HEIDELBERG United grounded out a 1-0 upset win in a heated clash against Richmond at the Olympic Village on Sunday.
While the result was somewhat of a surprise, the biggest talking point was the eleven bookings handed out by the referee, including three who were shown straight reds and sent to the sheds.
Coming into the game, Richmond were favourites to claim the points away from home, but a goal just after the hour mark from Heidelberg defender Eric Vassiliadis was enough to split the teams and seal the result.
Heidelberg’s defence then stood tall as they were able to blunt Richmond’s devastating attack, which boasts two of the leagues top marksmen, and had last week hammered six goals past a hapless Frankston Pines.
The visitors were behind the eight ball as they lost their captain Stuart McCluskey and talismanic forward Pablo Cardozo to straight red cards, while Heidelberg’s Saso Aleksovski was also sent off.
The loss of Cardozo in particular robbed the visitors of their attacking edge, and the sending off meant the visitors would struggle to make up the deficit as the game wore on.
Even the introduction of Nick Kalambokis and the valiant efforts of league top scorer Richie Cardozo were not enough as the Eagles were unable to find the equaliser.
The win is the second on the trot for the Bergers, who now sit on the fringes of the top six, only two points behind Altona Magic.
Heidelberg can continue their good run next week when they take on Whittlesea, and a win could see them sneak into the top half of the table.
