Serbian White Eagles edged their way to the CSL Championship Final for the fourth year in succession with the 1-0 overtime victory at Centennial Stadium Saturday, the return match in a 2-game total points aggregate semi-final series.
But the win was a heartbreaker for a gallant Toronto Croatia side, in particular forward Tihomir Maletic who scored five goals in his side’s 7-1 win 30 minutes earlier, to tie the teams 3-3 on points following a 3-1 Serbian Eagles win on October 11.
The Attak defeated Italia Shooters in the second leg following a 3-3 tie at Maple a week earlier. The Quebec side and Italia fought to a 1-1 tie at Trois-Rivieres on Sunday before going into overtime, a game that went 97 minutes (90 minutes and seven minutes of added time following numerous interruptions).
The championship will be a repeat of last year’s final when these two teams met at Esther Shiner Stadium on October 26, a rain-drenched affair that went 105 minutes, a 2-2 tie before Serbian Eagles triumphed 3-2 on penalty kicks.
Attak forward Shady Saleh was the hero in Sunday’s game, he scored an equalizer when with seconds remaining to the extended regulation time and he again put the ball past Italia Shooters’ goalkeeper Camilo Benzi 25 minutes into the 30-minute overtime for the winner.
Saleh’s goals came after Italia Shooters took the lead on a goal at 62 minutes by forward Aundrae Rollins.
It was a dejected Serbian White Eagles' section of Centennial Stadium that had endured the crushing 7-1 defeat during the 90 minutes of play on Saturday afternoon, with Maletic single handedly dismantling the Eagles’ defence with four goals in the second half following his opening strike at 9 minutes into the game.
With the teams tied on points the teams played the required 30 minutes of overtime and penalty kicks if necessary, but penalty kicks were not necessary when Serbia forward Nikola Sisovic created pandemonium with his goal just three minutes from the end.
A more determined Serbian White Eagles went into overtime, missing several chances to score, and when they did find the net in the second overtime period the assistant’s flag was raised for offside.
But Sisovic’s goal a few minutes later at 27 minutes of overtime counted. A talented forward signed just before the September roster freeze from Decic of Montenegro to help the Serbia side in its push to defend last year’s CSL championship win, he struck and left little time for Toronto Croatia to recover.
Maletic scored his first on a rebound from a penalty kick taken by Croatia’s Hayden Fitzwilliams, Fitzwilliams made it 2-0 at 16 minutes and a Serbian Eagles own goal (Medic) at 35 minutes made it a 3-0 Croatia lead at the interval.
Maletic then scored at 58, 63, 75 and 77 minutes for the 7-1 one-sided result at 90 minutes.
Serbian White Eagles enter the final against Trois-Rivieres Attak at the BMO Field in Toronto next Saturday, October 24, that’s a 5 o’clock kickoff to end the 2009 season in the Canadian Soccer League.
CSL Championship Final
