Olympic FC have put themselves right back in the mix at the summit of the NPL Queensland standings with a 1-0 win over Lions at Goodwin Park on Sunday night.
Daniel Leck’s ninth minute strike proved the difference between the two sides as Olympic moved within a point of Lions and Gold Coast Knights in the competitions top four.
Leck netted his seventh goal of the season when he poked a classy Kazuya Ito through ball past Luke Borean and into the back of the net with a first time finish.
Despite a number of chances at both ends neither side was able to further impact the scoreline as Olympic secured a 1-0 win.
Tasuku Sekiya and Jez Lofthouse came closest to doing so for Olympic, forcing Borean into a pair of strong first half saves while Marco Jankovic troubled the home side with his aerial prowess on several set pieces.
Three red cards in second half stoppage time saw Lions finish with nine-men and Olympic with ten.
Nathan Reardon and Danny Driver were both dismissed after receiving their second cautions of the evening for stoppage time fouls.
Jordan Farina also received his marching orders in the 10th minute of stoppage time after getting a second yellow card for his part in a melee that also saw Shelford Dais booked.
Speaking post-match, Olympic FC Head Coach, Ben Cahn praised the fighting spirit shown by his side in Sunday’s match.
“It was a tough match, we said before the game it’s always close when we play them and tonight was no different,” Cahn said.
“We showed a lot of resilience to keep them out, I was proud of how hard everyone worked and how much everyone gave for the team.
“It would have been nice to have had a little bit more control of the game, they probably had more control in terms of possession and momentum but it’s pleasing to see how well we adapted.”
The big games keep coming for Olympic, with focus now turning to a derby against Brisbane City at CTM Stadium next Sunday night (5pm KO).
Cahn said his side wouldn’t be getting carried away after Sunday’s win over Lions.
“As we said before the game, the league’s really open this year so it’s impossible to look too far ahead,” Cahn said.
“I think results will be all over the place so we just need to focus on recovering well from this one and preparing for the next game.
“The support was great tonight, we’ve got a responsibility now to keep finding ways to improve and keep rewarding the people that have stayed with us through a difficult time.”
MATCH DETAILS
NPL Queensland 2020: Round 26 – Olympic FC vs Lions FC
Goodwin Park, Yeronga
Sunday, 30 August
Olympic FC – 1 (Daniel Leck 9’)
Lions FC – 0
Olympic FC Team: 1. Lachlan HUNTER, 4. Ajdin FETAHAGIC, 7. Daniel LECK, 8. Kazuya ITO, 10. Steve WHYTE, 11. Jez LOFTHOUSE (6. Matt MUNDY 57’), 12. Costa PSAROS (2. Shelford DAIS 85’), 14. Tasuku SEKIYA (9. Olaide YINKA-KEHINDE 71’), 17. Danny DRIVER, 19. Jean-Philippe LASM, 20. Corey SEWELL
Unused subs: 15. Kristen WATERS, 21. Nicholas MOONEY, 52. Declan BAKER