Aussies Abroad: Giannou strikes and Goodwin, Hrustic claim assists

Apostolos Giannou found the net as AEK Larnaca ran riot, while Craig Goodwin provided the winner for Al-Wedha.

Featured image courtesy of @AlWedhaClub1 on Twitter

Giannou was part of a ten-minute blitz either side of half-time as the Green-Yellows rained in four goals in a 5-1 win against Ethnikos Achna.

The visitors had gone in front on the half hour through Miguelito but Joan Truyols and Ivan Trichkovski struck in the closing moments of the first half.

Eleven-cap Caltex Socceroos striker Giannou netted four minutes after the interval to make it 3-1 and Ivan Fiolic rattled in another on 55 minutes.

Carles Planas wrapped up the win on 79 minutes to ensure AEK leapfrog over their opponents into third in the Cypriot First Division after five games.

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Goodwin produces goods for Red Giant

Goodwin conjured up the winning goal to make it four straight victories as high-flying Al-Wedha rose to second in Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Pro League.

The Knights of Mecca carved out a 1-0 win against struggling Damac when French-born striker Youssoufou Niakaté notched his fourth goal in four games.

The four-cap Caltex Socceroos attacker produced the assist in the 10th minute which proved decisive at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha.

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Hrustic set Groningen on their way with an assist

In the Netherlands, Ajdin Hrustic helped FC Groningen get back to winning ways in a 3-0 triumph against rock bottom RKC Waalwijk.

The 23-year-old Caltex Socceroo set up Mike te Wierik the open the scoring and Charlison Benschop put the Green-White Army in the ascendancy at half-time. 

Hrustic, who earned his only Caltex Socceroos cap in a 2017 friendly against Brazil, completed 74 minutes before Gabriel Gudmundsson made it three. 

After back-to-back defeats on the road against PSV Eindhoven and Ajax Amsterdam, Groningen climb up to 12th in the Dutch Eredivisie.

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Matthew Leckie came on to help close out a 3-1 win for Hertha Berlin over Fortuna Düsseldorf in the German Bundesliga.

The Old Lady fell behind when Rouwen Hennings converted a penalty for the away side on 32 minutes, but Bosnian veteran Vedad Ibišević hit back five minutes later.

Javairô Dilrosun fired the capital city club ahead on the stroke of half-time and Vladimír Darida extended the lead at the Olympiastadion on 62 minutes.

Leckie, who captained the Caltex Socceroos in the 3-0 win against Kuwait last month, replaced Marius Wolf on 79 minutes as Hertha clinched all three points.

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