Opinion
Round 12 had six games that were played at a reasonably high standard, with a few goal of the season contenders.
There were 14 goals scored, with Wellington the only team to keep a clean sheet. There were four draws, but none of them scoreless. The two games where a team claimed all three points, only had a margin of one goal which separated the teams.
Check out who made the cut.
Formation: 4-4-2
Oliver Sail made three pivotal saves for the Wellington Phoenix. The first came in the third minute from a shot by Nikola Mileusnic in the third minute of the game. Sail made his other two quality saves from Brisbane Roar substitute Joseph Knowles in the 86th minute and 94th minute.
In his post-match interview, coach Ufuk Talay summed up what Sail provides for the team: “He’s a very important player for us, with the ball also, not just with his hands.”
Rhyan Grant put in a great shift, as his work rate never wavered. He was rewarded with the second goal of the game scored in the 26th minute, which gave Sydney FC what should’ve been an unassailable two-goal lead. The performance he had was exemplified by the fact that he led by example.
Rhyan Grant of Sydney FC (Photo by Steven Markham/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Matthew Bozinovski helped Victory claim a point against Adelaide United, in his starting debut. He negated the influence that Hiroshi Ibusuki had on the game. Bozinovski did well to block a shot from Ibusuki in the 52nd minute. He also kept Adelaide substitute George Blackwood quiet. It was great to see Bozinovski get 90 minutes and put in a solid display in the heart of defence.
Alexander Popovic had a big job on his hands as he was partnered with a makeshift centre-back, Javi Lopez, who usually plays right-back. This was due to Adelaide United having players unavailable for selection in central defence. Popovic was good when he had the ball; he made 69 passes at a passing accuracy of 84.05 per cent. He also made five clearances, along with that he ventured forward with five final third entries.
Jordan Bos put in a great display of how to play as a left-back. He made many marauding runs forward and was solid defensively. He made 41 passes, 92.68 per cent accuracy shortly after half-time. Most of the attacks that Melbourne City had came down the left hand side through him. He created havoc in the final third. Unfortunately, he was substituted off due to injury in the 70th minute.
Ben Halloran was central to the majority of good things that Adelaide United did, in a key game for them against Melbourne Victory. He was a standout, particularly in the first half. He got the ball rolling for Adelaide United with an assist for Craig Goodwin in the seventh minute. He didn’t rest on his laurels; it was the catalyst for him having an outstanding game.
Juande had a big influence on Adelaide United getting a result as he helped them in the midfield battle with Melbourne Victory. He had 14 final-third entries to go with 88 touches. Incredibly he had 18 passes at 94 per cent accuracy in the final third. He won possession on nine occasions and won three aerial duels.
Richard van der Venne was probably the best player on the field. He was calm when he had possession of the ball and helped Melbourne City control the tempo of the game. He scored the equaliser in the 58th minute with a classy finish that would be worthy of being in any league in the world. City needed some magic to get back into the game and that’s exactly what he provided.
Daniel Stynes scored one of the best goals that you will see in tough weather conditions, as there was a blustery wind. The goal came in the 17th minute and was just four minutes after Western United broke the deadlock. In the 71st minute he provided a cross that should’ve produced the winning goal from Trent Buhagiar, but he failed to hit the target. It was a surprise that immediately following that, Stynes was substituted off.
Oskar Zawada worked hard and was rewarded with scoring the only goal of the game. He made clever runs and has become a pivotal part of the Wellington Phoenix line-up, which has been amplified by the departure of Ben Waine and not having Bozhidar Kraev available through suspension. Zawada has the right attitude, which was evident in his post-match interview: “Man of the match is the whole team.”
Jason Cummings earned his selection in the team of the week in Round 12 through his endeavour, execution and football intelligence. He had five shots on target and was involved in both goals, providing the pass that led to the first goal scored by Marco Tulio and Cummings scored his side’s second goal.
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