Following Friday and Saturday’s A League action there are three more games over Sunday and Monday in a jam-packed gameweek.
Wellington Phoenix vs Brisbane Roar
Wellington will want to put a tough 4-3 defeat to Western Sydney behind them and get back to winning ways against Brisbane as they look to put a run together to target the playoff places. Convincing recent wins against Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets will give them confidence of the three points.
Brisbane Roar sit seventh in the table but, despite a positive start, they are without a win in five games including defeat last time out to Western United who are breathing down their necks. It is important that they pick up a win before the gap between them and the playoff places increases, although they have not won away since 20th January.
The hosts have a couple of familiar faces to those in the UK, with ex-Brighton centre forward Tomer Hemed leading the line alongside ex-Fleetwood forward David Ball. However, their main creative outlet comes in the form of Mexican midfielder Ulises Davila, with the former Santos Laguna player a fan favourite.
For the visitors, there are a trio of recognisable names from UK days gone by. Former Celtic and Motherwell forward Scott McDonald is rolling back the years with three goals in eight appearances for Roar, whilst James O’Shea, who spent a number of seasons at Chesterfield plays in midfield for the club. Ex-Blackpool defender Tom Aldred is the key at the heart of the defence and will be hopeful of keeping a rare clean sheet in this one.
Newcastle Jets vs Adelaide United
Newcastle Jets will face a difficult task as high-flying Adelaide come to town. Jets are without a win in three games and have only won three in 12 league games so far. They performed admirably in the reverse fixture, losing 2-1 in a tight affair and will hope for a similar performance in this one to keep tabs on their opponents.
Adelaide have been in fine form in recent times, with four victories in a row cementing their place in the top two, although they still trail Central Coast Mariners by six points at the top of the division. United have beaten both Mariners and Western Sydney in recent weeks and will take confidence from the number of goals they have been scoring, despite still possessing a fairly leaky defence.
Jets are another side who are much more Australian-based than many of those in an increasingly diverse league, with ex-Coventry and Northampton forward Roy O’Donovan playing up top in a forward two.
The other man in that frontline is the main outlet for Adelaide, a side that have tended to share the goals around a number of positions rather than a focal point, with Valentino Yuel netting four times so far. A South Sudanese international, Yuel has come from relative obscurity to take his chance in 2020/21.
United are lacking in terms of UK representation, although another Espanyol legend in Javi Lopez sits in the heart of defence alongside ex-Danish international Mikael Jacobsen, providing an experienced base to build from.
The talent comes in their Australian figureheads with Tomi Juric providing four goals in his seven appearances so far alongside 16-year-old wonderkid Mohamed Toure who has started most games this season up top, netting three times.
Melbourne City vs Central Coast Mariners
The game of the weekend comes in Melbourne as table toppers Central Coast head to City. The hosts, like Adelaide, have had four victories in a row going into this one taking the scalps of the likes of Western Sydney and their city rivals Victory in a 6-0 win. They will be looking for similar as they look to close the gap at the top.
As for Mariners, having ended the last campaign in bottom place, it is all change halfway through the 2020/21 season as they sit six points clear at the top of the ladder. The Mariners played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Perth Glory last time out and are capable of shipping goals, but they have been deadly in front of goal and will see this as another opportunity to stretch their muscles.
There are a number of familiar players in the City lineup to those in the UK, with former Brighton winger Craig Noone a key figure. Ex-Newcastle centre half Curtis Good is another who has been a mainstay in the side during the 2020/21 campaign.
But it is ex-Hibernian striker Jamie MacLaren that is the main man for City. His ten goals in ten games see him far ahead in the top scorer chart ahead of former Blackburn and Nottingham Forest man Matt Derbyshire. Not forgetting of course Patrick Kisnorbo, the City boss, formerly of Leeds.
Mariners are known for producing current Celtic attacking midfielder Tom Rogic, but their current UK representation is sparse. Marcos Arena, the Costa Rican forward, will be known to some from his appearances in major international tournaments in the past decade. Whilst, Oliver Bozanic will be familiar to Hearts supporters after he spent a couple of successful seasons in Edinburgh.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”5″ heading=”Prost International” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
]]>Another long weekend of A League action is upon us, with three games over Friday and Saturday for part one of the gameweek preview.
The A League is midway through its season with Central Coast Mariners topping the standings six points clear of Western Sydney, despite finishing bottom in the last campaign. Melbourne Victory are languishing at the foot of the table whilst their City counterparts are well placed in the play-off places. The battle for the remaining play-off spots is tight and with a number of games still to come, the table could easily turn on its head come season end.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Perth Glory
The hosts are second in the A League standings and have outperformed the initial expectations that were set at the start of the campaign. Back-to-back wins against Wellington Pheonix and Western United have allowed them to bounce back after a big defeat to Melbourne City. Dylan McGowan will return to the fold for this one after his recent recovery, although it will be too soon for Vedran Janjetovic.
After a solid start to the season, Perth have dropped off in form and find themselves sat in ninth place in the division without a win in three games. Christopher Oikonomidis remains unavailable for the visitors through long-term injury; however, Diego Castro will be welcomed back into the squad following his recovery.
Western Sydney have a number of players who have made the move from the UK to Australia. Ex-West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans has been a pivotal figure in the heart of midfield since his move, whilst ex-Birmingham central midfielder Jordan Mutch has played more of a sporadic role this season. Ziggy Gordon, a right back who spent time at Hamilton and Partick Thistle has been a mainstay in the side, whilst Irish striker Simon Cox leads the line, albeit with only one goal this campaign.
As for Perth, Neil Kilkenny plays in the midfield, having spent time in England with the likes of Leeds and Preston. Whilst another Irishman in Andy Keogh plays up top. The key man for Glory is Bruno Fornaroli, with the Uruguayan netting five times in nine games so far this season. Fornaroli has been a mainstay in the league, scoring over fifty goals for Melbourne City before his move.
Macarthur vs Western United
Macarthur will go into this one off the back of two convincing defeats to Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners. This is the clubs inaugural season in the A League following their formation four years ago and they will want to make a good impression currently sitting sixth in midtable. Michael Ruhs may not make the game after being substituted in the 46th minute against City.
For the visitors, they will take heart from their 4-1 victory over Macarthur earlier in the season and they picked up a needed win last time out against Brisbane Roar following back-to-back defeats. Western United are another newly formed franchise, however they began last season with a fifth placed finish, so their current standing in eighth will be a disappointment.
Macarthur boast several former UK-based players alongside some Spanish flair. English striker Matt Derbyshire is having a fine season for the club with seven goals in 12 games, whilst ex-Reading keeper Adam Federici is their number one. Mark Milligan returned to Australia following his time with Hibernian and Southend, regaining form, and providing two goals from midfield. Susaeta and Benat, both former Athletic Bilbao midfielders, bring a European feel to the squad and provide the creative quality that Derbyshire has thrived from.
As for Western United, there is one Englishman in the squad in the form of Kaine Sheppard who has not seen much match action, but he is a former Histon player from the depths on non-league. Former Watford and West Ham midfielder Alessandro Diamanti is a key figure in the central midfield, alongside Espanyol legend Victor Sanchez who has provided three goals this campaign. The main man for United is Besart Berisha, with the Kosovan scoring 19 goals in the 2019/20 season and already providing five goals this year.
Sydney vs Melbourne Victory
Sydney picked up two important victories in recent weeks against Western United and Newcastle Jets to end a run of three games without a win. They are fifth in the table just a point off the top two and will see this game as an ideal chance to pick up three points against a struggling side.
Victory are slumped at the bottom of the division with three defeats on the spin including a resounding 6-0 home defeat to their City rivals. Just seven points in 11 games sees them four points adrift of Newcastle Jets in 11th. Their two victories have come against Wellington Pheonix and Perth Glory and confidence will be low heading to a strong opposition in Sydney.
Sydney have a much more Australian-heavy squad compared to most in the division, although one of those in defender Ryan McGowan will be known to fans of Hearts and Bradford where he spent time earlier in his career. Milos Ninkovic and Anthony Caceres pull the strings in midfield, whilst 18-year-old youth prospect Patrick Wood has made a big impression up top scoring three goals so far this campaign.
Melbourne Victory boast a number of well-known players to have played in the UK but this has not translated into performances on the pitch. Ex-Wigan winger Callum McManaman has provided two goals this season from the wide areas, whilst Jacob Butterfield plays the holding role in the centre. Rudy Gestede leads the line with three goals in eight games and ex-Middlesbrough defender Ryan Shotton has proved uninspiring in the backline.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”5″ heading=”Prost International” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
]]>The likes of Mat Ryan or Aaron Mooy have played a crucial role for Brighton this season or James Jeggo and James Holland, who have established themselves as key midfielders for Austrian sides Austria Wien and LASK respectively.
But the league have also developed numerous young prospects to watch, who went on to secure big moves to Europe like Daniel Arzani or Sarpreet Singh. And before Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix kick the ball for the first time since quarantine ended this Friday, we will look at three promising youngsters to watch for the remainder of the season.
Liberato Cacace – Wellington Phoenix
Also known as “Libby” Cacace, the young New Zealand left-back has established himself as a first-team starter in Ufuk Talay’s lineup this season. He also played a crucial part in Phoenix’s amazing season that is currently seeing them occupying the third position, just four points off from Melbourne City’s second place.
Off-the-ball, Cacace is good in 1v1 situations where he utilises his anticipation to identify the ball carrier’s intention and makes a tackle to help his side regains possession. If the attacker manages to get away from him, he uses his pace to try and catch up with the attacker to win the ball.
In 18 matches this season, he registers nine defensive challenges and almost four attempted tackles per 90 minutes. Those numbers indicate how good he is for Phoenix this season, and he will continue to be a key defender alongside experienced names like Steven Taylor or Luke DeVere.
But what attracts the attention of many European clubs about him is his ability to join the attack through his overlapping runs. He is not very skillful but has the pace to shake off the pressure from the opposition’s full-back and enter the final third.
Inside the area, Cacace has the vision to pick out attackers inside the box who is ready to pick up his crosses. 2.9 successful dribbles and 0.56 successful crosses per 90 minutes (according to InStat) are decent numbers that show his efficiency when joining the attack.
Cacace might be the next youngster who will secure a big move to Europe this summer after Bayern Munich captured the signature of Sarpreet Singh. For now, he remains a key player in Phoenix’s system and will attempt to challenge for the title alongside Sydney FC and Melbourne City.
Cameron Devlin – Wellington Phoenix
Another Phoenix youngster has caught the eyes this season, and this time the focus lies upon defensive midfielder Cameron Devlin. Arrived from Sydney FC on a free last July, Devlin immediately stepped into Talay’s 4-4-2 formation alongside former Hamburger SV youngster Matti Steinmann.
He provided solid defensive support in front of the defensive line, allowing Steinmann to have more space to dictate the play and distribute the ball forward.
But it does not mean that he cannot make through balls or long passes to set up chances for his teammates. In fact, it is something that he does enjoy doing whenever he has the ball. Using his vision to scan for available teammates and his passing skill, he would try to pass the ball out of trouble if the opposition attempt to press Phoenix from the back.
At the same time, if he has enough space around him, he would be happy to try killer passes to start an attack for the team. On average, Devlin registers 61 successful passes out of 68 and created 0.29 chances per 90 minutes, impressive records for a young defensive midfielder like him.
On the other hand, his defensive ability is a crucial factor that significantly supports Phoenix’s defence this season. Similar to Cacace, he is fearless in making tackles to win the ball back for his side.
Devlin anticipates situations well to step in at the right time to nick the ball away and avoid fouling the opponent, which might result in an unnecessary free-kick near the box. With 18 challenges and seven tackles attempted per 90 minutes, he will continue to become the shield in front of the defensive line when his side face Sydney this Friday.
Louis D’Arrigo – Adelaide United
According to CIES Football Observatory, Louis D’Arrigo (marked green in the capture below) is one of the U21 players who are currently playing the most minutes this season worldwide alongside promising prospects such as Brescia’s Sandro Tonali, Norwich’s Max Aarons or Swansea’s loanee Conor Gallagher.
At the age of just 18, D’Arrigo has become a starter alongside Aussie prospect Riley McGree and experienced midfielder James Troisi in the center of Adelaide’s 4-1-2-3 formation this season, and there is a reason behind this.
Photo: PFA
D’Arrigo has occupied the defensive midfielder role just in front of Adelaide’s back-four, which also means he is responsible for shielding the defence while linking up the play with McGree and Troisi.
Off-the-ball, D’Arrigo shows his determined mentality whenever he attempts to win the ball back for his side. He is also aggressive but also tries not to foul the opposition’s player and gives away a dangerous free-kick that his side have to defence.
While he registers 14 attempted challenges and 5.5 attempted tackles per 90 minutes, he has only committed 1.29 fouls and received a total of three yellow cards up to now.
He is also decent with his passes as he can set up attacks and encourage teammates to move forward with his short passes. At the same time, he can also offer through balls or passes towards the players who position themselves in between the lines to help the team to move the ball forward.
Managing to complete 35 of his 43 passes per 90 minutes is a decent record, but he is also effective in setting up chances with 0.99 key passes and 0.54 chances created per 90 minutes.
D’Arrigo still has a lot of room to grow, especially in terms of his playmaking ability. But given that he has already established himself as a key player for Adelaide, it is possible to expect his development to rise significantly alongside McGree.
[columns] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”225″ heading=”Australia” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2321″ heading=”A-League” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column] [/columns]
]]>Three goals in ten lethal minutes, midway through the first half, were enough for City to head home with three valuable points in their quest for second place.
But first they had to withstand a resurgent Glory who hit back with two goals of their own in the second half and were only denied an equaliser by the woodwork.
The result sees City consolidate second place in the A-League table while Glory slip to fourth behind Wellington Phoenix who won today.
Both teams started the game determined to play a possession game and press high up the pitch when their opponents had the ball.
This was the pattern for the first quarter hour or so until Perth began to dominate the possession.
But for all their domination Glory failed to carve out any clear-cut chances.
Meanwhile, City were finding the left flank a promising trade route with wing-back Scott Jamieson and winger Craig Noone showing their entrepreneurial spirit by exporting some dangerous crosses into the box.
One of these forays resulted in a corner for City on the left on. The ball fell to former Glory captain Rostyn Griffiths. The City defender miscued, then pirouetted to slam the ball home.
On the half hour mark City had doubled their lead with Florin Berenguer flighting a powerful shot into Liam Reddy’s top left corner.
Jamieson showed great vision at the edge of the box, spotting Markel Susaeta’s run and threading a perfectly weighted ball that sliced through the Glory defence, gratefully gobbled up by the Basque winger.
Ten terrible minutes for Glory left them staring down the barrel of a gun at 0-3 with 34 minutes on the clock, and so the score line remained till the half time whistle.
It looked like a long way back for gutless Glory.
Glory coach Tony Popovic rung the changes at half time bringing on his son Kristian to midfield and Ivan Franjic replacing the ineffectual Tarek Elrich at right wing back.
Galvanised Glory started the second half with a sense of purpose that eluded them in the first period and it didn’t take long for this to bear fruit.
In the 53rd minute Franjic sent a cross for former City favourite Bruno Fornaroli whose header to Joel Chianese was gleefully converted.
Twelve minutes later, Fornaroli helped himself to a slice of the action reducing the deficit to one goal. Mesmerising approach play by Diego Castro allowed Chianese to play provider this time and return the favour to Fornaroli, who obviously relished clocking one up against his old team.
The fans were served up a treat for the last half hour with Glory pursuing the elusive equaliser, frustrated by the woodwork, the aptly named City ‘keeper Thomas Glover and the stalwart City defenders.
But somehow City held on to secure a narrow victory and an important three points, putting them in pole position for second place and the coveted home final that goes with it.
[columns] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”225″ heading=”Australia” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2321″ heading=”A-League” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column] [/columns]
]]>Melbourne Victory looked set to plunder all three points from their Perth visit until Nick D’Agostino rose at the death to power a magnificent downward header past Lawrence Thomas claiming a share of the spoils, and consigning the Victorians, to heartbreak and recrimination on the four-hour red-eye flight back to Melbourne.
Glory edged closer to second in the A-League table, one point behind Melbourne City with a game in hand, while Victory languished in eighth spot, five points out of finals contention.
The crowd enjoyed an entertaining encounter enhanced by the inadequacies of both teams.
Glory lacked invention and incision suffering from the absence of Diego Castro, their sublime play-maker, while Victory have looked a pale imitation of their previous incarnation since the departure of club legend Kevin Muscat as coach.
Following Muscat’s replacement Marco Kurz’s sacking, after Victory’s worst ever start to a season, former Real Madrid Academy coach Carlos Perez Salvachua was handed the reins a fortnight ago.
Chalking up a midweek win against Japanese giants Kashima Antlers to qualify for the Asian Champions League, the Spaniard shows encouraging signs in his quest to rouse the Melbourne giants from their malaise.
Glory’s recent unbeaten run has been built on defensive foundations as they bid to reach a club record of consecutive shutouts tonight.
But Glory coach Tony Popovic astutely predicted before the match that defending against Victory’s “fantastic attack” was his team’s key task.
In the match up between the excellence of Glory’s defence and Victory’s attack, and, at the other end, the less than stellar Glory attack and equally matched leaky Victory defence, the forwards, on both sides reigned supreme.
It all made for rip-roaring end-to-end stuff for the fans.
Melbourne’s Swedish ace Ola Toivonen was the first to draw blood after 23 minutes. The ageing artisan feigned to make a full-blooded run toward the anticipated pass from the right from Andrew Nabbout.
Toivonen after 1st goal.
Prost/McNeela
Three!!! Glory defenders fell for his unlikely burst of pace while the wily Viking delightfully decelerated giving him a couple of metres space to fire his shot, from the edge of the box, past the blamelessly flailing Liam Reddy, to put Victory in the lead.
Meanwhile at the other end Glory’s talented Uruguayan striker Bruno Fornaroli was ploughing a lonely furrow.
Glory right wing back Ivan Franjic was kept busy by mercurial Victory left-winger Elvis Kambosa, curtailing his customary forward scampers to the minimum.
But in the 34th minute Franjic was able to find a bit of space, and send a cross over, which would have made goal of the season if the consistently fouled Fornaroli’s spectacular scissor kick hadn’t careered off the post.
Fornaroli was not to be denied in first half injury time though. After a series of controversial decisions, the referee cathartically defaecated a free kick as the Uruguayan tensed in a pregnant location 20 metres out.
True to his continent, the South American breached the wall, as Andrew Nabbout failed to head clear. The incontinence of the Melbourne defence saw their lead flush away as Fornaroli produced the equaliser.
Glory started the second half well but Kambosa was a consistent thorn in their side.
The tricky winger didn’t provide any assists directly, but he was causing enough angst in Glory’s defence to create openings for Victory in other areas.
Elvis Kamsoba, scourge of Glory defence. Prost/McNeela
Henceforth, Victory again took the lead in 58 minutes.
A long ball to Andrew Nabbout still left him a lot to do. With Glory centre back Alex Grant tracking back to make amends for playing him onside, he cut inside and bent the ball beyond Reddy to make it 2-1 to Victory.
Just as it seemed that Glory were running out of ideas up popped D’Agostino at the death.
Victory reshaped defensively hoping to secure the three points, entailing Kamsoba shoring up the midfield.
This seemed to invigorate the hitherto ineffectual Franjic. Shorn of his defensive duties he patrolled the right wing with renewed menace.
Manbunned D’Agostino denied Victory with his late goal. Prost/McNeela
Beating his man, he conjured a sublime cross which D’Agostino addressed with gusto leaving Thomas disconsolate while conceding the equaliser.
[columns] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”225″ heading=”Australia” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column] [column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2321″ heading=”A-League” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column] [/columns]
]]>
Perth Glory’s inexorable rise up the A-League table, from bottom in Round 8, continues with this comprehensive victory over Adelaide United.
The Reds held their own for the first 20 minutes, sitting high to frustrate the Perth side’s modus operandi of building from the back, until Glory’s top performers turned on the style to record a 3-0 victory that sees the Perth side go third in the table and equal their best ever win sequence of five-in-a-row.
Calls for football to return to a winter sport have proliferated in the Australian sport pages this week, and the circumstances of this game, which kicked off at 34C/93F, recording a cool 31C/88F at full-time, will provide further grist to the mill.
But the problems for Adelaide really started when Glory’s talented attack turned up the heat.
The Reds held their own for the first 20 minutes and the South Australians would be entitled to feel aggrieved to go behind in the 25th.
Adelaide forwards George Blackwood and Nik Mileusnic both had opportunities to draw first blood, but as the Glory midfielders gradually got a grip of the match, shrugging off Juande’s absence, their superior flair began to tell.
The goal came just before the first half drinks break. Wing back James Meredith finally got some change out of Halloran, who’d been hampering his scampering down the left wing well. He slipped it to Diego Castro on the edge of the box who saw a clever forward run by Joel Chianese who made no mistake from six metres, despite the attentions of three defenders.
Adelaide continued to press and create chances, notably through Blackwood, who required an instinctive save by Liam Reddy to prevent the equaliser.
But on the 44th minute mark Meredith again galvanised Glory with an inside pass to Castro. All expected El Maestro to pass to the well-positioned Ivan Franjic out on the right. However, Castro instinctively sensed an easier kill. He wheeled around, left defender Michael Jakobsen on his backside and saw Bruno Fornaroli in space, who steadied and finished with aplomb 20m out.
The Uruguyan striker has obviously grown in confidence during Glory’s recent run and the goals are flowing for him again.
Glory started the second half as they ended the first, regularly penetrating Adelaide’s defensive lines.
Izzo watches Wuthrich header drift wide. Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
On the hour mark Chianese gave way to Chris Ikonomidis, the star Socceroo winger being left on the sidelines recently due to a dip in form, seemed immediately determined to convince Glory coach Tony Popovic of his starting XI credentials.
His case grew stronger after eight minutes on the pitch. An intricate passing series between the Perth backline culminated in Alex Grant lofting the ball into the box. Ikonomidis’ awareness saw him shrug off Michael Maria and round keeper Paul Izzo before coolly netting from an acute angle.
Ikonomidis had picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Popovic as Adelaide were left staring down the barrel of a three-goal deficit.
Glory kept piling on the agony.
Sublime touches from Castro, blistering pace from Ikonomidis, spell-binding link play from Fornaroli, marauding Meredith surging down the left and Kilkenny orchestrating the midfield, ably assisted by the ever-improving Jake Brimmer, all played their part.
Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
Adelaide must have felt fortunate to keep the scoreline respectable.
The game was essentially over as a contest, but fair play to Adelaide United who kept plugging away, determined to strive for a goal and entertain the crowd.
Perth Glory: Reddy; Meredith (Kim), Grant, Wuthrich, Mrcela, Franjic; Brimmer (K. Popovic), Kilkenny; Chianese (Ikonomidis), Castro, Fornaroli.
Adelaide United: Izzo; Kitto (Lia), Jakobsen, D’Arrigo, Elsey, Strain; Maria, Mileusnic (Konstandopoulos), McGree, Halloran; Blackwood (Opseth).
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”225″ heading=”Australia” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”2321″ heading=”A-League” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Both teams started with the opportunity of moving to fifth place if they claimed the three points on offer. But Glory scored a goal in each half to claim their first home win of the season, as Perth sweltered in an unseasonal heatwave.
First Greg Wuthrich scored with a header, then fellow central defender, Alex Grant, lethally slotted home to seal the victory for the Western Australian side.
Western Sydney Wanderers coach Markus Babbel is left to rue the sixth game his side has gone without a win since beating on-fire local rivals Sydney FC back in October, as they’ve slid from top to seventh.
In contrasting fortunes, with back to back wins, Tony Popovic’s reigning Premiers have transcended their mini-crisis by vaulting from last to fifth in the eleven-team A-League table.
The game kicked off at 6.45pm with a temperature of 34C, cooling to 32C at half-time. The Perth side, having sustained training in these conditions since the heatwave started on Wednesday, quickly demonstrated their superior adaptation to the freakish early summer heat.
Apart from Wanderers danger-man muscular Mitch Duke shaving the bar in the first few minutes, Glory dominated the early exchanges. Right wing-back Ivan Franjic saw a lot of the ball, but it was a corner from the left that broke the deadlock.
Glory’s midfield orchestrator Neil Kilkenny flighted it in and big Tomi Mrcela headed into the danger area. The knock on seemed out of Uruguayan forward Bruno Fornaroli’s reach, but his acrobatic scissor kick found Chris Ikonomidis who headed against the bar, with central defender Greg Wuthrich rising to bury the rebound. Glory were 1-0 up after 18 minutes.
Glory have seldom taken the lead during this stuttering campaign and their style is not suited to chasing lost causes. But the Perth side were now in the situation Popovic had been craving as he exhorted his defensive charges to keep it tight and force the Wanderers to chase the game for the rest of the first half.
Popa exhorts defence. Photo credit: McNeela/Prost
This they by and large achieved despite Wanderers sturdy attackers Duke and Kwame Yeboah occasionally strong-arming themselves into threatening positions.
In the latter stages of the first half, El Maestro, Glory’s Diego Castro, revelled in the blistering heat as the imperious Iberian tortured the Wanderers with sublime passes and dribbles, like a merciless matador spearing a raging bull.
The second half saw the Wanderers emerge with renewed vigour and purpose. Their normally debonair German coach, understandably, but regrettably, dressing down for the conditions, nevertheless seemed to have found the key to motivate his team during their half-time team talk.
Yeboah, Macedonian right wing-back Daniel Georgevski and midfield playmaker Keanu Baccus, in particular, seemed determined to contest the three points for Wanderers.
In the 52nd minute the awesome power of Mitch Duke swept him past two Glory defenders but he should have done better from the position he gained as his cross/shot evaporated harmlessly.
Glory gradually regained the initiative and had the best of the rest of the proceedings.
Their advantage doubled in the 66th minute. Growing frustration at being unable to shackle Castro led to frayed tempers as Wanderers Swiss midfielder Pirmin Schwegler clattered into him to foil a promising foray down the left. Georgevski then went forehead to forehead with his opposite number James Meredith as Western Sydney seemed to momentarily lose concentration. A free kick was awarded for the foul on Castro about 20 metres out to the left of the box.
Substitute Jake Brimmer floated it in, former Bundesliga top scorer Alexander Meier got a head to it, only succeeding in diverting into the path of Glory central defender Alex Grant. The Perth favourite took one touch before adroitly slamming it home with his left.
Grant’s first A-League goal since the 6th of November 2016, against the same opposition, sparked spectacular celebrations with his family in the crowd.
More Castro magic in the 93rd minute left a Wanderer sprawling on the floor, flailing after a majestic turn, as El Maestro offered substitute Jacob Tratt an early Christmas present. But the recent signing from Brisbane Roar coughed up his chance to make it a hat-trick of goals for central defenders and will no doubt endure the taunts of his colleagues at the training ground all week.
But Tratt’s immediate blushes were spared thanks to the goal-scoring endeavours of Grant and Wuthrich who will surely be delighted to tutor him in finishing for the rest of the year.
Popovic was satisfied with Glory’s first win of the season but admitted “I was nervous on the bench because of the conditions”.
Babbel lauded his team’s motivation but bemoaned their ability to score and get results.
Babbel unhappy with result. Photo: McNeela/Prost
Popa happy with a nervy three points in the heat. Photo credit: McNeela/Prost
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”313″ heading=”Asian Football” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
The Mariners subdued Glory’s dangerous attacking trio to record their first win in Perth for six years.
First-half goals by Danny De Silva and Sam Silvera were enough to ensure the points went home with the New South Welshmen.
CCM showed they meant business early on when Milan Duric hit the post, with Liam Reddy beaten, but recovering well to save the rebound, after eight minutes.
However, Central Coast weren’t to be denied for long. In the 17th minute left back Jack Clisby found space on the left and centred to former Glory favourite De Silva, who made no mistake with a placed shot to Reddy’s right.
The Mariners drowned out the triple threat of the Glory frontline making them look jaded and impotent for long periods.
The measure of Glory’s endeavours was shown in the 26th minute when Scottish right back Ziggy Gordon was booked for persistent fouling earning the biggest cheer yet from the home support.
Glory’s normally assured Swiss central defender Greg Wuthrich picked up a booking as Silvera maximised the effect of his clumsy challenge on the half hour mark.
Glory coach Tony Popovic revealed after the match that Wuthrich had not recovered well from the away trip to Wellington and “he was one clumsy challenge away from getting another yellow, so we made a change.”
Jacob Tratt came on to fill Wuthrich’s right central defensive berth in the 38th minute, a replacement Popovic would later rue.
Shortly after, Diego Castro was the beneficiary of a slack defensive pass. Castro prowled with menace into the box but Mariners stopper Dylan Fox tidied up the danger well.
A few minutes later, Castro again made mischief on the left, the ball falling to Ivan Franjic who equalised from an acute angle 6m out, nutmegging GK Mark Birighitti for good measure.
Nineteen-year-old Mariners forward Sam Silvera had been battling hard all half and earned his good fortune when Tratt gave away possession with a clumsy error in an innocuous position.
Silvera’s mugging of Tratt must have made him feel a right pratt, as the youngster raced towards goal, his shot sailing past Reddy with some style, delivering a killer blow to Glory just before half time.
Glory dominated the second half but the Mariners blocked numerous shots and comfortably defended their slender lead.
The Perth side huffed and puffed, over-reliant on Castro to provide a creative spark, but looked laboured and predictable. The last drama of the match came in the 93rd minute. An audacious back heel from Castro to the villainous Tratt provided Glory substitute Nick D’Agostino with the opportunity of a late equaliser.
D’Agostino couldn’t get his head to it so the Mariners held on for a morale-boosting win over the reigning Premiers.
Mariners coach Alen Stajcic didn’t look that happy about it, but he did enthuse about Sam Silvera who scored what proved to be the winning goal:
Mariners coach Alen Stajcic. Credit: McNeela/Prost.
“Sam’s such an explosive player, they felt a bit of fear every time he ran at them.”
Popovic bemoaned the home side’s performance:
Popovic unhappy with defensive frailties. Credit: McNeela/Prost.
“We were lethargic. It was hot. We came from Wellingon last week, they came off a bye. The back line didn’t look cohesive. We didn’t handle their intensity well in the first half.”
Attendance: 8,148
Perth Glory: Reddy; Kim (Chianese 59’), Grant, Wuthrich (booked) (Tratt 38’), Malik (D’Agostino 76’), Franjic; Kilkenny, Juande; Castro, Fornaroli, Ikonomidis
Central Coast Mariners: Birighitti; Clisby (booked), Rowles (Tongyik 75’), Fox, Gordon (booked); Stensness, De Silva (Kim 58’), Duric, Gallifuoco; Oar (Simon 79’), Silvera
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”313″ heading=”Asian Football” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Brisbane Roar’s last-gasp goal earned Robbie Fowler’s new-look Queenslanders an opening draw against last year’s premiers, Perth Glory.
The home side were dominant, but ring-rusty, for the first three-quarters of the game. Brisbane had nine new players in their starting eleven and for much of the game resembled a ragtag mob that had never played together.
Glory didn’t offer much in the second-half and allowed Roar to overcome their lack of familiarity with each other to claim a valuable away point to mark the start of Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler’s tenure.
Fowler has trawled the North of England and signings from Shrewsbury, Carlisle, Rochdale, Bury and Salford City now grace Brisbane’s squad.
Glory’s forward trio of Diego Castro, Bruno Fornaroli and Chris Ikonomidis are sure to cause A-League defensive headaches this campaign. But it would be very surprising if Roar captain Tom Aldred and co are afflicted with migraines on the long flight home between the Indian and Pacific Ocean coasts.
The all-star Perth forward line weaved pretty patterns at times, but rarely manufactured serious threats on goal. Glory coach Tony Popovic was left to rue the inability of his team to capitalise on their stranglehold during most of the game, allowing Brisbane, whose growing cohesion was increasingly evident, to equalise at the death.
Glory were quicker to get into their rhythm with new signings Gregory Wuthrich and Osama Malik, and long-injured Alex Grant showing good understanding and slotting in well to Popovic’s defensive system which fared so successfully last season.
El Maestro Castro had early involvement in the home side’s attacking movements, his trickery getting ever more mischievous as he gave his off season cobwebs a spring clean. His clever inside pass to Fornaroli eventuated in a goalmouth stramash, which could easily have delivered the opener, but for the defiant Roar defence repelling the danger like a pair of pinball flippers on speed.
But there was no stopping Glory from taking the lead in the 34th minute. Fornaroli received the ball with his back to a defender and held off the challenge superbly until help arrived in the shape of El Maestro. The centrally positioned Castro passed right to Ikonomidis who kept his cool from 15 metres to thread the ball home between two defenders and the ‘keeper.
Castro pictured in FFA Cup tie 7/8/19.
Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
Glory fans were delighted to see their front three combining with such lethal effect, but it was to be their last glimpse of such ruthless incision in the game.
Fowler has handed the captain’s armband to the much-travelled Scottish stopper Tom Aldred. He led the resistance well and his efforts went a long way to keeping the deficit manageable.
The second-half continued with the Perth side dominating possession without finding the key to unlocking the potential of their talented attack.
An early warning of Brisbane roaring back into contention came in the 58th minute when Bradden Inman’s cross/shot missed Irish forward Roy O’Donovan’s head by a whisker, with the goal at his mercy. The recent acquisition from Newcastle Jets knows his way round the A-League and had scored six times out of ten outings against Glory before today. (Spoiler alert)
Around the 70th minute mark the Western Australian side had two passages of play where they strung north of twenty passes together as the Brisbane players chased shadows.
Fowler excavates nervously as O’Shea prepares for free kick. Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
During this virtuoso display of midfield dominance Fowler cut a rather forlorn figure on the touchline. Admittedly, this clash pitted Australia’s two mining powerhouses, Western Australian and Queensland, against each other, but was there really any need for Robbie to excavate his pockets so deeply in the dugout?
Popovic seemed encouraged enough to dare to dream of the three points and brought on fringe players Dino Djublic and his son Kristian Popovic during the last few minutes.
Fowler’s substitutions were more productive, especially the lively looking Welsh utility player Aaron Holloway, recently signed from Shrewsbury.
Holloway’s early promise bore fruit as he provided the assist for O’Donovan to head home the equaliser in the 95th minute, following VAR confirmation the goal was not offside.
After the game Popovic was in forgiving mood:
“It’s always tough to concede in the 94th minute. We were very good in the first half, in the second half we dropped off. In time we’ll put in good 90 minutes performances.”
Fowler was disarmingly delighted with his side’s equaliser, exclaiming he “actually nearly ran on to the pitch.”
Perth Glory: Reddy; Chianese, Grant, Malik, Wuthrich (Djulbic, 81’), Wilson (Kim, 63’); Juande, Kilkenny; Castro, Ikonomidis (K. Popovic, 85’), Fornaroli.
Brisbane Roar: Crocombe; O’Toole, Gillesphey, Aldred, Neville; Inman (Ingham, 76’), O’Neill, McGing (Holloway, 83’), Mauk; O’Shea, O’Donovan.
Attendance: 9,829
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”313″ heading=”Asian Football” heading_type=“timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
Wanderers won this dour encounter in extra time thanks to goals by Mohamed Adam and Kwame Yeboah, cancelling out Tomislav Mrcela’s equaliser.
This game had pre-season written all over it as both teams struggled to find their rhythm, until it sparked to life with three goals in a nine-minute spell in the second period of extra time.
Wanderers played all in white, while Glory were sporting their new third strip in black and gold, paying homage to the colours of Western Australia, as the only club representing the state in the A-League.
Dorrien Gardens threw up a great pre-match atmosphere tonight. The compact venue drew a decent crowd of 1,587 for this all A-League FFA Cup, round of 32 match-up. The small grandstand only holds 450 with the standing fans on all four sides in high spirits and making the most of the occasion, but there was not much for them to shout about.
Ivan Franjic had the ball in the net for Glory in the 26th minute, but the whistle had already blown for an infringement.
Chris Harold turned well on the 18-yard line a few minutes later, but Wanderers goalkeeper Daniel Lopar stood up well to save the shot.
Glory were persisting with their passing game out of defence, but seemed to be missing popular central defender Shane Lowry, who was mysteriously left out of the squad, rumoured to be going to a club in oil-rich Qatar.
The second half was similarly uneventful.
On the hour mark Yeboah played Wanderers left wing-back Daniel Georgevski in, but the impressive recent acquisition from Newcastle Jets fired just over.
Glory’s talismanic playmaker Diego Castro was introduced for the debutant Nick D’Agostino in the 66th minute. The young forward, signed after being released by Brisbane Roar gave a decent account of himself, but Castro made an immediate impact.
Castro’s impact was immediate but unsustained. Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
He’d only been on the field for a minute when he slipped a well weighted pass right to Chris Harold, but the recently returned Perth favourite banged in a cross/shot that missed everyone and everything.
Former Melbourne City forward Bruno Fornaroli also looked lively up-front for Glory, and his creativity and hold-up play look to be an improvement on the recently departed Andy Keogh.
Fornaroli held off two defenders and provided Harold with another great chance in the 73rd minute, but Harold squandered the opportunity with a weak, poorly directed, shot.
Castro’s impact was not sustained as the game remained 0-0 till the end of the regulation 90 minutes. Extra time was upon us and nobody was the least bit surprised.
It remained a scrappy encounter during extra time, and just as a penalty shoot-out was seeming inevitable the game sparked to life with three goals in nine minutes.
Popa team talk prior to extra time, Franjic listening intently. Photo credit: Paul McNeela/Prost
First substitute Mohamed Adam placed his shot well from 20 metrea out to put the Western Sydney side ahead in the 108th minute, but big central defender Mrcela slammed it home through a maze of players to level it six minutes later.
Then, Kwame Yeboah controversially reclaimed the lead three minutes from the end. Perth Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy appeared to be fouled by a teammate when the ball spilled out to a grateful Yeboah who made no mistake from point blank range.
The Glory shot stopper could only look on in despair as Yeboah’s effort bulged his net ending the Perth side’s interest in this year’s FFA Cup.
Franjic was sent off at full time apparently for dissent, presumably unhappy with the winning goal.
Meanwhile Markus Babbel’s team progress to meet NPL NSW side Sydney United, a plum draw that should see them through to the quarter finals.
At the post-match press conference Tony Popovic revealed:
“We originally had Shane Lowry in the team. For personal reasons he couldn’t play today.” He declined to comment further when questioned about the Qatar rumours.
Perth Glory: Reddy; Tratt (booked), Mrcela, Wilson; Franjic (sent off), Kilkenny, Brimmer, Chianese (booked) (Ostler, 106’); D’Agostino (Castro, 66’), Fornaroli, Harold (G. Popovic, 91’).
Western Sydney Wanderers: Lopar; Elrich, Mourdoukoutas, McGowan; Georgevski, Baccus, Grozos (Sullivan 21’) (Adam, 72’), Schwegler (booked), Kamau; Majewski (booked); Yeboah (Russell, 120’).
[columns]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”225″ heading=”Australia” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[column size=”1/2″][blog type=”timeline” posts=”10″ cats=”1072″ heading=”News” heading_type=”timeline” /][/column]
[/columns]
]]>