Round 14 in the A-Leagues continued on Saturday, January 27 with five games on the agenda.
In the Liberty A-League, Brisbane Roar kicked off proceedings with a 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on the road; Adelaide United then shocked Perth Glory in the later kick-off in a 2-1 win to round out the Liberty A-League action.
In the Isuzu UTE A-League, Western Sydney Wanderers travelled to Tasmania to take all three points from Western United in the first of three Saturday fixtures. Newcastle Jets hosted Wellington Phoenix in the 6pm AEDT fixture, and a late strike from Oskar Zawada on return from injury gave the ‘Nix all three points, sending his side two points clear at the top of the table.
Central Coast Mariners took on Brisbane Roar in Saturday’s A-Leagues finale, and the Mariners took their unbeaten streak to 10 games after a 2-0 triumph inspired by Miguel Di Pizio’s maiden Isuzu UTE A-League goal.
SATURDAY RESULTS
LIBERTY A-LEAGUE
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
- Western United 0-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
- Newcastle Jets 1-2 Wellington Phoenix
- Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Brisbane Roar
LIBERTY A-LEAGUE
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-3 Brisbane Roar
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A Tameka Yallop masterclass has fired Brisbane Roar to a 3-1 away win over the in-form Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium.
Despite the Wanderers dominating the opening 10 minutes it was Brisbane who took the lead after Matildas star Yallop curled a sumptuous pass beyond the Western Sydney defence and into the path of Kijah Stephenson, who cooly rounded ’keeper Kaylie Collins before slotting the ball home.
In the 29th minute, Sophie Harding dribbled the length of the Roar half before rounding goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz but just as she was ready to apply the finish into an unguarded net, teammate Maliah Morris took the shot on herself and somehow hit the bar with the goal gaping, much to the annoyance of Harding.
However the duo then combined to much better effect in the 39th minute, exchanging passes on the edge of the box before Harding fed the on-rushing Holly Caspers who fired the ball home to score her third goal in three games.
Brisbane retook the lead shortly after half time as Tameka Yallop dispatched the ball past Kaylie Collins from close range after the keeper could only parry Sharn Frier’s powerful effort before the away side then sealed the win just four minutes later, this time Mia Corbin providing the close-range finish after the home side failed to deal with a corner.
The result sees Brisbane move up into ninth of the ladder after securing just their fourth win of the campaign while defeat for Western Sydney means Robbie Hooker’s side miss out on the chance to go second on the ladder as their four-game winning run came to an end.
Adelaide United 2-1 Perth Glory
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Adelaide United have bagged just their third win of the Liberty A-League season, defeating Perth Glory 2-1 in a big upset at Marden Sports Complex.
A lively start to the match saw both sides threaten to take the lead but the deadlock was broken in the 23rd minute by Perth midfielder Hannah Lowry.
A quick one-two between Liz Anton and Sofia Sakalis saw the aforementioned Anton burst down the left hand side before crossing the ball to an unmarked Lowry who volleyed home to make it 1-0.
However the home side would find the equaliser on the stroke of half time and it was Isabel Hodgson who provided the clinical finish, curling home Alana Jancevski’s cross from inside the box before Adrian Stenta’s side then took the lead shortly after the break as Nanako Sasaki’s shot from the edge of the box trickled under the body of Glory ‘keeper Morgan Aquino.
Desperately searching for an equaliser, Glory midfielder Isobel Dalton pulled the trigger from 30 metres out but Adelaide shot-stopper Annalee Grove was more than equal to the effort, pulling off a smart save as the ball swirled in the wind on it’s way towards goal.
The win for the Reds sees them snap a four-game losing run and move off the bottom of the Liberty A-League ladder while defeat for Perth means Alex Epakis’ side are now winless in four matches and remain fourth on the ladder.
Epakis was absent from the touchline on Saturday for personal reasons, with assistant Head Coach Tiana Gauci taking the reins in the road defeat.
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
Western United 0-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
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Western Sydney Wanderers defeated Western United 1-0 on their travels to Hobart on Saturday afternoon, despite being reduced to 10 men after a straight red card to defender Aidan Simmons in the second half of the road victory.
Lachlan Brook gave Western Sydney a first-half lead before Simmons’ dismissal in the 66th minute; United created ample opportunities to take at least a point from the contest but a series of quality saves from Wanderers keeper Daniel Margush ensured the visitors kept a clean sheet and took all three points on their travels to the Apple Isle.
United striker Michael Ruhs wasted two glorious chances to put his side ahead in the first half, striking into the body of Wanderers keeper Daniel Margush from close range and directing a close-range shot over the crossbar after a low ball across the box by Noah Botic.
Ruhs would be made to rue his inaccuracy when the Wanderers took the lead in the 35th minute; Nicolas Milanovic created the chance with a cut-back cross, controlled by Marcus Antonsson into the path of Brook to finish.
The Wanderers were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute when Aidan Simmons came careering into the legs of Kane Vidmar in midfield; the challenge had no malicious intent, with the Wanderers right-back appearing to lose his footing and control of his body as he caught Vidmar’s ankles in an awkward challenge that resulted in his dismissal.
Margush, standing in for Wanderers No.1 Lawrence Thomas on Socceroos duty, starred in goal in Hobart, with a late save to deny Ben Garuccio just one of many important interventions from the Western Sydney keeper.
Newcastle Jets 1-2 Wellington Phoenix
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Wellington Phoenix star Oskar Zawada marked his long-awaited return to fitness with a match-winning goal off the bench in a 2-1 triumph over Newcastle Jets on Saturday afternoon.
The ‘Nix led through an early Alex Rufer penalty but conceded an 80th-minute equaliser to Trent Buhagiar; both sides looked set to take a share of the spoils before Zawada’s lethal finish off his non-preferred left foot just minutes before full-time to earn Wellington all three points in Newcastle.
Incredibly, Rufer’s fifth-minute goal was the Wellington captain’s third in as many games, after scoring two in his first 132 games in the competition.
Late in the second half it seemed Rufer’s spot kick would be the difference before Buhagiar got a toe on Kosta Grozos’ long shot to level the scores.
But then came Zawada’s big moment. The Polish striker hadn’t featured in the league since Round 7, when he suffered a thigh contusion in his side’s first meeting with Newcastle of the season.
Zawada returned to face the Jets on Saturday and lashed the winning goal past Jets keeper Ryan Scott in the 87th minute; it was his fifth goal of the campaign, earning Wellington the three points needed to pull two points clear at the top of the table.
Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Brisbane Roar
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Joeys star Miguel Di Pizio’s maiden Isuzu UTE A-League strike inspired Central Coast Mariners to a 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar at Industree Group Stadium on Saturday night.
With star recruit Ryan Edmonson watching on from the stands, the Mariners held a slender lead after Di Pizio’s first-half strike, and couldn’t shake the Roar until second-half stoppage time when a stunning individual goal by Ángel Torres sealed the Mariners’ victory in Gosford.
Mark Jackson’s side has now gone 10 games without defeat; only on two other occasions in Isuzu UTE A-League history have the Mariners managed longer runs – 12 (2005-06 W6 D6) and 15 (2011-12 W12 D3).
Torres wasted an early chance to put his side on the board, firing wide after Josh Nisbet’s smart reverse pass into the penalty area.
Nikola Mileusnic followed suit down the other end, finding space in the box but failing to beat Mariners captain Danny Vukovic in goal who dived across to his left to make a smart save.
Di Pizio put the Mariners ahead in the 38th minute, with Nisbet and Jacob Farrell combining to send the 18-year-old through on goal to finish into the bottom-right corner.
Mikael Doka threatened to make it 2-0 shortly after the break but Roar keeper Macklin Freke made a comfortable save to keep the Brazilian off the scoresheet. Doka’s compatriot Ronald Barcellos made his Mariners debut off the bench in the second half after signing from Portuguese club Portimonense, but the winger couldn’t add to the scoresheet on debut.
Roar youngster Thomas Waddingham had a glorious chance to level the scores late in the game, but his first-time strike by the penalty spot after Jack Hingert’s cross went wide of the bottom-right corner.
Waddingham will be left thinking of what could have been after his unmarked shot went astray; Torres showed the young Roar forward a lesson in finishing when he put the Mariners 2-0 up in second-half stoppage time, driving through midfield and blasting the ball past Freke at his near post.
