Melbourne City academy graduate Ben Mazzeo scored his second Isuzu UTE A-League goal in as many games to fire his side to a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park on Saturday afternoon.
The 19-year-old scored his first league goal in City’s 2-0 win over Western United on Tuesday and doubled his career tally with a thumping second-half header against the Roar.
Saturday’s 1-0 win wasn’t City’s most convincing performance of the season, but as head coach Aurelio Vidmar continues to rely on the inexperienced members of his squad in the absence of several big-name players, these are vital points for the club which now sits on top of the table, level with Adelaide United on 24 points.
With injured stars Mathew Leckie, Marco Tilio, Andrew Nabbout, Jimmy Jeggo, Yonatan Cohen and Andreas Kuen watching on from the stands, City extended their unbeaten streak to seven games whilst proving once again that a potential injury crisis has turned into a glorious opportunity for the club’s plethora of young talent to shine.
Head coach Aurelio Vidmar is leant on the club’s academy products now more so than any City coach has done in the club’s history, and the rewards have been overwhelmingly positive for a team firing on all cylinders whilst missing the majority of its experienced core.
Watching on from the Network 10 commentary box on Saturday afternoon was A-Leagues great Erik Paartalu, who complimented City’s academy products as he watched a youthful lineup take care of business against the Roar at AAMI Park.
“It’s vindication for the City (Football Group) putting their time, effort and money into an academy,” he said.
“We’re not talking about getting an opportunity at 21 after playing in the NPL for a couple of seasons. Now you’re looking at guys who are 16, 17, 18 all getting into the A-League action, albeit by a series of unfortunate events – or fortunate either way you look at it.
“This is a team with an ownership (group) from outside investing in Australian football. It’s all moving in the right direction at the moment for Melbourne City.”
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City’s academy graduates have shone in recent weeks in the absence of injured senior squad members, and head coach Aurelio Vidmar continued to put his trust in the young players in his squad against Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.
Teenager Kavian Rahmani made his starting debut on Saturday, named alongside fellow City youngsters Ben Mazzeo, Harry Politidis and Medin Memeti in the City lineup – and after just 13 minutes, two of those young City talents combined to create the first big opportunity of the game.
A cut-back cross from Mazzeo found Memeti in the box but the 17-year-old’s first-time attempt went just wide of the mark.
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Socceroos defender Nathaniel Atkinson was next to threaten Brisbane’s goal but his left-footed effort from inside the box was well saved by Macklin Freke.
City had a penalty claim waved away by referee Casey Reibelt after a cross from Harry Politidis appeared to have brushed the arm of Roar defender Jack Hingert as he tried to support his body while sliding in to block the Politidis cutback.
Referee Reibelt assessed the incident on the pitchside monitor but returned to the field of play to explain her decision via live comms:
“After on-field review, my final decision is no penalty. The ball hasn’t touched the defender’s arm in my opinion.”
Both sides had opportunities to open the scoring late in the first half. Jacob Brazete put City keeper Patrick Beach to the test with a left-footed shot from a tight angle and City captain Aziz Behich called Freke into action with a low block at his near post.
Memeti was presented with another opportunity to open the scoring shortly after half-time, but was denied by Freke who produced a diving save to tip Memeti’s volley on the spin around the post.
Ten minutes after the restart, Steven Ugarkovic – who has scored his fair share of spectacular City goals – almost added a Goal of the Season contender to his career highlight reel with a first-time volley from a corner routine that flashed just over the crossbar.
Ugarkovic continued to up the ante for the hosts and pushed higher up the park to assert himself in the final third; the experienced midfielder’s third chance in quick succession led to a corner conceded by Freke and from the resulting Zane Schreiber delivery, Mazzeo rose highest in the box to break the deadlock with his second goal in as many games.
With a 1-0 lead intact, City managed to see out what remained of the second half to keep their clean sheet intact and record a narrow win over the Roar.
Saturday’s victory sent City to the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League table, although Vidmar’s side could drop back down to second if Auckland FC defeat Perth Glory in the late kick-off on Saturday.
Before full-time, Vidmar brought 19-year-old Emin Durakovic off the bench for his Isuzu UTE A-League debut, while Mikey Ghossaini (17) made his third City appearance in as many games, and Benjamin Dunbar (18) received 10 minutes in his fourth substitute appearance of the season.
Zane Schreiber (19) came off Vidmar’s bench early in the second half and provided the assist for fellow City academy graduate Mazzeo.
On yet another special night for the club’s youth pathways, Melbourne Victory great Archie Thompson joined Erik Paartalu in heaping praise on City for entrusting the young players produced in their academy to make an impact in the senior squad.
“It’s great that Aurelio Vidmar can have these young players and put them straight into his first team,” Thompson said on Network 10.
“But it’s really down to the training they get before they come to Aurelio Vidmar. Melbourne City are very lucky to have the likes of Alessandro Diamanti as a coach in the academy team – he knows exactly what the players need professionally, the mindset, so you can see they’re already primed when they get the opportunity to step into that starting XI.
“I asked (Alessandro) who are the players who really stood out in the academy team: it was Lawrence Wong and Kavian Rahmani, who is another young player in that starting lineup. There are a lot of great players and young talent in this Melbourne City team.
“It hasn’t been a nothing enterprise for City,” Paartalu added.
“This is exactly why you create an academy. Yes, maybe it’s a production line, yes you want to try and sell players on eventually but you want to get them into a first-team environment.
“What Archie was saying there is correct: you’ve got to be ready to step in, and they don’t look out of place at all.”
