What got the fans talking? We start at Suncorp Stadium when Roar hosted the reigning Hyundai A-League champions from Adelaide.
Dane reigns
It’s part of Roar’s rich history that they find foreign talent and get the best out of them. Berisha, Broich, Henrique, Corona and Sergio Van Dijk to name five. Now we see Thomas Kristensen. He shields the back four brilliantly. He works very hard, creates chances, combines well with Matt McKay and he can score: not bad for one touted simply as a defensive midfielder when he arrived from Denmark. And after his two goals on Sunday in the 4-0 defeat of Adelaide (taking his tally to four from nine games) the 33-year-old’s reputation continues to soar at Roar on a day when all the Thomases (Kristensen, Broich and Oar) shone.
Aloisi predicts goal glut after Roar’s rout of Adelaide
Simply the Bes
Besart Berisha has 89 goals in total in the Hyundai A-League – 48 from his glorious stint in Brisbane, and 41 for Melbourne Victory. Now he could equal or surpass Archie Thompson’s 90 goals record this weekend in the biggest ever Melbourne Derby.And to think some were questioning the great man in recent weeks. The fiery Albanian answered those critics emphatically on Saturday night, scoring a perfect hat-trick as Victory sunk the Wanderers 3-0 at ANZ Stadium, taking him to the top of the golden boot standings with eight for the season.
Berisha thanks Muscat after hat-trick against Wanderers
Brand Brandan takes a hit
Melbourne City livewire Fernando Brandan has been a breath of fresh air in the Hyundai A-League this season, lighting up the competition with his attacking wing play and energetic performances. The Argentine provided another moment for the highlights reel on Friday night with his thunderous shot into the top corner to give City the lead in the top-of-the-table clash against Sydney FC. But the Argentine came under fire for the way he reacted in an incident with Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant in the second half. Some believe it’s clever gamesmanship (and part of football culture in South America). Others call it “taking a dive”. Wherever you sit, it’s sparking plenty of debate.
City boss heaps praise on all-action Brandan
Big V: big threat
Sydney FC’s unbeaten start to the campaign and Melbourne City, with their star-studded squad and Westfield FFA Cup triumph, have stolen the spotlight so far in the 2016/17 Season. It’s allowed Melbourne Victory to quietly go about their business with little fanfare. And Kevin Muscat’s side is sitting pretty in third spot – just one point behind their fierce neighbours City with a game in hand – with five wins and a draw in their last seven matches. And their only defeat was a controversial one to the Sky Blues. With Berisha back and buzzing, Marco Rojas, James Troisi, Maxi Beister, Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Mitch Austin to call on in attack, they are right in the title hunt. Sets it up for a mammoth derby at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Berisha brilliance as Victory stun Wanderers at ANZ
Jets finally break the drought
It had been 4033 days, dating all the way back to the inaugural Hyundai A-League season, since a Newcastle Jets side had tasted victory over Glory in the west. That’s a long time since the Jets’ team song had been heard belting out of the change rooms in Perth. But finally, the longest winless streak in the Hyundai A-League is over after the Hunter club’s well-deserved 2-1 triumph on Saturday night. Now with the monkey off the back – and with some key players returning from injury – can the Jets go on a mid-season winning run? They are just two points out of the top six with back-to-back home games to come. Little wonder coach Mark Jones reckons they’ll make the six.
‘Massive’ win to generate Jets momentum: Nabbout
