Opinion
Here is my summary of all the A-League action over the weekend.
Brisbane Roar 0, Melbourne Victory 1
Melbourne Victory won ugly in their away trip to Brisbane.
Victory opened the scoring through Socceroos striker Andrew Nabbout breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute. It was his first goal since returning to the Victory this season, and Melbourne’s first goal of the season from open play.
Disaster struck 16 minutes later as Nabbout came off with a hamstring injury. Both teams would fail to take chances with Ola Toivonen hitting the post from a free kick, and Kenny Athiu’s shot cleared off the line.
Brisbane mounted an attack of their own and would’ve equalised were it not for some Lawrence Thomas heroics. Brisbane dominated possession (66% to 34%) and had seven more shots (17 to 10) and would be ruing missed opportunities.
Man of the match: Lawrence Thomas. Like so many times before, he was there to rescue the Victory, making impressive saves and keeping his second clean sheet of the season.
Newcastle Jets 1, Adelaide United 2
Adelaide United continued in their winning ways after their FFA Cup win in a hard game in Newcastle.
Newcastle started on the front foot with Panamanian international Abdiel Arroyo netting his first goal of the season to open the scoring.
Riley McGree started the second half in style, scoring two in 12 minutes and reversing the deficit, taking his season tally to three goals in three games. Like Brisbane the night before, Newcastle will also rue missed chances, having an extra six shots on goal (18 to 12) and the majority of possession (55% to 45%).
Man of the match: Riley McGree. He has been in impressive form in attack, as his brace ensured his side took all three points.
Western Sydney Wanderers 1, Sydney FC 0
Western Sydney Wanderers made it back-to-back wins in their first Sydney Derby at Bankwest Stadium.
(Photo by Nigel Owen/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Captain Mitchell Duke opened the scoring with an early goal-of-the-season contender – a diving header in the 19th minute.
Kosta Barbarouses looked to have responded with his header from a corner in 50th minute. VAR denied what looked a clear goal, as more controversy surrounds the A-League’s VAR system.
Like the previous games of the round, the winner was lucky to leave with all three points. Sydney had double the shots (20 to 10) and dominated possession (68% to 32%).
Man of the match: Daniel Lopar. He was under constant threat from the Sydney FC attack and was ready for the task. Made important saves when needed to ensure the clean sheet and the win.
Wellington Phoenix 1, Perth Glory 2
Perth Glory remain undefeated in the 2019/20 campaign with their first win of the season in Wellington. Bruno Fornaroli opened the scoring for the visitors in the 11th minute. Christopher Ikonomidis double the lead in the 33rd minute.
The Phoenix came out in the second half rejuvenated and began to take hold of a game. In the 76th minute, Phoenix’s newest signing Gary Hooper made his first appearance for the club. He impressed in the limited time he played, creating two chances.
Ulises Davila continued his impressive start to the season as he made it two goals in two games with his injury-time consolation goal in the 95th minute.
Man of the match: Bruno Fornaroli. He scored one and assisted one. Fornaroli has not missed a beat since making the move across to Perth from Melbourne City.
Western United 1, Melbourne City 2
After the 4-0 FFA Cup battering at the hands of Adelaide United, Melbourne City redeemed themselves with their first win of the season.
Jamie Maclaren open the scoring the 32nd minute. In the 64th minute, the game took a turn. Harrison Delbridge’s foul resulted in a red card, and United were awarded a penalty. Besart Berisha stepped up from the spot.
With the game tied at 1-1 the game needed a hero, and up stepped Maclaren in the 85th minute, securing all three points for City and taking his tally to four goals in four games.
Man of the match: Jamie Maclaren. He has been prolific since arriving in Melbourne. His two goals keeps him on track to break Bobo’s most goals-in-a-season record (27).
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