SOCCER
STATE LEAGUE
By ALAN ROBERTS
ROUND 5 of the 2026 Veto Men’s State League would see Fortuna ’60 play at home versus top of the table Monbulk Rangers SC.
Fortuna would hit the pitch without Nonda Lazaris, Olly Spiteri, Ash Ross and Jordan Campbell from a mix of injuries and suspension – all players being key to Fortuna’s mid-field planning.
The Lions were keen to bounce back on their home deck after last week’s heart-breaking draw on the road to the Sandown Lions.
Unfortunately, at the end of the 90 minutes the home team would suffer a 5-3 loss in a game that they could have achievably obtained a positive result in.
The game would start after a minute’s silence in honour of our service men and women for Anzac Day.
It then kicked off with Fortuna taking control, creating multiple opportunities in the first 20 odd minutes of play.
Damon Scott, Jake Budija, Rory Wagner and DJ Matar were creating havoc on the pitch and carving up the Rangers defence, but as in previous weeks, the Lions could not convert their early chances.
This would come back to haunt them at the conclusion of the game.
At the other end of the pitch, the visiting Rangers were stifled for opportunities, but when one did arise they made no mistake in the conversion process.
In the 25th minute, the Rangers would drill a long ball deep into the Fortuna 18yd box, which was not dealt with effectively the Lions defence or keeper.
Oliver Grujic for the Rangers would put the loose ball into the back of the goals and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
In the 39th minute, Fortuna would play the ball out of the back with what could only be described as a spirit of minimal intent, Jack Higgins for the Rangers would swoop on the errant ball, drilling it back past the Lions keeper to extend the visitors lead to 2-0.
Fortuna would continue to work through the remain minutes, but corners and crosses into their box seemed to be several yards too deep – a theme of the first half for the home team.
With the score 2-0 in favour of the visiting Rangers at the halftime break, the Lions headed into the sheds in search of some answers and inspiration.
The second half would see Fortuna come out and take the game on as they did at the start of the match.
But, like the first half, it was the Rangers who would convert first after a five-minute period of solid offensive pressure from the visiting team.
Brayden Jones from the Rangers would deliver a peach of a free kick onto the penalty spot for Steve McRae to smash past Fortuna’s gloveman, giving the travelling team a commanding 3-0 lead.
It has been evident over the last couple of weeks that opposition teams are playing over the Lions forward press and catching the team out on quick breaks through the midfield and defence.
This has clearly negated the Lions scoring opportunities from pressure that has reaped many goals over the last season and a bit.
An on-field re-shuffle saw Fortuna go to a 3-5-2 formation to negate Monbulk’s style of play.
In the 73rd minute, Fortuna would get some reward for effort, with Matar pushing forward and threading a pass to the feet of Jake Budija who was driving towards the front post, Budjia clinically putting away the ball to see the score go to 3-1 in favour of the Rangers.
Fortuna would be gifted an own-goal in the 84th minute with the ball coming off the back of Monbulk’s Kane Angulo’s head and deflecting into their goal, seeing the score go to 2-3 and the Lions on the hunt.
The hunt was short lived, with Liam Saunders from Monbulk exploding past Fortuna’s full back and delivering a cross into the box that was slotted away for the visitors by Daniel Biondo – extend the Rangers lead to 4-2 with ten left on the clock.
With the game going into injury time, Monbulk would score again via Oliver Grujic (giving him a brace for the day) and extending their lead to what was surely a matching winning 5-2.
A minute later, Damon Scott would add a bit of respectability to the score line for the hosts, taking on the last defender and despatching a clinical strike to see the score line finish at 5-3, with the man in the Middle Ken Hili blowing the final whistle not long after the restart from Scott’s goal.
Fortuna headed into the sheds and again mulling over a game that could have gone their way, with Fortuna coaches, Ash Ross and Robbie Stephen frustrated with the result.
“We actually moved the ball really well, but we cannot win games by conceding easy goals,” they said.”We will hit the training track hard and work on the problems over the next week, we have identified the cause – now to implement the solutions.”
Whilst it is early in the season, the Lions coaching staff and players will need to dig deep over coming weeks and arrest the early season slide down the table.
Last season’s champions now sit in sixth position on 7 points – 8 points behind league leaders Monash City Villareal.
Every game (even this early in the season) is becoming a must win if the Lions wish to remain in the hunt for back-to-back promotions.
Earlier in the day, the Fortuna reserves would go down 4-2.
The team worked hard but were short of numbers on the bench and on the field, as a result of players being moved up into the senior team for the week.
