From the A-League to European competition, starting last Tuesday with some midweek matches to right through the weekend, these are the best performances by Aussie footballers in the week just gone.
Danny Vukovic: 2-1 win for Central Coast Mariners against Melbourne City. Full game played, nine saves, three high claims and 27/39 passing.
An absolutely dominant performance from Vukovic for the Mariners, who now sit atop the A-League ladder.
In the mid-week match, Melbourne City did better than the Mariners by almost all measurable statistics, but Vukovic’s sublime saves and a stoppage-time winner from Maximilien Balard meant that the Mariners took home the win that would set them up to go on and beat the Wellington Phoenix a few days later.
Jordan Courtney-Perkins: 1-1 draw for Sydney FC against Perth Glory. Full game played, three clearances, two blocks, two tackles, three interceptions, four duels won, one dribble and one penalty won.
Despite two disappointing results for Sydney FC this week, Courtney-Perkins played quite well against Perth.
Winning the penalty for Joe Lolley’s goal, he also contributed well defensively, being very solid for most of the game, which is more than can be said for the rest of the Sydney FC defence.
This week’s results set up a huge Sydney derby next week, which could be crucial in deciding who gets the home elimination final.
Tomislav Mrcela: 3-2 loss for NK Rudes against Osijek. Full game played, two goals, one tackle, one interception, seven duels won, one key pass and two dribbles.
A laughably good offensive performance Mrcela, despite the loss. While Rudes are having a horrific season, Mrcela and fellow Australian Fran Karacic have been bright spots for the side.
Kaelan Majekodunmi: 1-1 draw for Perth Glory against Sydney FC. Full game played, one goal, one tackle, five blocks, three duels won and 82/89 passing.
Amidst a tough season for Perth Glory, the rise of Majekodunmi in recent weeks has been a good thing to watch develop.
One of Australia’s most interesting centre-back prospects, his quality was on full show against Sydney.
Fran Karacic: 3-2 loss for NK Rudes against Osijek. Full game played, two assists, two tackles, six duels won and six key passes.
Fran Karacic combined spectacularly with Mrcela this week, having both assists on the goals Mrcela scored, which were also the only goals Rudes scored as a team. Karacic was, along with Mrcela, the absolute standout in the loss.
Jackson Irvine: 2-1 loss for St.Pauli against Karlsruhe. Full game played, one goal, seven duels won, two tackles and one interception.
Despite the loss, Irvine had another stellar game, scoring St. Pauli’s goal and contributing defensively, per usual.
St.Pauli is still eight points clear of third place with six games left to play, and with the top two teams promoted automatically to the Bundesliga, St. Pauli’s captain, as well as Socceroo teammate Connor Metcalfe are almost over the line.
Tyrese Francois: 1-0 win for Vejle Boldklub against Odense. Full game played, 23/28 passes, three key passes, one big chance created, five duels won, three tackles and two interceptions.
A top performance in a crucial game for Francois, as his club Vejle are in a fight to stay in the top division of Danish football.
With two games left, Vejle is one point removed from safety. On loan from Fulham, it will be interesting to see where he goes next.
Stefan Mauk: 4-2 win for Adelaide United against Perth Glory. 72 minutes played, one goal, one assist, one key pass, three dribbles, four duels won and 17/20 passing.
Last week, I made a comment about how Mauk had probably just delivered his performance of the season.
Well, this may have topped that performance, as he played an essential role in Adelaide United’s win.
Clayton Taylor: 3-1 win for Newcastle Jets against Sydney FC. 81 minutes played, one goal, one assist, one big chance created and four dribbles.
A magnificent performance from the Newcastle youngster, displaying his great dribbling skills and good instincts. Taylor is a very intriguing player, with a profile not seen too often in the A-League.
Michael Ruhs: 4-2 win for Western United against Macarthur. 83 minutes played, two goals, two dribbles and one key pass.
A good performance from Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
With two nice finishes, the performance was hopefully a sign of things to come from Western United, who could use a clinical finisher.
Nestory Irankunda: 4-2 win for Adelaide United against Perth Glory. Full game played, two assists, four key passes, one big chance created, four dribbles and 10 duels won.
Wow. It is way too easy to forget how young Irankunda is because he just seems to produce magic moment after magic moment.
Notching two wonderful assists, Irankunda had another awesome game, bringing his total to five goals and assists in the last two games. Australian football has a gem on its hands.
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