The Lifespan Osteopathy Match Report: Royals Rue Missed Chances Against North Sunshine

In a game that provided plenty of chances on a hot, windy day at Larissa Reserve, it was the North Sunshine Eagles who proved the more clinical, defeating the Essendon Royals 1-0.

In a hard-fought match at Larissa Reserve, Essendon Royals succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of North Sunshine Eagles in their Round 1 NPL3 encounter. Despite a strong performance and multiple chances, the Royals couldn’t find the back of the net, leaving them with plenty to build on for their upcoming matches.

The Royals looked to find their feet in the opening 15 minutes of their NPL3 debut, battling against a fierce wind and a solid North Sunshine side. Much of the opening exchanges were played in the Royals’ half. Still, the visitors remained compact and tough to break down, with the only real opportunity for the Eagles coming via an eighth-minute corner.

With the nerves settled, the Royals began to create some decent opportunities themselves, with Davey Van’t Schip and Jeremy Walker combining well down the right wing. On the left flank, Nobu Usui was a thorn in the side of the Eagles’ defence, and he crafted the visitor’s first opportunity at the 18-minute mark, beating his man before firing just wide of the far post.

On the 30-minute mark, A-Leagues veteran Vince Lia produced a stunning switch to find the overlapping run of Walker, who put in a superb cross that evaded the sprawling Eagles keeper, who did just enough to put Moheb Khamisi off his finish, turning the ball over the bar.

The miss proved costly, as the Eagles constructed some nice play through their midfield to slip Nick Epifano through on goal, who made no mistake with the finish, firing past debutant Kieran McDowell, who got a hand on it but not enough to divert it wide..

The Royals responded with plenty of pressure of their own. A Van’t Schip cross that found Graham Kelly, but he just couldn’t find the finish.

The Royals then created a series of opportunities from corners, eventually seeing Khamisi take a shot off-target after the third corner was initially cleared. 

The second half started with more chances for the Royals, with a corner from Kelly creating an early opportunity, which was cleared off the line. Just a minute later, Mario Piraino took a shot, but it was tipped over the bar by the Eagles’ goalkeeper. In the 53rd minute, Usui had another chance to equalise, but his shot was blocked on the line after the keeper failed to deal with a cross.

The Royals had a scare in the 61st minute when Lia was forced to clear the ball off the line following a save from McDowell. 

Royals junior Julian Napolitano made his senior debut for the Royals, coming on for Van’t Schip as the Royals continued to dominate with the wind at their back, needing to balance their forward threat with the threat the Eagles continued to pose on the counter.

In the 73rd minute, another significant opportunity arose for the Royals when Kelly headed the ball just wide of the target after a beautifully lofted pass from Usui. The Royals made another substitution, with Luca Santilli replacing Khamisi. The match continued to see chances at both ends, with McDowell making another crucial save in the 82nd minute.

As the match entered its final stages, Luke Croce made his senior debut for the Royals. The Royals continued to press for an equaliser, but the North Sunshine Eagles’ goalkeeper managed to secure the ball in stoppage time after a dangerous cross into the box. The match ultimately ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Royals.

Despite the disappointing result, there were plenty of positives for the Royals, including two senior debuts for their juniors. The team will look to build on this performance and bounce back in their next match.

In the earlier kick-off the Royals ran out 2-1 winners in the Under-21s fixture.

Goals from Diarmaid Harrington and Daniel Taubitz – who converted from the spot – eventually won the game for the young Royals.