Adelaide closes in on finals dream
Adelaide United edged closer to securing a finals berth after a narrow win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Adelaide is sitting third, three points behind second-placed Sydney which it hosts at home on Saturday night.
The 1-0 win courtesy of a Craig Goodwin goal didn’t tell the full story.
Adelaide completed a clean sweep, three wins over Victory in a season, for the first time since the A-League’s debut season in 2005/06.
Goodwin scored his seventh goal of the season after a brilliant combination with impressive midfielder Josh Cavallo.
Goodwin easily sliced through a poorly organised Victory defence, playing a wall pass with Cavallo that created enough space for the opening goal six minutes before the break.
Goodwin receiving treatment for a bloody nose after a clash of heads with Victory’s Elvis Kamsoba in the second half but the winger returned after treatment in the 80th minute.
Ben Halloran should have scored a second goal in the 42nd minute but the angle of his connection to the ball from a Ryan Strain cross was costly as he missed the target from 5m.
Adelaide’s Jordan Elsey header crashing against the crossbar in the eighth minute was an ominous warning against a side destined to remembered for all the wrong reasons this season.
Missing the pulsating tension of past rivalries played into the hands of the hungrier Reds which is sure to change once Socceroos legend Tony Popovic takes charge of Melbourne next season.
It was a close encounter at AAMI Park. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
Injury disaster
Adelaide’s alarming spate of soft tissue injuries was in question during a warm-up, again.
Lively striker Kusini Yengi was forced to withdraw from the starting 11 after injuring his hamstring before kick-off.
Pacifique Niyongabire earned his first start after 13 matches off the bench, replacing Yengi.
Niyongabire played on the right-wing while usual wide-man Ben Halloran was on striker’s duties.
Niyongabire had a chance to score his first A-League goal of the season but was thwarted by Victory keeper Matt Acton’s quick reflexes from point-blank range in the 19th minute.
Niyongabire also faced his brother Kamsoba for the first time in an A-League clash.
To compound a solid debate Stefan Mauk was about his end shift because of injury midway through the first half.
He missed the away loss to Perth Glory pulling out of the 11 during the warm-up last week.’
Mauk was limping throughout the first 45 minutes.
When substitute Joe Caletti was given last-second instructions from assistant coach Eugene Galekovic, the captain’s match was over in the first half.
Mauk lasted seven minutes of the second half before Caletti replaced him.
Juande – a definitive key to Adelaide’s trophy aspirations – was then forced off with an injury in the 62nd minute.
Goalkeeper Joe Gauci suffered the same warm-up fate, injuring his thigh, and was ruled out for the season in a 4-1 loss to Melbourne City in Melbourne this month.
James Delianov replaced Gauci in that clash.
Delianov was ruled out of a Victory clash earlier this season when he reportedly injured his hamstring on the morning of the clash before a Reds 3-1 win in March.
No Toure of Melbourne
After weeks of causing chaos and confusion when they were introduced off the bench for the Reds, the Toure brothers were oddly rested – sort of.
Al Hassan Toure ran riot, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 win for Adelaide United’s NPL side over Adelaide City on Saturday.
His younger brother Mohamed, who is understood to be heading to France once he turns 18 in March if he meets contract requirements, was listed as ‘not selected.’
Mohamed scored the winner over Victory in a 1-0 win at Hindmarsh in January.
Melbourne Victory 0 Adelaide United 1 (Craig Goodwin 39m) at AAMI Park – Referee: Alireza Faghani
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