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Roar of the crowd writer, Gabriel Knowles, live blogs the preliminary A-League final between Queensland Roar and Adelaide United.
First up, a brief preview of the match.
So here we are, Australian football’s most lucrative game. For the winners – the riches of the 2010/11 ACL and the Melbourne Victory await. For the losers – nothing. Not even the knowledge that you made the finals and Sydney FC didn’t will be of consolation.
Coming close is a feeling that Adelaide know all too well after their loss in the ACL Final earlier in the year, one I’m sure they’ll be keen to avoid. But whether they can do it after their shellacking at the hands of the Victory last time out remains to be seen. Will they be galvanised following the fallout from that press conference or will they surrender meekly again?
Queensland on the other hand, are flying high. They’ve been in top form of late and will be keen to avenge their loss at the same stage last season and make it to the big one. Worryingly for the Roar they haven’t managed to beat United this season in three attempts, more worrying is that they’ve only managed a solitary goal in all that time. Even more worrying for Roar fans is that Danny Tiatto is back from suspension and might be keen for another stint in the stands.
Don’t forget to refresh your browser every few minutes and post a comment or two. I’m predicting this one will go to penalties.
The Teams are in:
QLD Roar: 1.Liam REDDY (gk), 2.Andrew PACKER, 3.Luke DEVERE, 4.Craig MOORE, 7.Michael ZULLO, 8.Massimo MURDOCCA, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK, 15.Matt McKAY, 17.Mitch NICHOLS, 18.Danny TIATTO, 19.Isaka CERNAK.
Adelaide United: 20.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 7.Lucas PANTELIS, 10.CRISTIANO, 13.Travis DODD (capt.), 14.Scott JAMIESON, 15.Jonas SALLEY, 16.Daniel MULLEN, 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 19.Sasa OGNENOVSKI, 24.Paul REID.
0 mins: And we’re off – Adelaide are all in red while the Roar are wearing thier white shirts,. Looks like a lovely evening at Hindmarsh.
2 mins: Looks like Vidmar might be happy to see it go to penalties, he’s set up with two holding midfielders.
4 mins: They’re both feeling each other out here. They’re also both pressing hard.
6 mins: McKay tries to ping a ball from left to right for Cernak but it’s just too long, it was nice thinking.
7 mins: Nichols has a good look from the edge of the area but he hits it straight at Galekovic. He’s been playing well recently, just as I write that he gives away a free kick in the middle of the park.
10 mins: Pantelis wins a corner for Adelaide. Reid whips it but it’s cut out at the near post. Wasted really.
12 mins: The game is starting to open up a bit now. If they can get the ball wide they both look dangerous.
14 mins: Mullen fouls Zullo on the left. McKay delivers a dangerous looking ball but Adelaide deal with it well.
15 mins: Danny Tiatto is still on the pitch.
17 mins: Barbiero bursts onto a loose ball and has decent looking shot blocked from the edge of the box. Pissant United are looking much better than they did last week Megatron.
19 mins: Jamieson gets around Cernak who brings him down out wide. The free kick runs through everyone and Paul Reid picks it and clips a nice ball to the back post. Cornethwaite can’t get his head on it from a metre out and the chance goes begging. He was offside anyway. Best almost chance of the match so far.
22 mins: Dodd robs Tiatto near halfway and plays Cristiano in on goal but the flag is raised. That one wasn’t offside. Dodd and Jamieson are creating some half-chances for United.
25 mins: GOAL! Barbiero cracks a half volley into the top corner after latching onto a long ball. One touch and he beat Reddy from the corner of the box. That was a great goal – Reddy had no chance.
27 mins: That’s forced the Roar to get forward a bit more – they’d gone into their shell a touch. They could be opening themselves up for the counter now though.
29 mins: Tiatto is robbed again near halfway but Reid pings a 50 yarder straight back to QLD.
32 mins: Pantelis hacks Nichols down and Adelaide break up field but Dodd dwells on the ball and Moore mops up with his usual calmness.
33 mins: Nichols sets Zullo free on the left but the little man’s cross is charged down by Cornthwaite for a corner. They need to find Zullo more.
36 mins: After a dull passage of play Zullo chops Mullen down and the ball breaks for Adelaide so the advantage is played. Adelaide ruin their advantage when the ball is passed right at Mullen who is still lying on the ground.
38 mins: Pantelis is given offside when he wasn’t. In defence of the assistant referee he’s looking right into the sun. I hope.
39 mins: Zullo wriggles free down the left and cuts it back for Nichols who mishits a weak shot with his left foot. The ball heads straight back down the other end where Salley hits a volley just over the bar.
42 mins: I agree Midfielder, they are both holding it well. The difference is that Salley and Reid are winning everything in the middle.
45 mins: The players are holding out for half time I reckon. Nothing much happening here. Tiatto plays a nothing ball to the corner post from the same place where he’s lost the ball a few times. I’d stay away from that part of the pitch of I was him.
45 +1 mins: Well now they can have their rest, it’s half time. Adelaide were on top most of that half with Salley and Reid winning the ball and spreading the play wide. Galekovic has hardly been challenged although he might have been had Nichols brought his shooting boots with him. To be fair Reddy hasn’t really been troubled either but that’s probably down to Adelaide not finding that final ball. And a trigger happy linesman.
46 mins: And we’re off again. QLD are kicking left to right on my screen if that helps. Slow start to the half – Farina needs to get his team to up the tempo.
47 mins: Adelaide break from midfield and are 4 v 3. Reid plays Barbiero through one-on-one with Reddy but he pokes the ball straight at the keeper. Maybe Barbiero only wants to score screamers now. That was good chance.
50 mins: And again the reds break form midfield, Salley finds an unmarked Pantelis on the left but his cross is too close to Reddy.
52 mins: Better from the Roar. Cernak wins free kick on the right which McKay float in from deep and is good catching practice for Galekovic. United break quickly again and Cristiano hammers a shot right at Reddy from a tight angle.
54 mins: Apparently Moore has a blister. Andy Harper reckons that’s why he’s a bit flat. QLD get a dangerous ball across the face of goal but there’s nobody in a white shirt anywhere near being close enough. They look tired.
57 mins: Nichols finally gets hold of one from outside the box but he still hits it right at Galekovic. Farina has brought Miller on for Cernak. Hopefully for the Roar he can make something happen.
61 mins: Tiatto gets in behind after the Roar counter attack from a Adelaide free kick but he has to check and look for support. Zullo arrives and hits a shot that Galekovic saves easily low to his right.
64 mins: Van Dijk finds some space on the edge of the box. He twists and turns before hitting a shot high and wide into the crowd. They’ve shackled him well so far.
68 mins: Miller makes a loose pass and Cristano sets off down the park and loses the ball. He had Pantelis wide open on the left and he doesn’t look happy.
72 mins: QLD work themselves into the Adelaide penalty area and the ball bounces around before Zullo tries to beat Galekovic at his near post from a tightish angle. He doesn’t.
74 mins: Nichols misses with a header from the edge of the six-yard box, he doesn’t even hit the target from McKay’s cross. Agostino replaces Cristiano, I’d say Adelaide fans will be pleased with Brazilian’s work tonight.
76 mins: Into the final quarter of an hour now. QLD better get a move on.
78 mins: Salley flicks a nice ball that Pantelis can’t quite get on the end of. It’s his last touch as he is replaced by Griffiths to a standing ovation from the home crowd. He’s played well tonight.
81 mins: Miller holds off a few would be challengers before driving a ball into the box. It’s cut out and the Roar have a corner that comes to nothing. They’ve picked up the pace a bit now.
82 mins: Another great chance missed by Nichols after a nice cutback from Henrique. He blasts it well over the bar though.
83 mins: Another corner for the Roar comes to nothing but Miller wins a free kick in a dangerous position with a clever turn. He takes it himself and wins yet another corner with a deflection off the wall.
85 mins: Miller slips a clever ball to Van Dijk who has goal bound shot blocked by Odgenovski. Great defending by the big man. Miller is pulling the strings now.
88 mins: Adelaide have slowed it down a touch and taken the sting out of QLD for the moment.
89 mins: You don’t see that often – Reddy takes a throw in so the Roar can bang it back upfield. They’re getting desperate now.
90 mins: There will be three minutes of added time.
90 +1 mins: Miller hits a shot just past the post from inside the box. It just hasn’t been their night.
90 +2 mins: Miller blazes a deflected shot just over the bar and gets booked for dissent after a goal kick is given.
90 +3 mins: That’s it! Adelaide are through to both the big ones and will get a double shot at redemption. They deserved the win tonight and hopefully they can give the Victory a shake next weekend.
Even the Roar played well below par tonight Vidmar’s selections made the difference tonight. Salley was terrific in the holding role alongside Reid. His ball winning and muscle allowed the likes of Dodd and Barbiero to really attack the Roar’s back four and allowed Jamieson a bit of freedom. A good way to finish what must have been a tough week for Vidmar.
Queensland will rue a number of very good missed chances as they very well could have won this one if Nichols had taken any of his numerous sights of goal. Farina will be wondering where it all went wrong but the truth is that his team looked very flat tonight and surprisingly not up for it. Back to the drawing board Frank.
Thanks for dropping by everybody, hopefully we can do it all again next weekend.
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