South China's Yugoslav striker Zeljko Gavrilovic rediscovered his goalscoring touch as he led the Caroliners to a 3-0 romp over Sun Hei in the first round of the Senior Shield last night at Mongkok Stadium.
The 30-year-old Yugoslav had not found the net since scoring the solitary goal in a league match against Yee Hope on October 2. But he finally broke a long sequence of near misses to put his name on the scoresheet with an exquisite opening goal just before the break.
Midfielder Tam Wai-kwok picked out Gavrilovic and sent in a long ball for the Yugoslav, who spotted Sun Hei goalkeeper Victor Derbournov off his line. Gavrilovic cheekily lobbed the ball over the advancing Derbournov to put the Caroliners on the winning path.
Brazilian forward Aderbal Filho doubled the tally four minutes after the break when he headed home Gavrilovic's flick-on and local striker Au Wai-lun completed the rout in the 59th minute by scooping the ball high into the net.
South China team director Peter Leung Shou-chi said Gavrilovic has regained his confidence, which was lacking in previous games. 'His goal should do him a lot of good. It should boost his confidence because he couldn't find the net in almost six weeks.
'Gavrilovic's form seemed to be getting better and his confidence should pick up just at the right time now because we have several important matches to come,' said Leung.
