Marvel Stadium staged two blockbuster fixtures on Friday, May 24 as the A-League All Stars Men took on Premier League side Newcastle United, and the A-League All Stars Women played host to Arsenal and a trio of Matildas.
The action got underway with the men’s fixture (5.05pm AEST kick-off). Socceroo Garang Kuol made his first start for Newcastle as the All Stars romped to an 8-0 win.
Following the men’s fixture, attention turned to the A-League All Stars Women v Arsenal, where Australian football fans saw Matildas trio Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley take it to a select squad of Liberty A-League stars. England star Alessia Russo scored the only goal in a 1-0 win to Arsenal in front of more than 40,000 fans at Marvel Stadium.
Everything you need to know about tonight’s historic A-League All Stars double-header!
A-League All Stars Men 8-0 Newcastle United
MATCH CENTRE: Click here for stats, updates, video and more
The A-League All Stars Men dominated English Premier League opponents Newcastle United in an 8-0 win at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe named an inexperienced lineup in Melbourne and the All Stars took full advantage as Ben Old, Nicolas Milanovic and Adam Taggart all found the back of the net before half-time.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute and then doubled his tally 12 minutes later, set up by fellow substitute Nestory Irankunda for a simple tap-in.
The night went from bad to worse for Newcastle as Jake Hollman came off the bench to add his name to the scoresheet and push the All Stars’ lead out to six with less than 10 minutes to play – a lead that extended to eight when Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Bozhidar Kraev added to Newcastle’s pain.
Friday night’s win was the first in the history of A-Leagues All Stars games; Manchester United, Juventus and Barcelona beat previous iterations of the All Stars squad down the years but the class of 2024 shone brightly at Marvel Stadium, and outclassed the inexperienced Newcastle lineup in a comfortable display.
FULL MATCH REPORT: 8-0! Young guns run riot as A-League All Stars Men dismantle Premier League’s Newcastle
KEY MOMENTS
5′: BEN OLD GOAL (ALL STARS 1-0 NEWCASTLE)
25′: NICOLAS MILANOVIC GOAL (ALL STARS 2-0 NEWCASTLE)
34′) ADAM TAGGART GOAL (ALL STARS 3-0 NEWCASTLE)
62′: APOSTOLOS STAMATELOPOULOS GOAL (ALL STARS 4-0 NEWCASTLE)
74′: APOSTOLOS STAMATELOPOULOS GOAL (ALL STARS 5-0 NEWCASTLE)
82′: JAKE HOLLMAN GOAL (ALL STARS 6-0 NEWCASTLE)
90′: JORDAN COURTNEY-PERKINS GOAL (ALL STARS 7-0 NEWCASTLE)
91′: BOZHIDAR KRAEV GOAL (ALL STARS 8-0 NEWCASTLE)
A-League All Stars Women 0-1 Arsenal
The A-League All Stars Women fell to a slender 1-0 defeat to English giants Arsenal on Friday night, with England international Alessia Russo’s first-half header the difference at Marvel Stadium.
The home side fought valiantly in the inaugural women’s A-League All Stars fixture but Russo’s moment of quality was enough to secure victory for Arsenal on a night when three Matildas – Kyra Cooney-Cross, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord – played from the start for the Women’s Super League side.
Substitute Arsenal keeper Naomi Williams produced a pair of impressive saves to deny Melbourne City duo Hannah Wilkinson and Rhianna Pollicina late in the game as Arsenal held their 1-0 lead to the full-time whistle.
A crowd of 42,120 was on hand for the All Stars showcase, first watching the All Stars Men trounce Newcastle United 8-0 before Arsenel claimed bragging rights in the women’s fixture.
FULL MATCH REPORT: England star’s moment of class hands Arsenal slender win over A-League All Stars Women
KEY MOMENT
40′: ALESSIA RUSSO GOAL (ALL STARS 0-1 ARSENAL)
Up next? The Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final!
At the conclusion of Friday night’s A-Leagues All Stars action, attention will turn to Saturday night’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory at Industree Group Stadium.
The Premiership-winning Mariners are on the hunt for a trophy treble, having already collected the AFC Cup title and Premiers Plate. But Victory are looking to spoil the party in Gosford, as head coach Tony Popovic looks to secure his first Championship title of his managerial career.
GRAND FINAL READING
GF PREVIEW: Six Mariners v Victory storylines to watch as 2021 omen looms large
CHRISTIAN THEOHAROUS: Why Mariners boss had the ‘hardest job in the A-League’
JACOB FARRELL: How one of Australia’s top talents got a ‘second chance’: ‘Without him, I wouldn’t be playing’
VICTORY’S GF MEMORIES: Heroes, villains, VAR & an infamous sound that haunted a legend
MARINERS’ UNSUNG HERO: The man who’s done it all for 19 years: ‘That doesn’t happen’
BRUNO FORNAROLI: ‘It’s my time’: Victory veteran’s goosebumps moment & his answer to scoring drought concern
OPTA PREVIEW: Stat hints Mariners could opt for rarely used Grand Final XI curveball: GF by the Numbers
ANDRES CLAVIJO: The Mariners have a coach who ‘became’ one of football’s top minds after a 5-year internship
ANDY HARPER’S PREVIEW: The Mariners story ‘that hasn’t been told’: A ‘gravity-defying’ feat unseen in Aussie history
GF TEAM NEWS: Victory star back from ban, retiring great gets one last shot at Glory
POPOVIC & THE GF: This title will ‘complete the set’ or ‘we should all start believing in voodoo’
DANNY VUKOVIC: Captain’s brilliant answer says it all as ‘money can’t buy’ Grand Final impact hits home: ‘It’s huge’
