Round 20 was an eventful weekend of football, with two draws, 17 goals in six matches, a four-goal thriller and two teams kept a clean sheet, a red card and a couple of penalties.
In three out of four games where a team claimed three points, the winning team had less possession than their opponent.
Check out who made a difference.
Nicolas Milanovic looked the most likely to score and proved it with a cracking strike in the 52nd minute, which broke the deadlock.
At the other end of the park, he stopped a shot from Angus Thurgate going into the back of the net, just three minutes later, with a goal-line clearance.
The 22-year-old gave an interesting insight post-match: “We lost our heads a bit in the second half. Not doing what we’re known to do. We went up 1-nil and looked like we were hesitant to go for the second. Scoring a goal is great, but if you don’t win the game, it means nothing.”
Daniel Penha put on a show with an outstanding performance. He was involved in all three goals Western United scored, which came within the space of 12 minutes.
The Brazilian magician displayed sublime skill; his quality was a sight to behold, as along with two assists and a goal, his general play was exquisite for the most part.
The 25-year-old showed the motivation within the group: “I’m still believing we can make finals. We know it’s a long way. They have a lot of good players. I’m so happy to win this game.”
Western United coach John Aloisi summed it up: “He was phenomenal again tonight, We’re just hoping we can keep him.”
Samuel Souprayen was in the right place at the right time when he tucked a header into the back of the net in the 58th minute from a pinpoint cross from Tolgay Arslan.
The Frenchman was at his best when he needed to be as he prevented Kosta Barbarouses from scoring a goal in the 93rd minute from scoring, as Souprayen cut out a long pass and conceded a corner. City goalkeeper Jamie Young appreciated it, as Kosta Barbarouses may well have scored if not for the Frenchman’s intervention.
The 35-year-old gave an interesting insight: “It was difficult to play in this weather. It was important to win this game today. So happy for the club.”
Finn Surman was there when he needed to be for the Phoenix.
The 20-year-old stopped a goal for Marin Jakolis in first-half stoppage time. In the 71st minute, the Kiwi international cleared a ball off the line from a shot by City youngster Max Caputo, which kept the Phoenix in the game and the deficit to one goal.
James Delianov made plenty of quality saves, which kept his team in the game.
The 24-year-old saved a shot that was intended to be a cross from Salim Khelifi in the tenth minute. Following that, Delianov saved two attempts from Nishan Velupillay, one of which came in the 12th minute and the second shot from the 22-year-old Victory player came in the 24th minute.
When Joe Gauci was away with the Socceroos, Adelaide United coach Carl Veart made a comment in reference to James Delianov: “He’d definitely be the best reserve keeper in the league at the moment.”
Zinedine Machach was involved in setting up both goals scored by Victory striker Bruno Fornaroli.
The Frenchman passed the ball to Nishan Velupillay whose shot was saved by Delianov, but Bruno Fornaroli was there for a tap-in. Also, Machach provided a great pass, which led to a penalty for Victory in the 55th minute, which Fornaroli slotted into the back of the net in the 57th minute.
The 28-year-old did well in his general play, as he created six chances and was a constant threat.
Adam Taggart delivered again with a brace and helped Glory claim a point.
The Socceroo scored a good goal, which got his team back into the game and made the deficit one goal in the 72nd minute, thanks to a great cross from substitute David Williams.
The 30-year-old made it 2-all in the 90th minute thanks to a pinpoint corner from Giordano Colli, which Taggart headed into the back of the net.
His comments were interesting: “We started off very poor. It’s disappointing to go in 2-nil down. Sometimes mentality wise we start off conservatively. Too many sloppy turnovers. We need to kick on and make sure we take off from the second half. I’m enjoying my time in on Glory and the leadership role.”
Lucas Mauragis was a constant threat in the Jets’ attacking raids down their left-hand side.
The Jets left-back created three chances and played a role in young prospect Clayton Taylor breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute, as Mauragis’s cross created havoc in the Glory defence.
The 22-year-old got his reward for his hard work in the 54th minute, as he scored his second goal of the season thanks to a deflection from a Glory player, which gave the Jets a two-goal lead.
Jordan Courtney-Perkins put in a good shift, especially considering they lost Jake Girdwood-Reich to a red card in the 25th minute, which made it tough for the Sky Blues.
The left-back provided a great cross, which Fabio Gomes hit the bar with a header in the 38th minute.
The 21-year-old won the ball back, which led to Robert Mak breaking the deadlock in the 64th minute. The goal came about due to the tenacity of Courtney-Perkins. He also contributed defensively to help Sydney FC claim a point.
Henry Hore played a key part in the Roar claiming a point; on a day where it looked like they couldn’t score, up stepped Henry Hore.
The 24-year-old scored the equaliser just three minutes after the 10-men Sky Blues took the lead, thanks to putting a pinpoint cross by Corey Brown into the back of the net.
Filip Kurto kept the scoreboard respectable, as pulled off six saves, with one save he made from a penalty taken by Central Coast Mariners attacker Angel Torres in the 49th minute, in what was a day to forget for the Bulls.
Josh Nisbet opened the scoring in the eighth minute with an exquisite finish, scoring with his left foot for the second week in a row.
The versatile 24-year-old followed the goal up with an assist for Brazilian Ronald Barcellos in the 19th minute and the game was all but over at that stage.
Nisbet wasn’t done then, as he started the fast break from defence, which produced the third goal in the 55th minute through Englishman Ryan Edmondson.
The sky is the limit for Josh Nisbet!
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