We were actually playing really well, and we needed to keep moving the ball quickly and just keep that momentum going."

The second half was tighter. Nicholas Olsen found himself in a good position in the 73rd minute after a neat ball from Takumi Ofuka, but Olympic's defenders stood firm. The hosts came close in the 86th minute when a Marco Arambasic shot was blocked, and the rebound from Yuta Komura drifted narrowly wide.

We made them pay two minutes later. Lachlan MacDonald delivered from the right, and Van Amerongen got in front of his marker to head home into the right side of the net. 2–1, and the ground had barely settled before the final whistle.

"It was really positive that we found a way to win the match," Perkovic said. "It was really hard to break their deep block down, but we found a way in the end, and I am really pleased."

It was, by all accounts, a first away win against Olympic in many years — and one earned on the road with character and quality in equal measure.