Hyundai A-League Weekend Wrap - Round 15
The Hyundai A-League saw only three games played over the course of a round, for the first time in its short history, following the terrible weather conditions in Gosford.
Results Wellington Phoenix 1 lost ADELAIDE UNITED 2 Queensland Roar 0 lost NEWCASTLE JETS 1 Central Coast Mariners - Sydney FC - POSTPONED Perth Glory 3 beat Melbourne Victory 1
Game Wraps A record crowd of 18,345 for a domestic football game in New Zealand was hoping to see Wellington Phoenix get the better of Adelaide and keep its finals hopes alive. With David Beckham and his LA Galaxy teammates looking on, the hosts got off to a bad start, with Paul Agostino heading home his first goal in the Hyundai A-League after just nine minutes. The match took a dramatic turn in the 68th minute, when the Phoenix were awarded a penalty and Adelaide defender Milan Susak was sent off. Daniel leveled the match from the penalty spot and the Phoenix for the third week in a row were up against ten-men. Unable to capitalise on this advantage in the previous two matches, Phoenix were keen to get all three points in front of the big crowd, but were undone by a classic counter-punch by Adelaide with Lucas Pantelis grabbing the winner in the 77th minute. The win maintained Adelaide-s finals hopes, while the Phoenix dropped to 8th place, after Perth-s win.
Joel Griffiths, so often the go to man for the Jets this season, did it again on Friday night, with an injury-time winner against Queensland Roar. While Griffiths took all the plaudits, the real hero for the Jets was goalkeeper Ante Covic, who saved a Simon Lynch penalty midway through the second half to keep his side in the game. Up until then good chances on goal were a rarity, but the one moment flair saw Matt McKay nudged over by Adam Griffiths. Queensland looked the most likely to perhaps grab the three points, but one minute into injury time, Tarek Elrich skipped by Marcinho down the right touchline and crossed beautifully to Griffiths, who sprang high and headed powerfully just inside the Liam Reddy-s right post. The Jets stayed in fourth spot with the win, while Queensland stayed in second.
The second of the Mariners successive F3 derby matches against Sydney was sensationally called off just half an hour before kick-off, after consistent heavy rain saw the field deemed unplayable by referee Matthew Breeze.
Perth Glory finally ended their Members Equity Stadium winless streak, which dated back to 26th November 2006 and some 10 matches, with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory. The Glory started well and were rewarded with a goal to Jamie Harnwell after 18 minutes, his 6th goal of the season. Nikita Rukavytsya doubled the lead in the 27th minute, with a superb goal from the edge of the box and Perth were good value for their lead. Melbourne though struck back before the break, with an equally superb strike from former Glory player Adrian Caceres, whose 25 metre rocket gave Tando Velaphi no chance. Perth restored their two-goal advantage less than a minute into the second half, when substitute Jerry Karpeh set up Rukavytsya for his second goal of the game. Glory had several more chances to extend their lead, against a Melbourne side that looked out of sorts and has now slipped six point adrift of the Jets in 4th place.
Goals Tally: 8 Card Count: 15 yellows - 1 red Attendance/Average: 40,568 / 13,523 * still one match to be played in round
Goal of the Week Some cracking goals this week, but none better than Melbourne-s Adrian Caceres, for his effort against former club Perth Glory. Down 2-0, a corner found its way to Grant Brebner at the edge of the penalty area to the right. He quickly spotted Caceres free 30 metres out and played the ball back and the midfielder raced in and hit a 25-metre first time left foot shot that screamed into the top corner. Albeit, unfortunately that was the only highlight for his team.
Player of the Week Several worthy contenders this week, but have plumped for Jets keeper Ante Covic, for his excellent penalty stop and general play against the Roar. While he was never really seriously threatened in general play, his stop to deny Simon Lynch-s penalty proved crucial, as Joel Griffiths went on to grab all three points at the death for his side.
One to Watch
It has taken a while for him to settle in at Perth, especially with the poor start to the season, but