Soccer: Kingz lose after missing penalty

By Terry Maddaford

A missed late penalty cost the Football Kingz their first point in the Australian soccer league in Sydney yesterday.

The Auckland-based Kingz went down 1-2 to Sydney United after the teams had been level 1-1 at halftime.

The home side went ahead in the 20th minute through Mario Jermen but the Kingz fought back and veteran striker Fred de Jong headed home a Dino Menillo corner for the 35th-minute equaliser.

Without touching the ball at the start of the second half, the visitors fell 1-2 behind when, after three or four passes from the restart, Joe Moric played a ball in from the left and Jermen volleyed home.

The Kingz should have equalised two minutes from time when Harry Ngata was pulled down in the penalty area.

After his terrible miss in the first game, captain Chris Jackson entrusted the penalty attempt to Australian Levent Osman but the result was the same - a weak effort easily saved by goalkeeper John Crawley.

It was another unconvincing display by the New Zealand side, who played without player-coach Wynton Rufer.

Rufer raised a few eyebrows in leaving Ivan Vicelich on the bench and starting with a defensive quartet of Jonathan Perry, Osman, Che Bunce and Riki Van Steeden.

Vicelich, and substitutes Marcus Stergiopoulos and David Moya did, however, get some game time.

Carlton, first-round winners over the Kingz, were held 1-1 by Gippsland Falcons but the Brisbane Strikers made it two-from-two with their 2-1 home win over Adelaide Force, who join the Kingz at the foot of the Ericsson Cup points table.