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Opinion
In this strangest of A-League seasons, it stands to reason that arguably the best team in it is one that practically every pundit has pretty much ignored for the entire campaign.
The Central Coast Mariners just can’t stop beating Adelaide United.
After smashing the Reds 4-0 in Gosford in January, the Mariners proved beyond any reasonable doubt they are a force to be reckoned with after their 4-1 dismantling of the Reds at Coopers Stadium in Round 26.
That victory saw Nick Montgomery’s side finish second in the standings at Adelaide’s expense, with the Reds needing to see off Wellington Phoenix in their elimination final to book another two-legged showdown with the Mariners.
And just like in the previous two encounters, it was Carl Veart’s team who once again came off second best at Coopers Stadium on Saturday night.
Yet the Reds could hardly have got off to a better start, as Craig Goodwin converted a penalty he earned after Brian Kaltak inadvertently handled the Socceroo winger’s early cross.
Goodwin has converted all four of his penalties this season, and he never looked like missing from the spot in front of a raucous crowd of 15,771 fans who filled just about every seat of Adelaide’s atmospheric home ground.
Far from subduing the visitors, the goal seemed to spur them on.
James McGarry’s long-range equaliser was a work of art that left Joe Gauci slumped on his haunches, while Sam Silvera almost snapped the crossbar as the Mariners somehow failed to take the lead 10 minutes later.
Gauci then pulled off a superb reflex save to deny Jason Cummings, only for Central Coast’s top scorer to burst on to Beni Nkololo’s through ball and squeeze his shot past the Adelaide custodian shortly after.
Could Gauci have done better with Cummings’ goal? The shot seemed to deflect off the end of Gauci’s boot and in at the far post.
It was no less than the rampant Mariners deserved, but they needed a smart save from Danny Vukovic to deny substitute Nestory Irankunda with 20 minutes remaining in what was a truly breathtaking encounter.
The Reds will have it all to do next weekend when they try and overcome that one-goal deficit – there’s no away goals rule in effect – in front of what is hopefully another big crowd at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford.
(Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The attendance at Coopers Stadium was actually larger than the crowd of 15,322 fans who filed into Allianz Stadium to see Sydney FC play out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Melbourne City in Friday night’s other semi-final.
The most noticeable aspect of that first-leg affair – aside from some correct use of VAR – was the parlous state of the Allianz Stadium pitch.
The two sides went hell for leather at each other on a surface that looked sandier than Bondi Beach in places, with the Sky Blues needing a VAR intervention for encroachment to put away a 64th-minute penalty scored by Adam Le Fondre at the second attempt.
The decision was harsh on City goalkeeper Tom Glover, who only moments earlier had saved Anthony Caceres’ low spot-kick, but it was the correct one given City defender Callum Talbot not only encroached but subsequently cleared the ball away from danger.
The Sky Blues looked the better side against a visiting City outfit that seemed to badly miss the mysteriously absent Aiden O’Neill in midfield, but they’ll need to score at some point – or otherwise rely on the lottery of a penalty shoot-out – on their trip down south to AAMI Park.
There’s unlikely to be a big crowd in attendance at that game – not least because City’s active supporter group the Yarra End Collective are boycotting the finals – and it’s hard not to wonder how much influence the City Football Group have had on some of the Australian Professional League’s decision-making given they clearly couldn’t care less about attendances.
A couple of pulsating semi-final first legs were a reminder of all the positive things about the A-League.
Let’s hope next weekend serves up more of the same.