Traditional Hyundai A-League powerhouses Sydney and Melbourne have moved to the top of the competition ladder after nine rounds after wins over Central Coast and Brisbane respectively.
Results – Round 9
Gold Coast United 0 Wellington Phoenix 0
Perth Glory 1 North Queensland Fury 1
MELBOURNE VICTORY 2 Brisbane Roar 1
SYDNEY FC 1 Central Coast Mariners 0
Adelaide United 1 Newcastle Jets 1
Game Wraps
Traditional Hyundai A-League powerhouses Sydney and Melbourne have moved to the top of the competition ladder after nine rounds after wins over Central Coast and Brisbane respectively.
With all three other games ending in draws, Sydney was able to shoot clear on top of the ladder thanks to a first-half goal from Terry McFlynn in Monday’s clash against the Mariners at the SFS.
Central Coast was denied the lead after 15 minutes by a world-class save from Clint Bolton. Striker Dylan Macallister’s header from six yards out looked goal-bound before the shotstopper somehow saved the ball right on the post.
Sydney made the Mariners pay and opened the scoring five minutes later with a superbly worked goal. Captain Steve Corica kept possession under pressure before finding Stuart Musialik with a low ball.
The midfielder’s perfectly flighted cross was met by McFlynn whose bullet-header flashed past Danny Vukovic in the Mariners’ goal.
The Mariners tried hard for an equaliser, but couldn’t find a way through in a repeat of the scoreline from the inaugural Hyundai A-League Grand Final.
Melbourne Victory defender Adrian Leijer scored his first goal since re-joining the club from English Premier League side Fulham to hand the reigning Hyundai A-League champions their first home win of the season on Saturday night against an unlucky Brisbane Roar.
Leijer’s finish from close range in the 72nd minute gave Melbourne a 2-1 win and came at a time when the home side was heading for its fourth straight draw at Etihad Stadium, having also lost its opening match of the season at home against Central Coast. Fabiano had given Melbourne an early lead before Reinaldo had levelled the scores on 11 minutes.
North Queensland recorded a gallant 1-1 draw against Perth at ME Bank Stadium on Saturday. The Glory went ahead through Mile Sterjovski’s spot kick in the 48th minute, while a close-range header from John Tambouras, forced Tando Velaphi over the line for the equaliser.
The round opener between Gold Coast United and Wellington ended 0-0, while in the final game of the round on Monday, Newcastle took an early lead through Jin-Hyung Song before Adelaide found the equaliser through a sizzling strike from Cassio in the 76th minute.
Weekend Goals Tally: 8
Attendances (total / average): 62645/12529
Goal of the Week – Cassio
The Adelaide midfielder produced a sublime angled shot from outside the box with less than 15 minutes remaining at Hindmarsh Stadium on Monday. The effort not only earned his team a point, but could also be a contender for goal of the year.
Player of the Week – Terry McFlynn
McFlynn became a father for the first time on Thursday and marked the memorable occasion, with a memorable goal, a well-taken header which proved the winner for the Sky Blues. He has proven somewhat of a talisman to Sydney this year, having played in five games for four wins and a draw.
One to Watch – Surat Sukha
The Thai international has adapted quickly to Australian football and is now a permanent member of Melbourne’s defence. He is hardly spectacular, but he works extremely hard is defensively sound and has added something to Melbourne going forward.
Leading Goalscorers after Round 9
9 – Shane Smeltz
4 -Robbie Fowler, Carlos Hernandez, Branko Jelic, Archie Thompson, Sergio van Dijk
3 – John Aloisi, Henrique, Lucas Pantelis, Reinaldo, Mile Sterjovski
2 – Leo Bertos, Mark Bridge, Cassio, Steve Corica, Jason Culina, Chris Greenacre, Jason Hoffman, Paul Ifill, Adriano Pellegrino, Matt Simon, Victor Sikora, Jin-Hyung Song
1 – Danny Allsopp, Nigel Boogaard, Grant Brebner, Tim Brown, Dyron Daal, Kofi Danning, Travis Dodd, Ney Fabiano, Steven Fitzsimmons, Iain Fyfe, Brendan Gan, Royston Griffiths, Chris Grossman, Labinot Haliti, John Hutchinson, Matthew Leckie, Adrian Leijer, Daniel Mcbreen, Michael Mcglinchey, Charlie Miller, Tahj Minniecon, Milson, Craig Moore, Kevin Muscat, Jason Naidovski, Mitch Nichols, Lloyd Owusu, Joel Porter, Sean Rooney, Ben Sigmund, Matt Simon, Wayne Srhoj, John Tambouras, Matt Thompson, Danny Tiatto, Nicky Travis, Nick Ward, Alex Wilkinson
