Melbourne Victory have broken Newcastle Jets’ hearts, and possibly their A-League Men finals aspirations, recording a dramatic 2-1 win at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
Nick D’Agostino’s sixth-minute opener was cancelled out by Savvas Siatravanis’ 65th-minute strike with the game seemingly destined for a draw.
However, Francesco Margiotta headed home a Lleyton Brooks cross deep into stoppage time to steal the win.
It marked Victory’s fourth triumph in five games and stretched their club-record unbeaten run to 11.
REACTION: Don’t write off Victory for the title charge
Having commenced that run locked in a dogfight for the top six, Tony Popovic’s side now sit third on the and just three points behind second-placed Western United — having both played 22 games.
Should they be able to win games against Macarthur and Brisbane, Victory will close to within two points of league leaders Melbourne City, who have played 24 games.
The Jets, conversely, are now seven points adrift of the top six with five games remaining, the first of which will come away to Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday.
After putting six past Glory in their previous outing, the Jets struggled to fashion chances after Chris Ikonomidis sprang D’Agostino behind their lines in the opening half.
Nonetheless, they should have gone level just a minute into the second stanza when Kosta Grozos was denied and Daniel Penha’s follow-up hit the bar.
A crossbar challenge seemingly breaking out between the two sides, D’Agostino then had headed efforts bounce off the frame of the goal in the 49th and 51st minutes.
But the Jets’ rise in intent and improved play was rewarded when Penha slid a perfect ball through for Siatravanis’s first Jets goal – the first the Victory had conceded in more than seven hours.
But with both sides opening up in search of a winner it was the Victory, through their Italian attacker, that was on the right side of a stirring conclusion.
RE-LIVE: NEWCASTLE JETS 1-2 MELBOURNE VICTORY, AS IT HAPPENED
By Matt Comito for KEEPUP
90+2′: GOAL! Margiotta breaks Jets hearts (-12)
A glorious header from Francesco Margiotta has broken the deadlock in second-half stoppage time, with Victory restoring their one-goal advantage at the death.
65′: GOAL! Siatravanis levels the score (1-1)
That’s assist 11 of the season for Jets creator Daniel Penha, whose through pass cut Victory’s defence apart to set Savvas Siatravanis in on goal to supply the finish.
Victory defender Jason Geria vented his frustration as the ball hit the net as goalkeeper Ivan Kelava failed to get off his line to close the space before Siatravanis drove into the box to finish.
52′: CHANCE! D’Agostino hits the crossbar… again! (0-1)
“In the crossbar challenge, it’s two apiece!” Said Paramount+ commentator Simon Hill as D’Agostino diverted yet another header off the bar.
In the opening eight minutes of the second half, two chances down either end rattled the woodwork in a bizarre occurrence at McDonald Jones Stadium.
49′: CHANCE! D’Agostino hits the bar (0-1)
The crossbar rattled down both ends within minutes as D’Agostino’s header off Jason Davidson’s cross hit the bar, dropping off Jordan Elsey’s head and deflecting away from danger to the good fortune of the Jets.
47′: CHANCES! Jets hit the woodwork twice in quick succession (0-1)
The Jets burst out of the blocks in the second half, with Kosta Grozos and Daniel Penha both hitting the woodwork in quicktime.
46′: SECOND HALF (0-1)
The Jets have it all to do in the second half, as they come out from the break chasing a 1-0 deficit.
HALF-TIME: JETS 0-1 VICTORY
The Jets trail at the break thanks to D’Agostino’s calm finish in the sixth minute for the visitors.
GOAL! D’Agostino gets Victory away early (0-1)
Nicholas D’Agostino continues to deliver for Victory, driving through the Jets defence to go one-on-one with Jack Duncan in Newcastle’s goal, dribbling to the right of the penalty area before burying his strike into the bottom-left corner.
1′: KICK-OFF: (0-0)
Victory get us underway at McDonald Jones Stadium!
