Gold Coast United stormed to the top of the National Youth League table with a romping 5-0 win away from home over Melbourne Victory on Sunday at the Veneto Club ground.
Gold Coast United stormed to the top of the National Youth League table with a romping 5-0 win away from home over Melbourne Victory on Sunday at the Veneto Club ground.
The visitors battered a dejected looking Melbourne side in the second half with four goals after the Victory were unlucky to find themselves 1-0 down at the half.
Lead scorer Andrew Barisic opened the scoring for United on 25 minutes with his sixth goal of the campaign before a brace from strike partner Chris Harold and goals from Ben Halloran and Bobby Russell sunk the Victory.
Melbourne occupied top spot going into the clash but failed to make the most of its first-half chances.
Aziz Behich had Melbourne-s first chance on nine minutes. The captain controlled the ball well but could only hit his shot straight at the keeper.
A fierce blocked shot from Bradley Norton not long after looped ominously towards the top corner, but Jerrad Tyson showed great athleticism to tip the ball over.
Some neat interplay from Gold Coast saw Barisic through on goal in the 18th minute for United’s first real chance of the match, but his low drive caught the side netting.
Melbourne was finding acres of space in the penalty box but failed to find the final cutting ball on three occasions.
Leading scorer Nathan Elasi chose to go for glory from a tight angle with the open goal beckoning for Behich and moments later it was the skipper again, this time unable to latch on to Mate Dugandzic’s low cross.
Melbourne’s inefficiency in front of goal came back to haunt it when Gold Coast scored from a simple set piece to make it 1-0.
Koh Satake sat up an inviting cross for Barisic, who nodded home with aplomb.
Gold Coast should have doubled its lead shortly after the interval with Harold scuffing his shot with the open net gaping, but it didn’t take long for the away side to make the second breakthrough.
Halloran controlled a poor clearance to tuck a neat side-footed shot in the corner for United’s second goal of the match on 58 minutes.
Both sides swung the changes after the second goal with Melbourne playing with a real sense of resignation.
A quick-fire double from Harold soon after extinguished any chance the home side might have had of a comeback.
Harold smashed home substitute Golgol Mebrahtu’s neat flick-on after 73 minutes and headed in from a corner after some non-existent marking from Melbourne on 77 minutes.
He had a great chance to complete his hat-trick immediately after but was too slow to release the trigger with space inside the box.
Substitute Russell completed the rout in the 92nd minute to see the Gold Coast sitting pretty at the top of the table with a game in hand on both Melbourne and Central Coast in second and third.
Melbourne Victory 0
Gold Coast United 5 (Barisic 25, Halloran 58, Harold 73, 77, Russell 90)
