South Melbourne have claimed an emphatic Dockerty Cup victory, defeating Oakleigh Cannons 3-0 at a wet and windy Lakeside on Sunday evening.
In the perfect antidote to Wednesday’s FFA Cup defeat, Milos Lujic scored a double, while Leigh Minopoulos added the team’s third goal.
A cagey start to the contest saw neither side trouble the respective goalkeepers, with chances hard to come by at both ends.
Sean Rooney fired the first warning shot after a quarter of an hour, blazing a shot over the bar from a tight angle.
Leigh Minopoulos then went on a slaloming run past a few defenders, but his resultant shot was hit straight at John Honos.
South had another sight on goal when Epifano found an overlapping Tim Mala, whose cross met Milos Lujic for a header that didn’t trouble the ‘keeper.
The Cannons looked certain to take the lead as the flag stayed down when Lambros Honos latched onto a ball over the top, but Nikola Roganovic pulled off a fine save to keep the game scoreless.
South Melbourne managed to fashion a few chances on goal later in the half via Nick Epifano and Matthew Theodore, though the Cannons saw off the threat with relative ease.
The second half started in total contrast to the first, with a slick piece of play seeing Epifano pass the ball in the box to Leigh Minopoulos, whose backheel flick found Lujic for the opener.
It was two goals in four minutes when Epifano found Lujic from the corner spot, with the striker rising to nod in the header.
Lujic almost had his third in quick succession moments later, just losing out to Honos in a chase to connect with Matt Theodore’s dink over the backline.
The contest was all but over when Leigh Minopoulos scored the team’s third, benefiting from Iqi Jawadi’s slick dribble past the defenders in the box to tap in the layoff.
South Melbourne were firing on all cylinders, with Brad Norton the next to try add his name to the scoresheet, but Honos did well to deny him.
Lujic once more almost benefited from an Epifano corner, volleying just wide to miss out on his hat-trick.
South kept peppering Oakleigh’s goals in search of a fourth goal, but in the end had to settle for the 3-0 victory, a deserved consolation following Wednesday’s FFA Cup defeat.
South Melbourne 2 (Lujic 47’ 51’, Minopoulos 57’) defeated Oakleigh Cannons 0 at Lakeside Stadium [HT: 0-0]
South Melbourne: 1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR, 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 8. Matthew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS, 77. Steve HATZIKOSTAS
Unused Substitute(s): 22. Fraser MACLAREN, 23. Andy KECOJEVIC, 10. David STIRTON, 21. Jake BARKER-DAISH, 6. Tom LAKIC
Yellow Card(s): Nil
Red Card(s): Nil
Oakleigh Cannons: 76. John HONOS (GK), 18. Adam LE CORNU (23. Theo PAPAGEORGIOU 73’), 6. Steve PANTELIDIS, 3. John BLACK, 12. Tremayne SADLER, 15. Jake McCLEAN, 11. Kofi DANNING, 22. Matthew FOSCHINI (5. Aron WILFORD 59’), 14. Mirjan PAVLOVIC, 16. Sean ROONEY, 26. Lampros HONOS
Unused Substitute(s): 13. Lajos HUN, 8. Dusan BOSNJAK, 25. Delrno PHAROE,
Yellow Card(s): Foschini 56’
Red Card(s): Nil