Opinion
There was a total of 14 goals that were scored in the five games, with half of the goals scored in the final game of the round between Western United and Adelaide United.
The round was soured, unfortunately, by a monotonous scoreless draw between Melbourne City and the Perth Glory. Thankfully the other games had plenty of talking points.
The decisions made by the referees weren’t a talking point as they did a good job, which is a good sign for the A-League.
The Newcastle Jets put in a good shift against a highly touted opposition in Wellington Phoenix.
Sydney FC embarrassed Melbourne Victory at the Victory’s home ground with a professional display. Sydney FC did what they had to do.
The Brisbane Roar were outplayed by the Central Coast Mariners, but they won the game with the only goal of the game. Corey Brown was possibly the difference between the two teams.
The game between Melbourne City and Perth Glory was quite a monotonous game to watch.
The last game of the round was a classic with plenty of goals scored, with both teams showing a willingness to attack and being clinical in the final third. Credit to Gertjan Verbeek and Mark Rudan, the two coaches.
Top two coaches
Gertjan Verbeek (Adelaide United)
Adelaide United played fantastically, particularly in the final third. Despite his team conceding three goals, Adelaide United played a good brand of football.
New Adelaide manager Gertjan Verbeek. (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Mark Rudan (Western United)
Credit to Rudan as his team showed plenty of character to recover from a two-goal deficit to equalise, despite the fact that his team walked away from the game empty handed.
Coaches under the pump
Carlos Salvachua (Melbourne Victory)
Melbourne Victory have been lost as far as their roles are concerned in the two games that they have played since the surprising decision to sack Marco Kurz. In Salvachua’s opening two games they haven’t scored a goal. In comparison the Melbourne Victory scored six goals in Marco Kurz’s last two games in charge of the Melbourne Victory.
Alen Stajcic (Central Coast Mariners)
Stajcic made some poor substitutions. He brought on Giancarlo Gallifuoco when he should have brought on Michael McGlinchey. Then he decided to substitute off the Central Coast Mariners’ best player in Round 16, Tommy Oar.
Wellington Phoenix 2, Newcastle Jets 1
No justice for the Jets thanks to Marinovic
Magic moment: A shot from Kaine Sheppard was somehow saved by Stefan Marinovic in second-half stoppage time.
Who stood out from the pack? Stefan Marinovic was the reason why the Wellington Phoenix claimed all three points.
(Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
What went right? The Newcastle Jets played a good brand of football. They were outstanding, particularly in the first half when they controlled the game. The game was extremely exciting to watch as the result wasn’t decided until the final whistle. The football that was played was of a high standard.
What went wrong? The Newcastle Jets controlled the game in the first half, despite the score being nil-all at the break. The Jets deserved to be leading comprehensively. Jason Hoffman missed a chance to score in the 31st minute.
Melbourne Victory 0, Sydney FC 3
Sky Blues sky high
Magic moment: Andrew Nabbout had a shot well saved by Andrew Redmayne in the 88th minute.
Who stood out from the pack? Andrew Redmayne stopped all of Melbourne Victory’s eight shots on target. Redmayne managed to keep a clean sheet.
What went right? Sydney FC weren’t at their best, yet they won the game 3-nil, because they were clinical in the final third. Milos Ninkovic and Alexander Baumjohann were a joy to watch, with the skill that they displayed.
What went wrong? Melbourne Victory made the wrong decision to change coaches as they haven’t scored in the first two games of the new coaches tenure in the A-League. Ola Toivonen missed a chance in the 49th minute that may have changed the momentum in the game. The miss was inexcusable. There were two red cards given late in the game, one for either team – Leigh Broxham from Melbourne Victory as well as one for Alexander Baumjohann from Sydney FC.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Central Coast Mariners 0, Brisbane Roar 1
Roar claim unjust win
Magic moment: Jordan Murray had a shot superbly saved by Jamie Young in the 71st minute.
Who stood out from the pack? Corey Brown worked tirelessly, making marauding runs forward on the left-hand side, scoring the goal that broke the deadlock.
What went right? The Brisbane Roar made it their fifth game unbeaten. Corey Brown got a well deserved goal in the 86th minute, as he was outstanding. You have to wonder why his opportunities at Melbourne Victory were so limited this season.
What went wrong? Gianni Stensness was substituted due to an injury. The ball just wouldn’t go in for the Central Coast Mariners in the 60th minute. Tommy Oar was substituted off in the 69th minute, which was a strange decision as Oar was playing well.
Melbourne City 0, Perth Glory 0
Stalemate
Magic moment: Adrian Luna had a shot well saved by Liam Reddy in the 13th minute.
Who stood out from the pack? Harrison Delbridge played extremely well, curtailing a lot of Perth Glory’s attacks.
What went right? There wasn’t much between the two teams with the score nil-all at half time. VAR correctly overturned a penalty awarded to the Perth Glory in the 57th minute. Josh Risdon made some marauding runs forward in his first game back from injury.
What went wrong? Perth Glory hit the post in the 68th minute from a corner, with the ball appearing to come off Curtis Good. The game was a scoreless draw, with both teams struggling to provide much in the final third. Perth Glory appeared to be content with a scoreless draw.
Western United 3, Adelaide United 4
Reds win high-scoring thriller
Magic moment: Nathan Konstandopoulos scored an unbelievable goal in the 79th minute, which gave Adelaide United the lead 4-3.
Who stood out from the pack? Nikola Mileusnic finished the game with a brace, providing an attacking threat.
What went right? The game was extremely open and entertaining from start to finish. Both teams wanted to win the game rather than play for a draw and concentrate on defence, particularly in the first half when five of the seven goals came. The game was a classic encounter. Credit must go to both coaches.
What went wrong? Both teams defended poorly at times, which is an obvious fact when seven goals are scored during a game.
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