The North Queensland Fury have inflicted one of the A-League’s boilovers of the season as a classy first-half strike from Dyron Daal handed the defending Premiers their first loss in five games at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Sunday night.
The Fury’s 6th win of the season proves even more significant given they jump both Adelaide United and the Wellington Phoenix into eighth spot and keep alive their slim finals chances for Season 2009.
The home side were on the front foot as early as the first minute of play when Daal found himself in space down the right side but his ambitious early cross took a wicked deflection off Victory defender Roddy Vargas and fell safely for Melbourne custodian Mitch Langerak to gather securely.
Langerak was put under further pressure soon after as a smart link-up between Robbie Fowler and Jeremy Brockie allowed the latter to blast powerfully towards home but the shot was merely catching practice for the Victory keeper.
A passage of solid possession soon followed for the home side with another opportunity presented to Brockie in the 10th minute after Matthew Kemp failed to negotiate a defensive clearance however the Fury striker could only afford to deliver his shot into the waiting arms of Langerak.
The visitors were rewarded for their persistence soon after when Muscat slid through a perfect through ball for the run of Kruse who had his energetic run cut short, courtesy of a well-timed charge from Pasfield, who cleared the lines with confidence.
Wanting to flex their muscle, the defending Premiers could so easily have been 1-0 down in the 19th minute as a confident half volley from outside the penalty box by journeyman Grant Smith took an unfortunate deflection off Vargas and almost provided the opener for the home side.
Slowly but surely however, the Fury were working their way into the contest and on 29 minutes, Robbie Middleby picked out Jason Spagnuolo with a wonderfull threaded through ball which found it’s way into the path of Brockie inside the area but the shot on target was well smothered by an honest Langerak.
The clincher would come shortly thereafter as marquee signing Fowler found himself in space down the right side before delivering a ball of unnerving skill and clinical precision to Daal who chested down the pass and struck it low and hard to beat Langerak to the right side from the top of the penalty area.
Play opened up for the home side just one minute later with a corner from Fowler dropping into the path of Matthew Smith, who failed to bury the ball with the goal at his mercy and the missed chance was to prove a catalyst for the visitors as they dominated the next 10 minutes of play and were unlucky not to draw level when Suksomkit curled a corner to the back post which Nicky Ward headed wide with no immediate pressure placed on him.
Entering the second half with their hopes renewed, the Victory should have squared the ledger at 1-1 as Thompson sprinted into space in the left side of the area but smart keeping from Pasfield enabled the angle to be reduced and the Victory’s leading scorer could only power his shot into Pasfield’s arms.
It was then the home side’s turn to dominate general play which resulted in a host of shots on target, none more threatening than a running volley from Daal on 59 minutes who was shut down at the last moment by a late sliding tackle from Adrian Leijer which forced a last ditch corner for the visitors to contend with.
Sixty-three minutes in, Fowler was rewarded with a peach of a cross from Brockie which the ex-Liverpool stiker hit with venom but the shot was well wide at the back past with Langerak well beaten.
The Victory weren’t done with however and maintained the rage on the Fury goal however their best chance of the 2nd Half fell to Muscat who drove an inviting free kick towards home which was scuffed clear by a desperate Tadrosse in the 79th minute, drawing some stern words between both skippers with Referee Green forced to intervene.
North Queensland was set on finding the one further goal that would put the game to bed however its concerted efforts on goal late in the half were to prove elusive as Melbourne stepped up its intensity in defence to leave the defecit at a single goal.
North Queensland Fury 1
Daal (30m)
Melbourne Victory 0
