Melbourne Victory progressed to the quarter finals in festive conditions with a 1-0 victory, defeating NPL outfit Hume City at ABD Stadium, Broadmeadows.
Besart Berisha put Melbourne Victory ahead in the 27th minute from the penalty spot. The Victory went on to secure the win with the 1-0 scoreline standing until the final whistle in a composed performance.
Player Ratings
Hume City
Chris Oldfield – 6: Like lightning off his line in a reactive display. Could do nothing about the penalty.
Jeremy Walker – 6: Was sharp on the ball as the passing outlet of the defense. Got forward when he could, putting Victory under pressure.
Ramazan Tavsancioglu – 6: A strong performance from the experienced campaigner. He was sharp in the the air and cleared the ball well. Solid.
Shane Rexhepi – 5: The usually composed defender could not deal with the pace and movement of Ben Khalfallah.
Deniz Yildiz – 6: Did well against the threat of former teammate Jai Ingham in a solid performance.
Daniel Clark – 6: Played the defensive role well in central-midfield. Strong on the ball, using his body to his advantage to recycle possession for his team.
Petar Franjic – 5: Received an extremely early yellow card against his former team. Was quiet in the middle of midfield as his team looked to play the ball long.
Tom Cahill – 5: Has a naturally low work rate. Had some good touches on the ball but was a little wayward with his passing.
Nick Hegarty (C) – 7: Had good movement on the ball, befuddling the Victory defenders. Star performer for his team.
Kym Harris – 7: Worked his socks off in a tough game. He closed the ball well, had shots on goal with limited delivery.
Theo Markelis – 6: Bamboozled Georgievski earning him an early yellow card. Solid display before being substituted.
Substitutes
Kristian Trajceski – 5: Came on in the 70th minute for Theo. Wasn’t able to have his usual influence on proceedings as Victory held the ball.
Game over at ABD Stadium. We're through to the #FFACup Quarter Finals after beating @FCHumeCity #HCIvMVC 0-1 #FFACup pic.twitter.com/vQHG2OqyvK
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) August 24, 2016
Melbourne Victory
Lawrence Thomas – 6: Did not have to touch the ball on the night in a quiet display.
Jason Geria – 6: Looked good at the back and marshaled the threat of Hegarty well enough. Solid.
Nick Ansell – 6: Had to settle the nerves early. Found his composure to knock the ball around well.
Alan Baro – 6.5: Looked out of sorts to begin the match but found his feet to pass the ball with ease. A very composed performer.
Daniel Georgievski – 6.5: Attacked heavily down the left hand side and was extremely comfortable on the ball. Earned a yellow card which put him in a difficult spot for the second half.
Leigh Broxham (C) – 6: Knocked the ball around in the middle of the park, a solid shift from the captain. Routine performance.
Oliver Bozanic – 7: Was sharp on the ball, wielding his trademark left foot. Held the play together well in the middle of the park before being substituted.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah – 6: Used his explosive skills to burst into the box, earning his side a penalty. Always carries plenty of threat to the opposition. Was subbed late.
James Troisi – 6.5: The returning attacking-midfielder played with lot of energy. Moving quickly down the left hand side, he impacted the game well. Was subbed off after 65 minutes.
Jai Ingham – 6: Maintained his width but had limited touches on the ball. Looked more and more dangerous as the match went on.
Besart Berisha – 6.5: Penalty converted down the middle. Scored as required but offside far too often.
Substitutes
Mitchell Austin – N/A: Came on in the 82nd minute.
Rashid Mahazi – 6: On in the 75th minute for Bozanic. Kept his team in control until the final whistle.
Sebastian Pasquali – 5: The 16-year-old was given 20 minutes of the game to make an impact. Still adjusting to this level.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
