Gungahlin United 3 (Rinaudo 9', O'Dwyer 46', Naumoski 69') def. Canberra FC 0

By Matt Nicoletti

Gungahlin United set up a blockbuster Preliminary Final clash with Canberra Olympic after a convincing 3-0 victory over Canberra FC in their semi-final on Sunday. 

A wet afternoon cleared as kick off approached and the sides got underway with United looking to build on their two wins over Canberra FC in the regular season and their opponents aiming to make a splash in finals from fourth as they did last season.

CFC began the game on the front foot, forcing United deep and leaving them looking for opportunities to counter-attack but were unable to make the most of their early chances. 

That cost them early too, as Michael Rinaudo took off down the right wing in the ninth minute, cut inside his defender and hit a rasping effort past Sam Brown in goals to give his side the lead.

Canberra FC continued to control the possession even after the goal, but in similar vein to last week they were unable to create clear cut chances despite seeing lots of the ball. United continued to poke for chances on the break as they remained resolute in defence, and held out well until the break where they carried in their one-goal advantage. 

That didn’t last long though, as the half got off to the worst possible start for already-trailing Canberra FC. United broke almost straight from kick off and Jason O’Dwyer was sent racing through to finish calmly and extend the advantage to 2-0. 

Now forced to chase the game, Marko Vrkic’s side pushed once more but were unable to finish off chances. Julian Borgna skewed a header wide and a number of other opportunities went begging as Gungahlin held firm under the weight of pressure and with 20 minutes to go they sealed the match. 

Sam Brown got down low to save an initial effort but no one was on hand to clean up in defence, leaving Misko Naumoski to pounce on the rebound and tap home for 3-0.

The loss was yet another against finals calibre opposition for Canberra FC this year, while United continue to defy expectations and now face a big test against Premiers Canberra Olympic next Saturday.