Lopez denies Juach from the spot as Aguek heads South Melbourne into inaugural Championship final

Written by Lachlan Sherriff

(Australian Championship/X)

After 11,265 days, South Melbourne and Heidelberg United finally played another game against each other in a national competition.

Even in the thirty years away from the national stage, this Greek derby still produced many memorable moments at state level, including when South Melbourne defeated Heidelberg 2-1 in the Dockerty Cup final at the Home of the Matildas earlier in the year.

Now, back at their home of Lakeside Stadium - despite the fixture being classified as neutral - Hellas fans hoped they could pull off another famous win against their old foes and qualify for the first ever Australian Championship final.

Both goalkeepers were busy early, having to make point-blank saves to keep the score locked at 0-0, before a potential South Melbourne penalty was denied by the referee, and confirmed by FVS.

It would see the first half end 0-0, though more drama was on the way soon, when Heidelberg won a penalty in the 65 minute.

FVS confirmed it to be a penalty, so up stepped Bul Juach, who had been lethal in front of goal all year long.

Incredibly, Javi Lopez read Juach's strike perfectly and saved the ball, much to the relief of the Hellas fans.

Five minutes later, South Melbourne subbed Manny Aguek on, and it wouldn't take him long to make an impact.

A long throw in was headed to the back post, where Aguek managed to tap it home with his head from point blank range. He won't score many easier in his career, but he also won't score many as crucial.

With twenty minutes remaining, Heidelberg threw everything they had at South Melbourne, and thought they might have been able to find an equaliser with their second spot kick of the day. However, FVS denied the penalty appeal.

And with that, South Melbourne won 1-0 and advanced to the Australian Championship final, where they'll take on Marconi.

For Heidelberg, they'll be gutted that such a successful season ended this way. With the lows of finishing second in the league, and losing both the Dockerty Cup and Australia Cup final, they'd have been hoping to instead see another high in the Championship to go along with winning the NPL Victoria finals, but it wasn't to be.

Nonetheless, you can't downplay what an unforgettable season it was from Johnny Anastasiadis' men, and there's no doubt they'll be back next year to do it all again.

For South Melbourne, they're right where they want to be. After such a terrible start to their NPL Victoria season, they've recovered superbly to both win the Dockerty Cup and then make the Australian Championship final.

And considering South Melbourne were one of the loudest clubs when it came to creating a national second division, perhaps it'd only be fitting if it was them who won the first ever edition of the tournament.

The only team in their way now is Marconi, who beat Moreton City earlier in the day. The final will be played next Saturday, with a venue yet to be confirmed.