Soccer: Black Friday defeat leaves Kingz' playoff hopes in tatters

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The Football Kingz' National Soccer League season is in tatters.

Beaten 2-3 by Canberra Cosmos at Ericsson Stadium, the Kingz have not managed to win three in a row and watched despairingly as their top-six playoff hopes headed west.

Why was a settled starting lineup (unchanged for two matches for the first time in the club's history) and good enough for consecutive wins over Brisbane and Parramatta, messed with?

The decision to reintroduce Andy Bluhm in place of Gerard Davis in the midfield begged answers.

So did the efforts of Argentine goalkeeper Julio Cuello, who had to put his hand up for two of the goals which eventually sank the Kingz.

It was a disappointing result for the fans who sat through an early downpour and watched as their side battled back from 0-2, only to lose to the sole goal of the second spell.

The Kingz were playing catch-up from the eighth minute after a gift to the visitors.

After giving possession away in Canberra territory, the ball was played long. Paul Ivanic beat a half-hearted offside trap and was unchallenged in racing clear, drawing Cuello from his goal, and providing the finishing touch.

Thirteen minutes later Daniel Aliffi beat Jonathan Perry's challenge before firing his shot through Cuello's hands and into the net.

The home side's endeavours, with Mark Burton again leading the way, were rewarded in the 34th minute when the midfielder fired a cross which Wynton Rufer finished off.

The Kingz created half-chances for Dennis Ibrahim and Che Bunce before man-of-the-match Perry, grabbed the equaliser in added time.

The second half was punctuated by four bookings, a handful of half-chances for the Kingz and Con Antropolous' 85th-minute winner when he was left to charge at the defence before easily beating Cuello with a shot at the near post.