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Opinion
The harrowing scenes at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon were a reminder that for all our desire to see the A-League improve, some things are more important than three points.
Juande’s horrifying broken leg took the gloss off a pulsating end to Round 14, as a careless Melbourne City fought back from two goals down to force a 3-3 draw with Adelaide United.
The match was stopped for more than half an hour as officials treated the stricken Spaniard, with the Adelaide United substitute forced to wait approximately 13 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
Plenty were quick to point the finger at the Australian Professional Leagues for their failure to have an ambulance on hand – as was previously standard practice – but this sounds like a Victorian government decision.
At any rate, the scenes that saw the 36-year-old treated on the pitch while his compatriot Javi Lopez was in tears were hard to watch, and broadcast commentators Simon Hill and Grace Gill deserve praise for the way they handled the difficult situation.
Juande’s injury took much of the sting out of Adelaide’s attack, and they duly conceded a last-minute equaliser when a mazy Jordan Bos run was ended by a trip from Alexander Popovic.
When Jamie Maclaren stepped up to convert the penalty – just – he slotted home the 25th goal of what was a pulsating round of action.
I was at the Big Blue at AAMI Park on Thursday afternoon and felt like I was watching a game in The Championship when Joe Lolley’s reverse pass was side-footed home by his English team-mate Adam Le Fondre.
Goalkeeping issues aside, all three goals in Sydney FC’s 2-1 win over their bitter rivals Melbourne Victory were worthy of winning any A-League game – and they set the tone for arguably the most entertaining round of the season.
Not that Brisbane Roar fans will care to revisit it, after a Reno Piscopo-inspired Newcastle Jets turned on the afterburners with four second half goals in their 4-0 win at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
There’s no denying Piscopo’s abundance of talent – even if he doesn’t exactly turn it on every week – as the Jets finally cast off the shackles to record their first win of the calendar year.
Reno Piscopo of the Jets (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
It was followed by three successive 2-2 draws on Saturday – how’s that for a quirky stat? – as Wellington Phoenix threw away a two-goal lead to share the points with Perth Glory in Palmerston North.
Glory were good value for their point as David Williams struck twice against his former club, but how the rutted playing surface was conducive to football is anyone’s guess.
It was more than matched in the entertainment stakes by Central Coast’s 2-2 draw with the Western Sydney Wanderers, with the home side fighting back after Brandon Borello had given the visitors the lead on the hour mark of a topsy-turvy encounter.
It was a genuinely absorbing clash played in front of a raucous atmosphere in Gosford, even if some of the Red and Black Bloc were more than a little over-exuberant with their celebrations.
It’s the A-League’s age-old problem – how to harness the unique atmospheres provided by active supporters when for a minority of these supporters, a night out at the football invariably means antagonising rival fans.
It’s the sort of selfishness that inevitably leads to over-the-top policing at A-League fixtures and encourages administrators to prioritise anything but the fan experience.
And given the seemingly endless parade of dodgy decision-making – two Western United players were allegedly treated for heat stroke after the club’s 5-0 win over Canberra United in the A-League Women on Saturday, which kicked off in 35-degree temperatures at 3pm – it would be nice if that minority of fans could see the bigger picture.
Because a thrilling round of men’s action proved there’s life in the A-League yet.
The question is whether the quality of football on display is enough to cover over the cracks created by the game’s administrators.