Opinion
What a weekend of football it turned out to be!
The weekend of football had a game from Round 18 played on Friday night that was postponed due to bad weather. The other four games were all a part of Round 21.
Two players made their debut: Luke Duzel from Western United and Alou Kuol from the Central Coast Mariners, both coming off the bench. The Newcastle Jets welcomed back Bernie Ibini to the A-League.
Last but not least there was a hat-trick, two penalties, a red card, a coach who crossed the line in a verbal stoush with an opposition player, another coach who received a yellow card and, above all, some cracking goals!
The Sydney derby only had one goal, with Sydney FC losing for a second time. Daniel Georgievski was rightly awarded a red card for kicking out at Sydney FC youngster Marco Tilio’s face, and to say Steve Corica was unhappy with Georgievski’s actions is an understatement.
The Newcastle Jets season is still alive, at least from a mathematical perspective, partly thanks to a stunning strike from distance by defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley.
Melbourne Victory had their first win in the A-League under interim coach Carlos Salvachua.
Central Coast Mariners were embarrassed in a predominantly one-sided contest against Western United.
Brisbane Roar sat back and played one of the more boring games of football until they had their first shot in the 72nd minute.
Who was a standout?
Max Burgess scored a hat-trick after registering his first-ever goal in the A-League.
Biggest impact off the bench
Wes Hoolahan changed the balance of play in Newcastle’s favour following his introduction in the 61st minute.
Team with the bye
Wellington Phoenix
JP the saviour
Magic moment
Mitchell Duke scored the winner in the 81st minute with a headed goal of the highest quality.
Who stood out from the pack?
Rhyan Grant worked tirelessly, combining well with the midfield. He made many marauding runs and performed at an extremely high level.
What went right?
Approximately 20,500 people attended the game. It was a cracking atmosphere in a stadium that is the right size, as it was filled to capacity.
The Western Sydney Wanderers have had an unwavering belief instilled in them by new caretaker coach Jean-Paul de Marigny. Tate Russell and Jordan O’Doherty were good substitutions JP.
What went wrong?
Nicolai Muller hit the bar in the 30th minute with a cracking long range shot. It was bad luck that the ball didn’t go in the back of the net.
Bruce Kamau substituted off due to an abductor injury in the 55th minute.
Sydney FC waited far too long to make a substitution – until the 80th minute to be exact, which gave the Western Sydney Wanderers an advantage as Sydney FC were extremely predictable. That’s not with the benefit of hindsight; it’s what actually transpired.
Daniel Georgievski lashed out at Marco Tilio after the Sydney youngster made a crude challenge. Georgievski retaliated by kicking Tilio in the face. It’s a brain fade Georgievski will regret.
Facts and figures
Sydney FC had a staggering 67.2 per cent possession, which at the end of the day meant nothing.
The two teams had a combined total of 30 shots, which equates to approximately one every three minutes and makes for an exciting game of football.
There was a total of 24 fouls in the game, which made the game monotonous as it slowed down the tempo at times.
The Western Sydney Wanderers had Daniel Lopar to thank for keeping a clean sheet as he made five saves and also calmly collected some of Sydney FC’s crosses.
(Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Jets flying high
Magic moment
Nikolai Topor-Stanley had a freakish strike in the 12th minute from distance that went in the back of the net.
Who stood out from the pack?
Johnny Koutroumbis played an outstanding game in the back three, passing the ball and thwarting Perth Glory’s attacks.
What went right?
Nikolai Topor-Stanley scored one of the most memorable goals by any player in the history of the A-League. Johnny Koutroumbis tackled Diego Castro well in the 17th minute. Nigel Boogaard conceded a penalty thanks to VAR confirming the decision. Neil Kilkenny scored the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 29th minute.
The impact of Wes Hoolahan off the bench was instant in the 61st minute, as he changed the balance of play, helping the Newcastle Jets control the game and played plenty of good passes. Roy O’Donovan scored in the 74th minute from a good cross by Bobbie Burns. Bruno Fornaroli had header well saved in 92nd minute.
The Jets are playing with so much confidence and will be difficult to beat in the remainder of the current A-League Season.
What went wrong?
Bernie Ibini-Isei could have scored in the 73rd and 89th minutes. Jacob Tratt headed over the bar in the 90th minute. Perth Glory showed they are beatable and aren’t certainties to feature in the A-League finals.
Facts and figures
The first half was a fairly even contest, with possession very similar for both teams and just three shots on target for the game, with two of the three goals. There was a total of seven shots on target from a total of 25 shots.
The Jets still have a mathematical chance of making the top six, even though it’s unlikely.
(AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
Reds left red-faced again
Magic moment
Andrew Nabbout scored an unbelievable goal in the 91st minute.
Who stood out from the pack?
Andrew Nabbout’s moment of brilliance separated the two teams. Nabbout never stopped working and was rewarded for it with the decisive goal in second-half stoppage time.
What went right?
Andrew Nabbout was denied a goal in the 22nd minute thanks to Paul Izzo. James Troisi had a free kick well saved in the 74th minute by Lawrence Thomas. There was a total of 41 shots for both teams combined, with 12 of them on target, which shows that the game was an attacking one.
Melbourne Victory kept their top-six chances alive not only from a mathematical perspective but from a psychological point of view too, which is just as important.
What went wrong?
Kristian Opseth scored thanks to a shocking mistake by Giancarlo Gallifuoco and a clever assist by Riley McGree in the seventh minute. Lawrence Thomas made a horrible error in the 33rd minute, conceding a free kick by leaving the penalty box and receiving a yellow card.
Andrew Nabbout was injured in the 62nd minute when he collided with one of the Adelaide United players with a swollen bruise near his eye. George Blackwood hit the bar in the 56th and 69th minute. Andrew Nabbout should have passed to Marko Rojas in the 75th minute. Ola Toivonen should have scored from the resultant corner, but his shot was blocked.
Facts and figures
Marco Rojas was playing his tenth A-League game and scored the equaliser in the 58th minute. Possession was slightly in Adelaide United’s favour, with 50.1 per cent of the ball.
(Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
Mariners suffer utter humiliation
Magic moments
Max Burgess scored a fantastic goal in the 25th minute with his right foot. Finally a goal for Max in his A-League career!
Gianni Stensness scored his first goal in the A-League with a stunning bicycle kick in the 45th minute to give the Central Coast Mariners hope once again.
Who stood out from the pack? Max Burgess scored a hat-trick in the first half and was heavily involved in the lead-up work for Western United’s sixth goal of the game through Besart Berisha.
What went right? There was a total of eight goals, six of the eight coming in the first half. Max Burgess made it a first-half hat-trick as the goal was open due to Besart Berisha taking a shot that was deflected onto the post. Alessandro Diamanti’s switches of play and cross were outstanding. Josh Risdon put the ball on a plate for Besart Berisha in the 89th minute, who made it a brace for him. Andrew Durante scored thanks to an unbelievable cross by Diamanti in the 61st minute.
What went wrong?
Nearly everything for the Central Coast Mariners. There is still something to work on for Western United as they conceded two goals.
Facts and figures
The first half of the game produced six goals and a hat-trick. Remarkably Western United had just 50.2 per cent possession despite winning the game by four goals.
There were 37 shots – 21 shots for Western United and, despite playing horribly, 16 for Central Coast Mariners, albeit only three of them were on target. The Mariners have now lost 34 games in a row when trailing at half time.
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Roar their own worst enemies
Magic moment
Jamie Young scored an own goal in the 55th minute due to a brilliant shot from Josh Brillante, whose shot hit the post but then rebounded off Young and flew into the goal.
Who stood out from the pack?
The game would have been much more one-sided if not for Jamie Young.
What went right?
Jamie Young headed the ball away in the 22nd minute. Bradden Inman was well tackled in the 26th minute by Rostyn Griffiths. Floren Berenguer had a header well saved by Jamie Young in the 41st minute. Adrian Luna was denied a goal from a free kick in the 43rd minute due to a great save by Jamie Young.
Macaulay Gillesphey had a shot well saved by Tom Glover in the 86th minute. Glover did well in the 88th minute to catch a cross from Brisbane Roar.
What went wrong?
Jamie Maclaren wasted a chance to score a goal in the sixth minute. Jay O’Shea gave up possession cheaply in the 13th minute. Tom Aldred prevented a goal for Melbourne CIty in the 36th minute. This game had one of the more monotonous starts to a football match, with no shots on target until the 27th minute by Adrian Luna. Jamie Maclaren hit the bar with a header from a corner in the 43rd minute.
Jamie Maclaren should have passed to Craig Noone in the 59th minute. Bradden Inman managed not to score in the 69th minute. Aaron Amadi-Holloway was injured shortly after being brought on from the bench. Robbie Fowler received a yellow card in the 74th minute. Adrian Luna got a yellow card in the 75th minute with a silly tackle. Jay O’Shea nearly scored in the 78th minute from a free kick. Jamie Maclaren should have scored in the 83rd minute.
Facts and figures:
It was Indigenous recognition Round at Melbourne City, an annual event. Scott Jamieson played his 250th A-League game. There were five shots to none by the 38th minute in favour of Melbourne City. Jamie Young made five saves in the first half.
Scott McDonald had a shot well saved by Tom Glover in the 72nd minute, Brisbane Roar’s first shot of the game. Melbourne City managed to keep a clean sheet, surviving the late barrage of attacking forays from Brisbane Roar.
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