A League - Week 24 Review

Brisbane opened the weekend’s entertainment in spectacular fashion when they hammered Central Coast Mariners 6-1 at Suncorp Stadium. Roar started the ball rolling with the first goal in the twenty first minute.

Thomas Broich dinked a lovely ball over the Mariners backline for Andrija Kaluderovic to run onto, he held off the challenge of Zac Anderson and slotted confidently to the bottom right corner. The same partnership almost added a second just seven minutes later but Liam Reddy was able to claw the effort from the edge of the box away for a corner.

The second did come momentarily however when a short corner routine was fed out to the edge of the box where Steven Lustica smashed home. Lustica added his second in the forty first minute when a Kaluderovic lobbed cross/shot from the right was only cleared to just outside the box, Lustica ran in to hammer home again. Just three minutes in to the second half Roar added a fourth.

Jean Carlos Salorzano skinned Nick Montgomery down the left before cutting in to the box drawing the cover and feeding Devante Clut to slot home past an unprotected Reddy from 10 yards. Two minutes later Roar added their fifth, Lustica picked out Brandon Borrello with a ball that split the defensive cover and the youngster thrashed the ball into the roof of the net from around ten yards.

Mariners got one back after sixty four minutes, Travis Major swung in a right wing cross, Anthony Caceres chested the ball down but it deflected off of Danny Bowles and rolled into the corner of the net. Fittingly Lustica wrapped up the scoring fifteen minutes later Dimi Petratos and Kalerudovic combined well to leave Lustica with a tap in that he gleefully accepted to complete his hat trick.

Roar remain in seventh position and will have to hope for a slip up by Melbourne City to get back in to the finals shake up at the seasons end. Mariners meanwhile have nothing to play for apart from trying to catch the coach’s eye with a nod to next season.

Western Sydney Wanderers hosted Melbourne City at Pirtek Stadium with the honours being shared in a 1-1 draw. Wanderers notched first with a twentieth minute opener. Nikita Rukavytsya was crudely hauled down by Kew Jaliens to concede a free kick twenty yards from goal just left of centre, Yojiro Takahagi stepped up and curled home to the top left corner leaving Tando Velaphi a flat footed observer.

Wanderers came raiding down their left again when Tomi Juric left Jaliens in his wake and advanced to the edge of the City box before being denied by Velaphi. Rukavytsya tore away again down the left as Jaliens lack of pace was cruelly exposed again and yet again Velaphi was equal to the shot to keep City in the game.

Romeo Castelen was next to waste a presentable chance for Wanderers in the thirty eighth minute when a Nikolai Topor Stanley free kick was headed clear by Jaliens to the edge of the box, Castelen blazed over when he should have at least worked Velaphi.

Almost immediately City levelled through French winger Harry Novillo he cut in from the left touchline and unleashed an unstoppable drive from around twenty five yards.  Wanderers still had a chance to get back ahead before half time after a sloppy clearance from Velaphi fell to the feet of Juric thirty five yards out but with the keeper out of position he pulled his effort wide of the post. Five minutes after half time Robert Koren made Dean Bouzanis tip over an effort from the edge of the box to maintain the status quo.

Takahagi forced a fine tip over from Velaphi after sixty eight minutes and threw in a threatening cross three minutes later which resulted in a brave clearance from Velaphi when he collided with Juric as the ball arrived. City will have been content to leave with a point and maintain sixth place while Wanderers remain just one point above Newcastle Jets in ninth position.

The top five in the league are separated by the thickness of a fag paper at the minute and two of them faced up to each other in the shape of Sydney FC and Adelaide United at Allianz Stadium. Sydney had the best of the opening half and repeatedly threatened down their right through Bernie Ibini, a couple of the chances drew fine saves from Eugene Galekovic in the Reds goal to send the teams in level at half time.

Galekovic then registered an eighty first minute assist when his early release put Awer Mabil in the clear down the right hand side, the speedy wide man cut in and drove home from the edge of the box. There was still time for Galekovic to pull off another vital save from George Blackwood before the final whistle to take Adelaide temporarily to the top of the tree and eventually into third place.

Melbourne Victory travelled to Wellington to take on Phoenix as two more of the top five clashed at the Westpac Stadium, the visitors emerged on top with a 3-0 win to take top spot in the league. Victory took the lead in their first attack Besart Berisha played the ball across the back four to Gui Finkler on the right who coolly stroked home from twelve yards after just thirty three seconds.

Roly Bonevacia drove in a twenty yard effort just wide of the angle of post and bar as the Nix tried to get back on even terms. Berisha was next to work a keeper after thirty four minutes when a good ball down the left split the Nix rearguard but Glenn Moss was equal to the task. Nix started the second period with the bit between their teeth and a lovely turn and shot by Kenny Cunningham brought a great save from Nathan Coe.

Victory scored their second in the fifty ninth minute, again a long ball split the defence sending Berisha through on Moss, he squared in the direction of Finkler but Nix centre half and skipper Andrew Durante got a crucial touch as he attempted to clear to trundle the ball home and notch an own goal.

Victory put the icing on the cake seven minutes later, a left wing corner was driven to the edge of the box where the unmarked Fahid Ben Khalfallah volleyed toward goal, Archie Thompson deflected the ball on target, Nathan Burns stopped the effort on the line but Thompson reacted quickest to hammer the loose ball home. Burns had a gilt edged chance to claw a goal back on eighty minutes but saw his effort first blocked and then cleared from the line.

The scoreline nearly got even worse in added time when Kosta Barbarouses and Ben Khalfallah were denied by fine saves from Moss. Victory climbed to the league summit on the back of this result while back to back 3-0 home losses has seen the Nix slump to fourth but are still just two points behind Victory.

Newcastle Jets hosted Perth Glory at Hunter Stadium to complete the weekends entertainment, the visitors headed back west with a 2-0 win under their belt. Newcastle threatened in the twelfth minute, winger Andrew Hoole cut in from the left before forcing a good save from Danny Vukovic, Josh Barresi made a hash of trying to put the rebound home.

On thirty minutes Newcastle threatened again when Nick Cowburn and Mitch Cooper combined to give Enver Alivodic a clear sight of goal again Vukovic saved and Edson Montano saw his effort from the rebound blocked. Perth fashioned a chance on thirty seven minutes when Sidnei thrashed in a shot from twenty yards forcing a low save from Ben Kennedy.

Jets were first out of the blocks in the second half, Alivodic crossed for the unmarked Mitch Cooper who directed his diving header from the penalty spot just wide of the post. Perth took the lead in the fiftieth minute when Sidnei drove in another long range effort, Kennedy turned the ball away to his left, Jamie McLaren lofted the ball back in to the box where Andy Keogh headed home from six yards.

On sixty two minutes a Cowburn corner on the right was headed against the bar by Taylor Regan as Jets tried to get back in to the game. Hoole drilled another good chance wide for the Jets just minutes later when he should have done better he then saw an even better chance blocked on the line in the seventieth minute.

The home team were made to pay for their profligacy on eighty two minutes, Keogh fed Nebojsa Marinkovic in the inside left channel he took the ball on until he was just twelve yards out before smashing the ball home off the inside of the far post giving Kennedy no chance. Perth go level top with Victory while Jets remain bottom.

What have we learned?

You would have to be blessed with the insight of Nostradamus crossed with Doris Stokes to predict who is going to actually win this league, five clubs are still real chances to win the league and indeed any of them can go top this weekend.

Next A League fixtures

Melbourne Victory  v Newcastle Jets

Perth Glory  v Sydney FC

Adelaide United  v Brisbane Roar

Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers

Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix