Re-live all the action on a monster Saturday of football in the Isuzu UTE A-League with three huge games on the agenda.
The action kicked off at 3:30pm (AEST) at CommBank Stadium, where Melbourne City beat Western Sydney 2-1 to jump above the Wanderers into sixth on the table.
Then attention turned to AAMI Park at 5:30pm (AEST) where Melbourne Victory failed to wrap up third spot on the table in a 0-0 draw with Brisbane Roar.
It all wrapped up at Campbelltown Sports Stadium where Macarthur FC hosted Sydney FC in a controversial encounter that ended 1-0 in favour of the nine-man Bulls.
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MATCHDAY AGENDA
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-2 Melbourne City – CommBank Stadium
t’s advantage Melbourne City in the race to secure the last remaining spot in the Finals Series after they defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 at CommBank Stadium to move above their opponents and into sixth on the table.
The away side took the lead in the 28th minute of the contest as Brazilian winger Leo Natel’s powerful shot from the edge of the box deflected off the head of Marcelo and into the back of the net.
The Wanderers then almost equalised through Zac Sapsford but while goalkeeper Jamie Young produced a save at one end there was nothing his opposite number Lawrence Thomas could do to stop winger Marin Jakolis from making it 2-0 to city in the 39th minute.
Clearly unhappy with his side’s first half showing, Marko Rudan made two changes at the break and it was one of those substitutes, Marcus Younis, who dragged his side back into the game with a perfectly placed header to make it 2-1 in the 69th minute.
Western Sydney dominated the last twenty minutes of the game and had several good chances to snatch a late equaliser but it wasn’t to be as Melbourne City held on for an enormous win which moves them two points above the Wanderers, and crucially, into the last remaining finals position with one game to go.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Advantage City in the race for finals after monumental away win over the Wanderers
Melbourne Victory 0-0 Brisbane Roar – AAMI Park
A combination of missed chances and superb goalkeeping helped 10-man Melbourne Victory earn a point against the wasteful Brisbane Roar in a 0-0 stalemate at AAMI Park on Saturday evening.
Victory were reduced to 10 men early in the second half after Jason Geria’s tackle on Corey Brown which initially earned yellow but was upgraded by referee Jack Morgan after VAR’s intervention.
Brisbane dominated the chances but put just four of their 20 attempts on target at AAMI Park; Henry Hore and Nikola Mileusnic had the best of the chances for the away side but neither could capitalise as Victory keeper Paul Izzo played a key role in big moments to earn his team a point.
Saturday’s draw ensured Victory would hold onto third spot on the Isuzu UTE A-League table heading into the final round of the regular season. A third-place finish would earn Victory a home Elimination Final in Round 1 against the sixth-placed finishers – currently bitter rivals Melbourne City.
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Macarthur FC 1-0 Sydney FC – Campbelltown Sports Stadium
Macarthur FC have notched a monumental victory over Sydney FC, with Jed Drew’s solitary goal in a 1-0 win coming either side of two red cards to Bulls players in a dramatic contest at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
Ivan Vujica was controversially sent off in the 36th minute by referee Daniel Elder after VAR’s intervention and a pitchside review of a challenge between the Macarthur defender and Sydney’s Joe Lolley.
Bulls winger Drew scored against the odds to give Macarthur the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time and against all odds, the hosts held onto their one-goal advantage all the way to full-time, despite going down to nine men with 25 minutes to play after Tommy Smith’s send-off for a stray elbow which caught the face of Sydney striker Fabio Gomes.
Macarthur’s gutsy win, recorded despite the two red cards and in front of the biggest home crowd at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in the club’s history (7723), sent Mile Sterjovski’s side above Sydney into fourth spot on the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
The Bulls are just one point behind Melbourne Victory in third ahead of the final round of the regular season; the two teams that finish third and fourth will host Elimination Finals in the first week of the Finals Series.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Brave Bulls cop TWO red cards but claim three points in wild top-four battle with Sky Blues
