Adelaide United have been guaranteed at least a top two finish after securing a resounding 2-0 win over Melbourne City in a tempestuous affair at AAMI Park on Friday night.
After goals from Isaias and Bruce Djite decided the tie, the Reds will now have to rely on Brisbane Roar to drop points against Melbourne Victory if they are to lift the Premier’s Plate for the second time in the club’s history.
John van’t Schip made two changes to his starting XI, one forced and the other tactical, after the defeat to Perth Glory. Michael Zullo suffered a toe injury in the loss and missed the rest of the season, while Jacob Melling was preferred over Anthony Caceres to offer more protection in midfield.
Meanwhile, Guillermo Amor named an unchanged line-up for a third consecutive week as he looks to settle on a stable XI heading into the finals.
Isaias got the visitors off to the perfect start with a sumptuous curling free-kick after just four minutes when Marcelo Carrusca was brought down on the edge of the area.
A procession of corners followed for the Reds as they continued to pile on the pressure and quite easily could have been awarded a penalty when the ball struck Alex Wilkinson’s wayward arm.
City replied through a set piece of their own with Harry Novillo’s effort forcing gloveman Eugene Galekovic into a smart save.
Adelaide doubled their lead from the spot through Djite when City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen inexplicably collided with Stefan Mauk, despite replays indicating the ball had crossed the line prior to the 39-year-old making contact.
A turbulent first period culminated in emotions boiling over as a fiery melee broke out between both sides in front of the dugouts and persisted down the tunnel. The fallout from the brouhaha saw Melbourne assistant Joey Didulica banished to the stands with Mauk escaping with a caution.
The second stanza saw Nicholas Fitzgerald miss another glorious chance, but his tame shot failed to trouble Galekovic.
Dylan McGowan was denied a goal after the referee adjudged the defender had pushed Patrick Kisnorbo, before scoring a header.
However, Adelaide held on and deserved their victory as they temporarily sit top of the league and earn a week off for the first round of the finals series.
Adelaide’s intensity admirable
Throughout the encounter, especially during the first-half Adelaide were more eager and hungrier to retrieve the ball and dictate proceedings. Their intensity was remarkable as City appeared second to the ball in almost every tackle. Stefan Mauk and Isaias were instrumental for Amor’s men as they laboured tirelessly to curtail the involvement of Aaron Mooy and in turn limit the supply to talisman Bruno Fornaroli. It was arguably Adelaide’s best away performance of the season in what has been an unprecedented turnaround in fortunes for a club that was winless after eight rounds, is now in genuine contention to win an inaugural A-League Championship.
City insipid and no longer favourites for title
After Melbourne seemingly blew their chances of winning the minor premiership last week against Perth, the clash versus Adelaide was supposed to get their season back on track. However, it was anything but a promising showing as the Citizens were insipid and lacked ideas in attacking areas. The home side could not stamp their authority on the match and only looked threatening on the break. City’s front three of Harry Novillo, Fornaroli and Mooy were rather underwhelming for the second successive week and were prevented space to operate in the final third.
We know the quality the free-scoring outfit possess and at full throttle they are virtually unstoppable. But as a result of the setbacks against fellow title contenders in Perth and Adelaide, it connotes that perhaps they do not boast the mental strength to compete under pressure situations. Incidentally, it was their first home loss since October and alarm bells must surely be ringing for van’t Schip as they now prepare for finals.
Reds a serious title contender
A win ensured the Reds would finish in the top two and enable the squad to have a week off before preparing for a home final. The 2-0 scoreline also meant that United’s clean sheet record extended to five away matches without conceding and it is no coincidence that the team with stingiest defence is now in the mix to have a realistic crack of finally tasting their first piece of major A-League silverware. Stalwart defender Tarek Elrich should also be fit to return from a groin injury for the Reds in what is a welcomed boost for such a massive clash. Regardless of where Adelaide finish on the table, the most important thing is for the Reds to rest and recover and make sure they are fully prepared for whoever their opponent is in two weeks’ time.
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