By Peter Kambounias

Newly promoted West Sydney Berries defied an overwhelming underdog tag to cause a huge upset by defeating hot favourites Sydney Olympic 3-1 at the Sydney Olympic Atheltic Centre last night in front of around 1500 spectators.

Three second half goals to the Berries overturned the solitary Olympic goal by Michael Cindric in the first half, and the Berries fans and officials did not let the moments after the full time whistle pass without celebrating a famous, and deserved, win for their club.

Sydney Olympic were a far cry from the side that performed very well during the pre-season tournament.  Complacency was certainly a factor which hindered the players' application to the task at hand.

Olympic went into the game still missing Emmanuel Zunino (expected back next round), Siraj Al-Tall (uncertain due to clearance problems at his current Jordanian club), and Anthony Doumanis (injured).  That said, there was more than enough class in the Olympic line up to have taken care of the comparitively weak looking Berries side.

Maybe former Olympic striker Josh Sama gave a hint of things to come when he struck a nice volley that just went wide of Olympic keeper Michael Herbet's goal in the 4th minute.

Olympic though hit back immediately with Matthew Mayora who embarked on a blustering run up the right flank and headed towards goal, but failed to find the mark.  And the pressure started to mount, with Michael Cindric connecting with a header in the 10th that just went wide.

Things went according to the script in the 16th when Olympic took the lead.  It was Cindric again who scored with a looping header off a Mayora long throw in that left the Berries custodian Hamish McLean backtracking to try to prevent the inevitable.

Mayora should have doubled the lead in the 21st.  Paul Wither made a good solid run up the left and slid a nice pass to the rampaging Mayora.  His first time shot skimmed over the top right corner of the goal.

In the 24th Shannon Cole stepped up to take one of his now-familiar trademark free kicks.  The position of the free kick had everyone thinking that a floater into the box was on it's way, but Cole hit the ball at goal and McLean again was forced to scramble to stop the ball from making it 2-0.

Sydney Olympic's Paul Wither and Berries' Kosta Lagoudakis challenge for the ball.  Photo courtesy of Football NSW.

Mayora botched an even bigger chance than the one he spurned in the 21st.  Chris Triantis and Iain Ramsay combined in a short passing interplay to put Wither free on the right forward pocket.  Wither crossed the ball into the area and was connected by the barnstorming Mayora and the ball cannoned off the crossbar and cleared by the Berries.

As the first half continued Olympic began to lose rhythm and fluency, thus allowing the Berries to enjoy more and more possession.  Olympic were also starting to make elementary mistakes and it started to make some fans a bit nervous.  The first half was the poorest performance of Sydney Olympic thus far.  At least the side led 1-0 and most expected that coach Milan Blagojevic would reflect his displeasure at the half time break.

The Berries fairytale took off in the 54th.  Ryan Jones was unmarked and from mid range at the far post slotted past Herbert to make it 1-1.

Cole immediately tried to stop the Berries celebrations but his 55th minute free kick was brilliantly stopped by McLean and grabbed at the second attempt.

Cole again slammed another free kick just over the left post two minutes later.  The Berries equaliser appeared to have hit Sydney Olympic's 'go button'.

However the Berries had other ideas.  In the 60th Herbet tipped over a speculative Berries free kick over the bar for a corner.  And the corner was struck and John Tsironis bobbed up to send his header past Herbet's left hand to make it 2-1 to the home side.

Everyone watching could not believe their eyes.

Blagojevic made two changes by taking Mayora and Roger Galayini off for Anthony Hartshorn and Peter Zorbas but the match was slipping away for Olympic.

With just 8 minutes remaining Sash Tirovski found space on the left to shoot past Herbet to rub salt into the Olympic wounds.  Tirovski got the ball from a free kick that was dubiously awarded by Kristian Griffith-Jones (the same referee that officiated the Johnny Warren Cup Final a week earlier) where the Berries got the free kick despite a Berries player flying in with a two footed tackle from behind.

The chances that Olympic missed in the first half had come back to haunt the side in a big big way.

Blagojevic would have also been very upset at his side's lack of intensity especially after conceding each goal in the second half.

Olympic now must bounce back in round two where the club will host the Wollongong Wolves.

WEST SYDNEY BERRIES 3 (Jones 54', Tsironis 60', Tirovski 82') defeated SYDNEY OLYMPIC 1 (Cindric 16') at Sydney Olympic Athletic Centre, Homebush Bay.

SYDNEY OLYMPIC: Michael Herbet,  Mirko Jurilj, Marino Musumeci, Roger Galayini (73' Peter Zorbas), Shannon Cole, Manuel Giannaros, Chris Triantis, Iaim Ramsay (83' Milorad Simonovic), Matthew Mayora (67' Anthony Hartshorn), Paul Wither, Michael Cindric.