By Justin Schwarze
Dandenong Thunder has sent rumblings through the NPL after stringing together a second consecutive win, knocking off Melbourne Knights 3-0 on the road.
The victory catapults Thunder into third on the table, with the club continuing its remarkable beginning to the campaign.
Dandenong got its name onto the scoresheet first through a lovely counter attack, where Wade Dekker played a brilliant ball that slipped in superstar forward Hassan Jalloh.
As Jalloh ran onto the ball, he was brought down illegally by the Knights defence in the box, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Jalloh then absolutely blasted his penalty in for his seventh goal of the season which gave Thunder the 1-0 lead after 36 minutes.
Just eight minutes later and right before halftime, a wonderfully weighted cross from Mersim Memeti found the boot of Daniel Clark, who flicked it on and in to double the advantage for Dandenong going into the main break.
Thunder had the game’s only three shots on target at the half and had only conceded one corner in the first period of play.
Out of the rooms, Dandenong applied significant pressure on the Melbourne defenders, creating multiple chances leading to three straight corners.
On the third corner, a deflected shot found its way to the feet of Thunder defender Thijs Van Amerongen, who turned it in at point blank range to widen the margin to three goals.
From there, the visitors made sure not to allow the Knights back into the game, not allowing a single shot on target for the match, marking a complete and dominant performance.
On the other end, Dandenong had 13 shots, five of which on target, putting the versatility on display.
Jalloh’s goal in the match puts him equal first in the league tally as he continues to be one of the competition’s most dangerous forwards.
After 10 games, Thunder have won seven, drawn one and lost two, good enough to be third in the league.
With a week off for Easter, Dandenong will have plenty of time to rest and rejuvenate ahead of its round 11 visit to Melbourne Victory in its next matchup.
