A 90th minute goal was enough for the Reds to steal the points as Kamau kept his composure, beating Vukovic at his near post.
This was a very fast paced and open match of football but it did lack chances in front of goal. The first and probably best chance of the first half fell to Thompson in the 24th minute but he was unable to keep his shot down as it whistled over the crossbar. Finkler then rattled the crossbar from 30 odd yards out from a free kick which may have had Galekovic beaten.
The second half started much the same as the first with both sides getting at each other. Adelaide this time had the better of the chances with Mauk unable to keep it down from 15 yards out. The match had draw written all over it as both teams defended well throughout the game but a great counter attack in the 90th minute started off by Craig Goodwin and finished by Kamau, the substitute, was enough for the visitors to take away all three points.
Formations and Starting Lineups
Victory were forced into just the one change as Barbarouses picked up his 5th yellow card of the season last weekend. Thompson was the man to come in for him.
The Reds made two changes to the side that defeated the Mariners last weekend, with Elrich returning from suspension and Mauk getting the nod ahead of Mells who was left out of the squad all together.
South American Flair
In a tight contest like this one, nine times out of ten it comes down to the midfield battle to determine who will reign supreme. In this case it was very much down to the battle of creativity with Finkler and Carrusca. Finkler had a tough week after Muscat announced that he was left out of the Asian Champions League squad and in the first 45 minutes the Brazilian was trying to prove that dropping him was a mistake. He was the man getting on the ball and starting all of the Victory attacks and worked hard in defense to win the ball back quickly. He even managed to rattle the crossbar from a near perfect free kick which would have put an exclamation mark over his first half.
It was Carrusca however that was to have the last laugh as his side came away with the three points. Similar to Finkler, the Argentinian was dropping into holes and picking up the ball as he looked to spray passes out wide to both Goodwin and Cirio. Carrusca himself should have also had a goal to his name, or at least worked Vukovic after a delightful piece of individual brilliance found him completely open 16 yards from goal. Alas, instead of putting his laces through it he decided to be cheeky, clipping in a chip which inevitably backfired.
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Difference in the Front Three
It was interesting to watch how these two teams went about their business in the front third as they both had a similar structure with the three upfront, despite divergent tactical systems.
The Victory front three were very narrow which worked partly, in that Berisha always had options on the ball when he received it with his back to goal. He could invariably play it to Khalfallah or Thompson and then try to spin in behind the Reds back four. But the issue with how narrow they were is that the wide men can at times struggle to get enough space on the ball to run at their fullbacks and get in behind them to whip in crosses for their teammates to run onto. This, however, did change when Thompson was subbed off for Pain, and Khalfallah switched to the right hand side. Almost immediately he received the ball in a wide area, ran at Elrich and delivered a good cross into the area which Berisha could have done better with.
The Adelaide front three played with their wingers out wide for the entire 90 minutes. This does have the complete reverse effect on Djite as he was left very isolated at times and lost the ball on a number of occasions as he was simply given too much to do. Cirio and Goodwin swapped sides in the second half to place Goodwin on his preferred left hand side and this had an immediate effect as his deliveries into the area improved ten fold.
It is a difficult system to play at times but finding the perfect mix between how both of these sides were playing tonight is what every manager should be looking for.
Defensive Structure
In a game that had very few clear cut chances, the defenders have to receive a lot of the praise. The Adelaide defenders worked very well as a unit throughout the match and they stuck touch-tight to Berisha not allowing him to have any influence on the game. Isaias also grew into the game after half time and was able to limit Finkler’s contribution to Victory’s attacks.
Melbourne were also very stable at the back but with Geria and Ansell both being substituted in the second half this may have caused a little bit of confusion, which was enough for Adelaide to pounce and score the winning goal.
Melbourne Victory Conclusion
Melbourne will have to bounce back quickly as they have a tough Asian Champions League contest in mid week. They have fallen off the pace in recent weeks and have now slipped down to fifth place in the league and six points off the leaders, who play later in the round.
It will be a tough result for Muscat to take as a draw may have been a fair result on the night. The pace and skill of Barbarouses was sorely missed so they will be eager to get him back into the team following his suspension. Any more slip ups from the reigning champions and they could find themselves in a battle for 6th spot.
Adelaide United Conclusion
The Reds extended their unbeaten run to a staggering twelve matches as they continue their rise up the table. They now sit only two points off top spot with the Wanderers and Roar both playing later in the weekend.
If they can continue to stay disciplined at the back and take their chances when they come they will surely have to be one of the favorites going into the the finals campaign. Goodwin continues to improve and with Carrusca back to his best in a red shirt they may well even complete a staggering turnaround after what was a horrendous start to the campaign.
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