Zekail Gezafer scored two goals, assisted on another, and won a penalty kick for HU Blue in their stunning 4-3 come from behind victory over Albanian Stars at College of Du Page on August 23rd. The win moved HU Blue into third place in the Blue Division and dropped Albanian Stars to fifth in the Red Division. HU Blue now finds itself with a three point lead and a game in hand over fourth place FC Steaua in the Blue Division playoff hunt, while Albanian Stars have fallen perilously close to the relegation zone in the Red Division, leading BH Lillies by only one point with one more game played.
Albanian Stars started the match strongly, scoring first on a beautiful long distance strike at the twenty minute mark. The 1-0 lead was well deserved as the visitors dominated play in the first half hour of the match and also missed an open net from a few yards out. Hellenic United stormed back in the last fifteen minutes of the first half, with Gezafer leading the charge against his former team. Gezafer equalized for HU at the half hour mark with a brilliant forty yard volley that dipped just under the Albanian Stars crossbar. Ten minutes later Gezafer struck again, winning a penalty kick after being brought down in the area by the Albanian Stars goalkeeper. HU Blue captain Alen Malkoc calmly stepped to the spot and buried the ensuing penalty kick inside the left goalpost for a 2-1 HU Blue lead.
The second half saw Hellenic United dominate play throughout, creating numerous scoring chances and maintaining a decisive edge in possession. Nonetheless, Albanian Stars managed to tie the match with fifteen minutes remaining on a very controversial goal and then took the lead on a penalty kick a few minutes later. The match temperature rose considerably when the tying Stars goal was allowed despite a player from HU being down injured deep in his opponents defensive third. Things became even more heated when the HU Blue coach asked that at least two dozen Albanian Stars fans be removed from the touchline right before the Albanian Stars penalty kick was to be taken. The match referee correctly moved the spectators and ordered them back to their seats, with one unfortunate individual being removed from the premises entirely.Hellenic United was not to be denied on this day, however. Despite playing the last fifteen minutes of the match with one less player, HU Blue scored the equalizer with less than ten minutes remaining, then bagged the winner at the 89 minute mark. HU Blue coach Andy Sotiropoulos gambled by going to a three man backline and adding an extra midfielder right after the third Albanian Stars goal, and he was rewarded almost immediately. Sweeper Alen Malkoc made a brilliant half field solo run into the opposing defensive third and fed Gezafer on the left wing, who calmly and with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker sent in a far post cross that found a streaking Malkoc unmarked. The HU Blue captain buried a diving header inside the far post to tie the match up at 3-3.
Just when it looked like the match was going to end in a tie, Gezafer struck again, taking a Nermin Dautovic feed and eluding an onrushing Albanian Stars goalkeeper before calmly sending the ball into the net for a 4-3 scoreline amidst delirious HU Blue celebration. The sizeable Albanian Stars contingent could only look on in stunned silence as the entire HU Blue team piled on to Gezafer, who had made a beeline to the far corner flag.
"What a great match this was" said elated HU Blue coach Andy Sotiropoulos. "This is as good as it gets. End to end action, seven goals, emotion, controversy, you name it, we had it. We just beat a very good team. And we finally got a win at home....ten games into the season. I thought we would never shake that bugaboo. More importantly, we were able to put ourselves into playoff contention. A loss would have been devastating. It's like that old Wide World of Sports commercial...the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat....we felt both emotions within a ten minute span. Talk about going from one emotional extreme to another.
All the credit in the world goes to the boys, however. They showed the heart of a champion today. We had every reason in the world to fold up the tent when we went down 3-2 with one less player and only ten minutes remaining, yet they battled back and snatched victory from the jaws of certain defeat.
I certainly have to mention Ziggy (Gezafer). Even though he didn't say a word to me, I knew this was a big match for him. It always is when a player plays against his old team. I talked to him at length before the game about not getting carried away and playing under control...and he came through like a champ, under some very adverse circumstances and conditions. The fact that he figured in all four of our goals says it all. Most of all, I'm very proud of the kid for the way he conducted himself today. He carried himself with class and dignity. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about certain people who are nearly twice Ziggy's age. This kid (Gezafer) has been a pleasure to deal with since he came to us in the beginning of the season. Extremely well liked by all his teammates and everybody at the club. He's never said a bad word about anybody. Why anyone would want to heap abuse on a young man like this who simply wants to play soccer is beyond me.
As far as the match is concerned, I was also pleased by the play of Mark Holland and newcomer Sam Post. Mark was simply outstanding. Flawless. His best game in an HU uniform. Sam signed on Saturday and played on Sunday..and what a debut. He gives us a lot of versatility and depth in the midfield. No matter which side I played him on, he held his own, and he was very comfortable in the middle. He's a newcomer to the league, but he's played at a pretty good level in the Ivy League (Yale) before coming to us.
We really had some problems in the first half marking their overlapping left fullback, but we made a tactical adjustment at halftime and corrected the problem. I also changed the way we were utilizing Ziggy a bit, and it paid off. Once again we sleepwalked through the first half hour of a match, but I have no complaints about the last hour. None. I just wish we would come ready to play from the get go all the time.
I'm really surprised Albanian Stars is struggling in their division. They're a quality side that plays good soccer. The have some really nice midfielders.
Hopefully, we can continue this good stretch against Gazelle next week. They're always formidable."
Line-up: Barszczowski-Nanic, Holland, Moraitis, Malkoc-Abraham, Villanueva, Post, Smjecanin-Gezafer, Acamovic (Prses, Dautovic, Mahmutovic)
Game Summary:
1:1 Gezafer (Holland) 2:1 Malkoc (pen.) 3:3 Malkoc (Gezafer) 4:3 Gezafer (Dautovic)