What an exciting weekend of football we were treated to; there were 21 goals scored in six matches and no draws. In four of the six games, the team that won had less possession than their opposition. For the second weekend in a row, the round finished with a seven-goal thriller!
Check out who stood out for each team in Round 7.
Josh Nisbet ran the show in the middle of the park and played as a No.10 in the final part of the game. It was partly due to him that Central Coast Mariners controlled the balance of play. Nisbet summed the Mariners performance up well: “We took our chances tonight.”
Angus Thurgate was probably the only Western United player who could hold his hand up and say that he had a real crack at changing the game.
Adam Taggart looked the most likely to score for Perth Glory and scored a goal in first-half stoppage time when he levelled the scores at 1-1, thanks to a finish from a Melbourne City errant back pass.
There’s no disputing Taggart almost willed the Glory to getting a result out the match, as he was a constant threat.
Hamza Sakhi showed his class, as he put in a good shift for Melbourne City.
The Moroccan helped his team create opportunities as he finished with 16 passes into the final third and worked hard defensively as he won six duels.
Bozhidar Kraev never stopped trying and created chances for other teammates to score; he put the ball on a plate for Ben Old in the 73rd minute, but unfortunately the finish from Old was poor, as he missed the target.
The Bulgarian also crossed the ball to Tim Payne who hit the post in the 67th minute. Kraev showed that he is a top player and a great asset for the Wellington Phoenix.
Clayton Taylor was a standout for Newcastle Jets, as his general play was extremely good and he played a part in all three goals that his team scored.
His pace was there for all to see, when he provided an assist for the goal which broke the deadlock in the fourth minute through Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Taylor was rewarded for his gut busting runs with a goal in the 43rd minute, albeit due to a rare error from Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper, Alex Paulsen. In the 46th minute he won a penalty that led to the third goal.
Luke Brattan produced a much-improved performance, as he put in a good shift; he created three chances and made 21 passes into the final third.
Even though Sydney FC played with 10 men for most of the game and lost 2-0, it was a decent performance by them and Brattan played a big part in that.
Jonathan Aspropotamitis played extremely well for Macarthur FC, as he finished the game with 13 clearances and they weren’t just elementary, because the crosses in from Sydney FC were quality.
Three of the interventions by Aspropotamitis came from the 83rd till the 85th minute and subsequently Macarthur FC scored their second goal of the game in the 86th minute.
When Macarthur FC midfielder Clayton Lewis was asked about Aspro post-match, the New Zealander said: “He’s top notch.”
Joe Gauci was outstanding for Adelaide United as he kept the deficit to two goals with some great saves. Two of the saves were when Nikola Mileusnic was one-on-one with him and gave Adelaide United some hope of getting a result.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Adelaide United and Gauci summed it up: “It’s just mentality. We switched off.”
Jay O’Shea was immense for Brisbane Roar as he continues to flourish in the role that Ross Aloisi has assigned to him. O’Shea created four chances and made 18 passes into the final third.
The Irishman was involved in a pivotal moment in the game when he won a penalty and provided a clinical finish from the penalty spot in the 54th minute.
He may be 35 years old, but the way he performed you’d think he was in the prime of his career.
Valentino Yuel was only substituted onto the field in the 76th minute, but he played his part in a Western Sydney Wanderers fightback.
When he was brought on the score was 4-1 in favour of Melbourne Victory. Nevertheless, Yuel nearly willed his team to claim a point as he provided an assist for a goal from Marcus Antonsson in the 88th minute and Yuel scored with a great header in the 91st minute.
Bruno Fornaroli was outstanding and displayed why he is almost a certainty to be selected in the Socceroos squad for the upcoming Asian Cup.
For the second time this season he scored four goals in a game. Along with that, he was insightful post-match: “It’s amazing, great feeling. I try to work hard for the team.”
The Socceroo appreciated the work that his teammates did for him and didn’t want to take all the glory.
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