There is never a dull moment in the Isuzu UTE A-League, right?
A Pride Celebration, the emergence of Noah Botic, a moment of magic from a teenage sensation and another Marco Tilio stunner.
That is before we even get to Brandon Borrello and Western Sydney Wanderers, and the new-manager bounce at Brisbane Roar.
With a lot to dissect, here are the talking points from Round 18 of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The next Mark Viduka?
Noah Botic has been highly rated within Australian circles, having captained the Joeys at the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, but, after two largely unfruitful years in Germany, he now looks ready to explode at senior level following three goals in as many A-Leagues games.
Former Sydney FC assistant Paul Reid likened the emerging talent to Socceroos legend Mark Viduka four years ago, such is his level of potential.
“I haven’t seen a player like him in a long time. I just have a feeling he will make it. He’ll play for the Socceroos for years to come as long as he stays injury free,” Reid was quoted as saying, having worked with Botic at NPL side Rockdale City.
“… Some people say we haven’t had a Viduka since Viduka. He’s a different player to Mark Viduka but he can hold the ball up, he’s strong for his age but then he’s quick and makes smart runs. For a striker they are great attributes to have. He’s scored regularly for every team he’s played for. He has that eye for goal.”
Botic, who then reportedly had interest from Manchester United, went on to sign a two-year scholarship contract with Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim before returning to Australia via Western United in 2021.
Fast forward to the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season, and Botic is making waves with the defending champions.
The 21-year-old scored twice to lead Western past in-form Newcastle Jets 3-1 on Saturday.
He now has three goals in his last three matches, but don’t expected his head coach to get carried away.
“Very pleased,” Aloisi said of Botic. “He has a lot of potential. He is working hard on his game. We’ve been working with him now for 18 months. He was over in Germany for a couple of years.
“Hadn’t played or trained with the senior boys, so took him a while to get to, physically, the level he needs to get to. Then understand what it takes to be a professional footballer at elite level.
He is a great kid who wants to learn and keeps working. He deserves the two goals but we also have to make sure that we don’t get carried away too quickly. We have a funny thing of doing that here.
“He is a good player and he is learning the game. He has to keep learning. We have the coaches and the players around him to learn the game.”
The walking showreel that is Irankunda
Where do we even begin?! Well, has Nestory Irankunda ever scored a boring goal? He certainly does not practice tap-ins.
The 17-year-old sensation was at it again on Sunday, his unforgettable 87th-minute equaliser salvaging a 1-1 draw for Adelaide United away to rivals Melbourne Victory.
Irankunda came off the bench and channelled his inner Cristiano Ronaldo to dent Victory’s finals chances at AAMI Park, where Bruno Fornaroli had put the hosts ahead with nine minutes of regulation remaining.
The reaction to his moment of magic summed it all up.
READ: He doesn’t practice tap-ins, just worldies – Nestory Irankunda explains his ‘Ronaldo-esque’ stunner
“That is Ronaldo-esque of the Cristiano variety,” said Network 10 co-commentator Andy Harper.
Network 10 commentator Robbie Thomson added: “The power, the dips, the flips
“You never right off Nestory Irankunda. Keeper, no chance!”
At the end of the game, the player himself reflected on THAT goal.
“Benny [Ben Halloran] picked up the ball, he played it to me,” Irankunda said post-game.
“I got caught in two minds, whether to hit it with my power or try a new technique I’ve been learning at training. So I chose to use the new technique I’ve been learning and it worked.”
“I don’t think I can score tap-ins. I don’t like them sort of goals,” he explained.
“In training, I normally practice bicycle kicks, headers, shots from outside the box. Never really tap-ins.”
As soon as his pitch-side interview finished, Network 10 analysts Archie Thompson and Bruce Djite – both former A-Leagues strikers – were left in awe.
“He doesn’t do tap-ins. He just scores worldies,” A-League Men legend Thompson said.
“This is just incredible. We just looked at each other Bruce. I mean the way he hit this ball, the knuckle-ball. I could never perfect but he just seems to find it week in, week out.”
Ex-Reds forward Djite said: “I see a man who has perfected a technique with a week of practicing it.
“… that is a very, very tough technique to pull off. What a fantastic goal. Amazing.”
As for his coach Carl Veart?
“He is a very rare talent. We know that and we’re looking after him,” Veart said. “He is a type of player that makes me smile. Hopefully he can go on to reach his potential because his potential is unbelievable.”
There was another talking point in the contest – Victory’s penalty.
Alexandar Popovic was stunned as Evans brandished a yellow card. Adelaide head coach Veart was seething.
Popovic had been penalised for making contact with Damien Da Silva’s shin as the pair tussled for a corner. VAR had encouraged Evans to assess the incident pitch-side.
“Look it’s a tough one to take,” Veart told Network 10. “There were only two people in the world who thought it was a penalty and unfortunately they are the ones who made the decision.”
The man at the centre of it, Victory centre-back Da Silva, had his say.
“I think it was an accident,” he admitted as Victory were left sweating on Jake Brimmer’s potentially serious knee injury.
READ: Brimmer’s injury ‘not good’ as Victory wait to discover full extent of knee problem
There was also an incident involving Fornaroli, who escaped with a yellow card after striking Popovic in the face.
“Lets stop referring the game from a little box in Sydney and let the guy on the pitch do the job,” added Veart.
The ‘shackles off’ in Brisbane
In 2022-23, Brisbane Roar have struggled to score goals. Their attacking woes have hampered the club throughout the season.
But Brisbane looked like an entirely new team on Sunday, as they came from behind to beat Perth Glory 2-1 at Kayo Stadium, where they snapped a seven-match winless run.
With interim head coach Nick Green on the touchline for the first time after replacing Warren Moon, the Roar suddenly were suddenly on the front foot… being proactive and attacking in front of their home fans.
It was also the first time since Round 5 that Brisbane scored more than two goals in a match as captain Tom Aldred and Henry Hore lifted the Roar off the bottom of the table.
Green’s message was clear afterwards.
READ: The Green audition is up and running – What it means and what’s next for drought-ending Roar
“It’s been a tough week for the boys and to come through like that, it shows character,” the former Brisbane City, Hartlepool and Lincoln City coach told Paramount+.
“We’re like the walking wounded at the moment. We have some senior pros out. To come through a game like that, after the adversity of this week and being bottom of the table, the only way is up.”
“We’re looking at a couple parts of our game where we can score goals. We want goals. If you don’t score goals, you’re not going to win games,” Green said.
“It’s been an area we’ve looked at all week… we’ve concentrated on three main areas (transition and restarts) this week.”
Brisbane have eight fixtures remaining as they eye finals football. It’s something they believe in – they are now only four points off the pace.
“We can (go on a run). We have the belief in the group. We’ve let the shackles off a bit,” he added. “We want to engage a little bit higher and cause teams problems.
We want to stop worrying about the opposition so to speak. We want to get at teams, we want to win games.”
Is strength in depth setting Wanderers & City apart?
On Saturday, two of this season’s title favourites notched impressive Round 18 wins – and showcased the depth of their respective squads in the process.
First it was Melbourne City showing no signs of missing the injured Mathew Leckie in a 3-2 win over Sydney FC – a result which looks far less convincing on paper thanks to Sky Blues defender Diego Caballo’s last-gasp free-kick to cut the deficit to just one goal at full-time at AAMI Park.
Leading into the game, the news broke that Leckie would miss up to six weeks with a hamstring injury; Valon Berisha stepped back into the starting XI, whilst Florin Berenguer made just his second start of the season, and with Marco Tilio and Jamie Maclaren combining to score all three of City’s goals, it was business as usual in the front third – even without the in-form Leckie, and with fringe Socceroo Andrew Nabbout watching on from the bench.
Leckie’s enforced absence opens the door for Berenguer to re-establish himself in City’s plans after missing the first 10 rounds with a hamstring injury. Look out for the Frenchman in the coming weeks, as he could quickly return to his sparkling best by stringing a consistent run of starts together.
Following on from City’s win over the Sky Blues came Western Sydney Wanderers’ 4-0 mauling of Macarthur FC, in which new signings shined and Brandon Borrello continued his hot streak leading the line for the red and black.
Amor Layouni and Morgan Schneiderlin were two mid-season arrivals in the January-February transfer window; the recruits have added significant quality to Marko Rudan’s squad, with Layouni operating off the right wing and Schneiderlin placed – for the moment – alongside Calem Nieuwenhof and Milos Ninkovic in a three-man midfield.
Former Socceroo Oliver Bozanic dropped to the bench to make way for Ninkovic in the starting XI; it’s a sign of the luxury of riches Rudan can select from in central midfield. Kusini Yengi joined Bozanic on the pine, unable to uproot Borrello as starting striker – he’s bagged six goals in nine games to make that position his own.
Selection headaches will be welcomed by both City head coach Rado Vidosic and Wanderers boss Rudan in the coming weeks, as the two teams look to find the right balance heading toward the post-season.
Borrello for Socceroos?
Wanderers boss Rudan believes his winger-turned-striker is mixing it with the best number nines around the league – but, when pressed to comment, stopped short of pressing his in-form star’s case for a Socceroos recall.
“It’s not for me to comment on that, that’s for (Socceroos coach) Graham Arnold and his coaching staff to decide if he’s at that level,” Rudan told reporters after Borrello bagged his seventh goal of the season against Macarthur on Saturday.
Rudan did, however, praise his makeshift number nine for his adaptability in leading the line; Sulejman Krpic failed to deliver the goals needed from a spearhead throughout his brief stint in red and black, and his departure opened the door for Borrello to fill the void.
He’s bagged six of his seven goals for the season in his past nine games as the Wanderers begin to find their attacking edge. Rudan’s side have scored eight goals in two games heading into Round 19, with Borrello scoring three of those himself.
“He’s really positive around the place and gives us a lot of energy,” Rudan said.
“He’s got all the skill-set to play in that position, even though he came as a winger.
“His strike rate is as good as any in the league – Jamie Maclaren and Jason Cummings are maybe a bit better in terms of ratio – but he’s right up there.
“He enjoys playing there and we want to make him better and he makes us better, more importantly.”
In the eye of the Storm, Roux shines brightest
Was that one of Storm Roux’s best performances in his entire career?
In a game that was largely overshadowed by controversy, Roux stood up and put in an outstanding performance for the Central Coast Mariners in their 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix.
The 30-year-old put in a delightful ball to James McGarry for the Central Coast opener, before making a desperate goal-line clearance to keep his side ahead late in the first-half.
Roux’s performance was recognised by the broadcast crew, who deemed him Man of the Match on the night and he believed it was one of his best performances in his decade-long Isuzu UTE A-League career.
“Yeah, definitely (was one of his best performances),” Roux told Paramount +.
“I felt confident going into it and we played some good football so it always helps when team is gelling in the first half.”
Unfortunately for Roux, his performance wasn’t enough to will the nine-man Mariners over the line, who were pegged back by a late Oskar Zawada goal.
Roux’s defensive partner in crime Brian Kaltak was sent off early in the second-half, while Brazilian team-mate Moresche and coach Nick Montgomery received their marching orders after Zawada’s equaliser.
