A superb Bruno Fornaroli double saw Melbourne City eliminate Perth Glory from the A-League title race, in a high-intensity affair which saw one man’s brilliance take all the headlines.
John van’t Schip’s side were searching for a date with Adelaide United in the semi-finals as they welcomed a Perth Glory side who were recovering from a 4-0 battering at the hands of 7th placed Sydney FC.
The first half was an intense affair, with end-to-end football accompanied by some ferocious tackles. One of the major talking points from the period arose from Shane Lowry’s two-footed challenge on City man Antony Caceres, a collision that could easily have heralded a dismissal for the former Millwall centre-back.
A-League top goalscorer Bruno Fornaroli found the back of the net 17 minutes in, but the goal was immediately denied due an offside call against Ben Garuccio, who had let the ball run through his legs, in the process obstructing the view of Perth goalkeeper Ante Covic. However, the City marksman continued to prove too hot to handle, registering his 24th goal of the campaign 22 minutes later in spectacular fashion.
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An Aaron Mooy corner bounced up on the edge of the six-yard box for Fornaroli, who displayed classy composure and strength to shield the ball into a position where he could execute a stunning bicycle kick, nestling the ball in the back of the net.
Later, the Uruguayan bagged his double, expertly converting a free kick from the edge of the area off a foul he had won. A match with chances aplenty, overall dominance throughout the 90 minutes saw City emerge deserved victors. Here are some key points we have learnt from this elimination final.
The best A-League striker of all time?
25 goals in an A-League season is unheard of in the competition’s history. Tonight was the perfect example of the world-class show that Bruno Fornaroli has brought to the plate this season. To boast one man who can win matches effectively single-handedly is an incredible point for Melbourne City to boast. The Uruguayan was also working without the familiar company of the suspended Frenchman Harry Novillo, proving that he quite simply can produce something out of nothing, and may well be the man to carry this Melbourne side towards their maiden A-League Grand Final appearance.
A step up of intensity
From the first whistle, desperation was on show from both sides. Patrick Kisnorbo made two diving header clearances in the first ten minutes as tackles were flying in left right and centre. The overall pace of the game made the match entertaining to watch, as the players from both sides dealt with the added importance of knockout football. In the end, the match boasted six yellow cards; a true measure of what was a ferocious contest.
Glory flat
Many wrote off the 4-0 defeat to Sydney FC in the final match of the regular for Perth as a game that meant nothing, even coach Kenny Lowe told Fox Sports pre-match that he had encouraged the players to forget about it. This mindset proved to be incorrect, as the Western Australian side were exploited yet again, lacking the competitive edge that had allowed them to complete their unbelievable run of 10 wins in 12 games prior to the finals. Returning stars Diego Castro and Chris Harold looked to not have completely overcome their injury setbacks, with the entire Glory attack, including the usually threatening Andy Keogh, failing to fire when it mattered most.
Defensive security at last
In a game where all signs were pointing to a goal-rich affair, Melbourne City finally were able to cancel out their opponent’s attacking threats through some rare defensive security. The primary criticism of City this year has been their tendency to leak goals, but a solid performance by Kisnorbo, alongside smart summer signing Alex Wilkinson, proved to hold out the second highest scoring attack of the season, keeping Glory scoreless for the first time in A-League playoff history.
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