Title contenders Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory played out a 2-2 draw in an enthralling Saturday night A-League encounter.
After a cracking early goal from the Victory’s Ben Kalfallah, the Reds struck back with Pablo Sanchez and Dylan McGowan scoring.
But just when Adelaide thought they had the points before a 16,077-strong home crowd, Melbourne veteran Archie Thompson equalised.
The result sent second-placed Victory to within one point of leaders Wellington, who play Brisbane on Sunday.
And Adelaide also rose a notch, to fourth – just two points adrift of the Phoenix in a logjam ladder.
The Reds were hit in the ninth minute when Kalfallah reached into his top shelf and found a jewel of a goal.
Finding rare time and space in a frenetic fixture, the French-born Tunisian international pulled the trigger on a 16-metre rifle shot which beat despairing Adelaide goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.
But Adelaide levelled in the 43rd minute when their foreign legion combined.
Argentine Marcelo Carrisca, deep in attack, tossed a long throw in the path of Spaniard Cirio, who instinctively lobbed across the goalface where his countryman Pablo Sanchez nodded in from less than a metre.
Scores remained tied into the 74th minute when Adelaide defender McGowan gave his side the lead – briefly.
McGowan struck a slick left-footer from close range which Victory keeper Nathan Coe superbly parried.
But a rebound scrap ultimately fell to Adelaide’s Jimmy Jeggo, who sent the ball back to McGowan and he headed into the net, via a deflection off Melbourne defender Leigh Broxam.
Adelaide’s joy was shortlived. Three minutes later, the shrewd Thompson snuck through the home side’s defence and past Galekovic with two neat touches – and with a third, he angled a left-footer into the net.
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