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Monday, August 20, 2007
Croats parade the Spec Cup
Hamilton edges Brantford Vicano in tense battle down to final whistle
By John Kernaghan
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THREAD THE NEEDLE
Hamilton's Marko Milicevic, centre, fights for control of the ball with Brantford's Marco Giusti, left, and another player yesterday during the Spectator Cup final. |
THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR - Hamilton Croatia got to parade The Spectator Cup around Brian Timmis Stadium again last night, after about 400 mostly pro-Croatia fans waited out a tense final five minutes.
The home side nursed a 1-0 lead over Brantford Vicano for 57 minutes to take the 111th Cup final. Croatia also won in 2004 and '05, and again back-to-back in 1964 and '65.
Brantford turned up the heat in the final going, but Croatia's shell game, with nine men back, held tight.
The game's only score came on it's sole serious miscue.
Brantford goalie Steve Petrella misread the angle as Jerko Grubisic poised to shoot from the left perimeter of the box and the off-pace 30-footer, no screamer, escaped Petrella low and just inside the left upright.
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After a tentative testing-out period in the first half, Brantford pressed harder through the second 45 minutes, and with 25 minutes left in the game looked to draw even.
The opportunity slipped away when Marco Polidor's 30-foot laser ricocheted unwittingly off the head of Croatia's Tom Bilic and bounced wide.
Polidor collapsed to the turf, head in his hands at a rare opportunity lost to a piece of fate.
In the 53rd minute, a neat set piece almost made it 2-0 Croatia, as a cross by Antonio Zupan from a free kick was chipped mid-air by Marko Milicevic.
It popped high, however, and Petrella was able to leap for it near the left post.
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Croatia caught a break in the 59th minute when Brantford pressed and a shot into the area caromed off the forearm of Tomislav Grubisic. But play was waved on over the visitors' protest.
Brantford enjoyed some territorial surges to conclude the first half, but failed to finish.
Two chances nearly equalized as the interval beckoned.
Joe Ligori curled a left-footer wide in the 44th minute and earlier a turf-burner hard by the right post was turned aside by Croatia 'keeper Ante Brala.
Meantime, in the women's final, Caledonia defeated Mount Hamilton 3-1, and Hamilton Jamesville won the men's old-timers final over Dundas United in penalty kicks.
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