A spectacular solo effort from David Carney cancelled out Kosta Barbarouses’ opener as the Big Blue ended in a stalemate at AAMI Park.
Despite dominating possession and with an extra man on the pitch following Sydney FC defender Jacques Faty’s dismissal in the 64th minute, Kevin Muscat’s men could not get the job done.
Here is our combined XI following the match.
Danny Vukovic – Goalkeeper – Melbourne Victory
Vukovic will be disappointed for having let through a goal at the near post, but can blame his defence for poor positioning and communication. Otherwise, he was solid when needed and his distribution was improved.
Scott Galloway – Right-back – Melbourne Victory
In an encouraging performance, Galloway shut down Sydney FC’s left-wing for most of the night, while linking well with midfielder Rashid Mahazi. Late in the game the Olyroo made a costly error, caught in no-man’s land as David Carney hurtled forward and equalised. Regardless, it was a polished effort.
Matthew Jurman – Centre-back – Sydney FC
With a recent knack for standing up in big games, it was Jurman that rescued the Sky Blues again with a match-saving tackle on Daniel Georgievski. His efforts can go unnoticed at times, but he is arguably Sydney’s most valuable player at the moment.
Matthieu Delpierre – Centre-back – Melbourne Victory
While he was not often challenged deep in defence, Delpierre’s class once again shone through. The Frenchman had the better of almost every aerial duel he took part in, and distributed the ball from the back in typically composed fashion. Victory fans will be hoping Kevin Muscat can convince the former Bundesliga winner to postpone his end-of-season retirement.
Daniel Georgievski – Left-back – Melbourne Victory
On most nights, Georgievski would not have a place on the strength of Saturday night’s performance. However, with Sydney counterpart Seb Ryall more interested in baiting the referee and Rhyan Grant putting in a dreadful performance, he wins a spot by default. He had a late chance to win the match, with Jurman thwarting him at the last second.
Rashid Mahazi – Central-midfield – Melbourne Victory
Handed a starting place ahead of Oliver Bozanic, who played midweek against Shanghai SIPG, Mahazi put in an impressive performance, moving the ball well and creating space for Melbourne’s more attacking types. An unintentional clip to the face of Ryall delighted the home crowd.
Gui Finkler – Central-midfield – Melbourne Victory
Well rested given his absence from Melbourne’s AFC Champions League squad and thus the midweek fixture against Shanghai SIPG, the Brazilian was a regular threat in attack. His side’s resident dead ball specialist, Finkler’s frustration was obvious as a free kick bounced off the crossbar for the third consecutive week.
Milos Ninkovic – Central-midfield – Sydney FC
Ninkovic’s somewhat infrequent contributions could easily be overlooked, but his vision and penetrative passing often opened up space for Filip Holosko and Alex Brosque, who were unable to capitalise. Graham Arnold will be hoping the Serbian can stay involved throughout the coming matches as the A-League finals race heats up.
Kosta Barbarouses – Right-wing – Melbourne Victory
While fortunate not to be sent off for a studs-up challenge on Ninkovic, the New Zealand international made the most of his reprieve, tormenting Rhyan Grant and firing home the opening goal of the match. Barbarouses was substituted off for Jai Ingham late in the game – had he remained on the pitch, Victory may have taken all three points.
David Carney – Left-wing – Sydney FC
In a fittingly enigmatic performance, Carney sent crosses flying into the crowd, was denied a penalty and received a yellow card for dissent that will rule him out for Sydney FC’s next match. Most importantly, he restored parity for his side in the 76th minute, tearing down the pitch and thrashing the ball past Vukovic’s near post.
Alex Brosque – Striker – Sydney FC
A bright start for Brosque was hampered by the 18th minute substitution of forward partner Matt Simon with what was later confirmed as a spleen injury, but the Sydney FC skipper stepped up as a lone striker. After a couple of chances went astray, Brosque was substituted off in the 69th minute with a hamstring injury, raising questions over his midweek trip to Japan for an ACL fixture.
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