Melbourne Victory’s nine-match unbeaten run came to a screeching halt as a fired-up Adelaide United bounded to an absorbing 2-0 home triumph on Wednesday.
Craig Goodwin and Ken Ilso both scored in the space of three first-half minutes to reward the Reds’ overwhelming intensity and secure just their second win at Coopers Stadium this season.
Victory debutant Elvis Kamsoba was lively but a largely off-colour team performance and inspired Paul Izzo display crushed their hopes of a fourth successive defeat of Adelaide, who move back into fifth.
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
Without a goal in the opening half-hour of any of their previous seven Hyundai A-League home outings, Adelaide were a team transformed in the Original Rivalry as they adapted immediately to a white-hot atmosphere.
Goodwin struck first in the 18th minute, sliding to meet Nikola Mileusnic’s excellent low cross in from the right, before Ilso dispossessed a dozing Thomas Deng and strode through to double the advantage.
A shell-shocked and sloppy Victory would have snatched back a goal against the run of play if not for Izzo’s brilliant left-handed save from Ola Toivonen’s free-kick.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5987437251001
Goodwin went within inches of extending the margin in the shadows of half-time and Kosta Barbarouses should have reduced it soon after the interval, failing to beat Izzo in a one-on-one following Scott Galloway’s error.
The entertainment only ramped up with 20 minutes remaining as Lawrence Thomas denied Ben Halloran at close range before Terry Antonis cracked a fine left-footed strike against the crossbar.
Thomas and Leigh Broxham then combined to deny Halloran and substitute Ryan Kitto in another moment of Victory panic, but Marco Kurz’s men didn’t require a third to overcome Kevin Muscat’s side for the first time in eight meetings in South Australia.
The visitors, still without the injured Keisuke Honda, remain on 23 points and at risk of slipping out of the top two depending on Sydney FC’s result against Perth Glory in the second of Wednesday’s double-header.
