Lions provide the thrills on chilly night
STATE League 1 leader Geelong recorded a hard-fought 2-0 win against bottom side Hoppers Crossing to kick off Round 14 last night in bitterly cold conditions at Stead Park.
Despite their low standing, the visitors put up a decent fight against the Lions, who have opened up a six-point gap to second-placed North Sunshine, who take on second-last Yarraville today.
English striker Sam MasonSmith made his starting debut in only his second game, part- nered up front by Spanish import Gonzalo Aguero, with young gun Josh Talev completing the attacking trio.
The Hoppers defence soaked up plenty of pressure in the opening 15 minutes as the locals searched for the opener.
The Lions suffered a blow on 37 minutes when captain Scott Robson hobbled off with an ankle injury, replaced by Raymond Gunemba.
As the tightly contested opening half seemed set to end in a stalemate, Mason-Smith turned opportunist, tapping in a loose ball at the back post.
The home side did not have to wait long after the break for the second, with Gunemba getting on the scoresheet after 47 minutes.
Talev was allowed to swivel in the box and shoot, but his right-footed pile-driver bounced off the far upright.
Fortunately for the home side, Gunemba pounced on the rebound and slammed the ball into the back of the net to double Geelong’s lead.
Despite a few half chances, the score remained locked at 2-0, leaving Geelong coach Domenic Barba frustrated with the performance but ultimately satisfied with the win.
“If you are winning ugly, that’s often part and parcel of a season. Sometimes you have got to do that, dig deep and that’s what happened to us out there,” Barba said.
“We had a couple of injuries tonight, which unsettled us, but in the end it’s another three points. Now we sit back and watch the other teams, who are under pressure as we have now opened up a nice sixpoint gap at the top.
“Everyone’s out to hunt us and we need to accept that pressure and just keep grinding out the results, like we did tonight.”