Dandenong Thunder’s hot form was halted by table leaders Heidelberg at Olympic Village in round 18 of the NPL.
Thunder were shown the benchmark of the competition with Heidelberg moving eight points clear of Dandenong in the standings after its 2-0 victory.
United broke through with the first goal of the evening when Jamal Ali dribbled on the right hand side.
He got confident in his ball control, dazing the Thunder defence with some step-overs before firing his shot low and on target.
It took a deflection that caught Jamie Young off guard and ultimately rattled the back of the net to put the hosts 1-0 up after 26 minutes.
Heidelberg absolutely dominated the first half, applying constant attacking pressure and keeping the Dandenong defence on its toes.
United had fired 10 shots away at goal in the first half, with three on target, while Thunder managed just one inaccurate attempt for the first 45 minutes.
In the 60th minute, Dandenong turned it over in a dangerous position, immediately launching the hosts on a counter attack.
A lovely squaring ball found its way to the feet of Bul Juach who calmly tapped it home to double his side’s advantage.
Heidelberg was able to control the tempo of the game and keep the match completely on its own terms.
Thunder couldn’t manage a shot on target for the game with the host defence standing strong and tall to withstand the usual high-powered Dandenong attack.
The win was significant for multiple reasons for Heidelberg, with the club further widening the gap between itself and third-placed Thunder.
But also, the result marked its 17th game in a row unbeaten, knocking off the 65-year club record.
For Dandenong, the loss was just its fourth for the season, still two points clear of Oakleigh with eight games remaining.
It will be back to the drawing board for Adam Piddick and Thunder as the club has another away game in round 19, this time a visit to South Melbourne.
