Western United’s title tilt continues to gather momentum after a 2-0 win over Macarthur FC in Tasmania on Tuesday evening.
John Aloisi’s side moved to within two points of league leaders Melbourne City after the three-point display; Ante Milicic’s Macarthur’s position in the top six is now in serious threat.
Attention then turned to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where Sydney FC came from behind to draw 1-1 with Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) in the Sky Blues’ second draw in as many games in the 2022 AFC Asian Champions League group stage.
KEEPUP followed along LIVE to bring you all the goals, highlights, up to date scores and biggest talking points from the Isuzu UTE A-League and AFC Asian Champions League on Tuesday, April 19.
THE TUESDAY AGENDA
Western United 2-0 Macarthur FC (FULL-TIME)
Isuzu UTE A-League, UTAS Stadium.
MATCH REPORT: RECAP: TOP SPOT WITHIN WESTERN’S GRASP AFTER 2-0 BULLS TRIUMPH
Sydney FC 1-1 Hoang Anh Gia Lai (FULL-TIME)
AFC Champions League, Thong Nhat Stadium.
REACTION
‘We’re in a good spot’: Superb Young performance accelerates Western’s title push
They might have won 2-0 over Macarthur FC on Tuesday night, but without the individual brilliance of Jamie Young in between the sticks it could have been a different story for Western United.
Instead, Western end their Tasmanian venture within two points of the league-leaders Melbourne City, collecting their 10th clean sheet of the season against a Macarthur outfit peppering Young’s goal to no avail.
“They’re a very good team, who have absolutely got some big players,” Young told Paramount+ after making six saves in a dominant display against the Bulls.
“We had to be organised against that; I think that discipline showed, and you see that reflected in the score.”
Western’s 10th clean sheet of the season helped John Aloisi’s side move to within two points of top spot, whilst Young moved clear of Mark Birighitti to lead the league in saves throughout the 2021-22 season.
“I think at the start of the season, if you said we’re going to be in this position a few people might have been surprised,” Young added.
“I know when I came here I had a good feeling about this season, but it’s where we want to be… we’re in a good spot.”
Connor Pain, who scored Western’s first goal of the night, was almost left to rue two missed opportunities late on against the Bulls as they toiled to find an equaliser which ultimately never came. Instead, with goalkeeper Filip Kurto going forward for a series of late corners, Western found the sealer on the counter attack through Aleksandar Prijović.
Pain admitted he was relieved when the full-time whistle blew, with Young’s heroics helping to ensure those missed chances didn’t convert to dropped points.
“It was fantastic for Youngy to keep us in the game at the death,” Pain told Paramount+.
“I could have put the game to bed probably ten minutes earlier with a one-on-one, with Uskok cutting the angle pretty well.
“I was very relieved to have Youngy in the sticks.”
Western have quickly made up ground on City at the top of the table, with the leaders currently in Thailand competing in the AFC Asian Champions League group stage.
Should Western defeat Central Coast Mariners on April 30, Aloisi’s team will climb into top spot on the table before City’s return in early May.
Pain says experience has taught him not to look too far ahead as the regular season reaches its climax.
“I’m pretty good at that,” Pain said. “I’ve learnt throughout my career you sort of just take it day by day. You try and enjoy every moment, enjoy the training pitch every day and just take every day as a challenge.
“The games will come, and you just deal with them as they come, and try not to make them out to be more than what they are: and that’s a game of football for three points.”
SYDNEY FC 1-1 HOANG ANH GIA LAI (HAGL)
The Sky Blues managed to rescue a point, but weren’t able to overturn a one-goal deficit as they drew 1-1 with Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Thong Nhat Stadium on Tuesday night.
88′: CHANCE! Baiano off target (1-1)
Jefferson Baiano was introduced off the bench just past the hour mark, and in the 87th minute the Brazilian received the opportunity to strike, latching on to a ball played over the Sky Blues defence.
Baiano’s opportunity presented on a tight angle, and his first time effort faded across goal, not troubling Redmayne as it looked likely to do when he first made contact with the strike.
59′: GOAL! Buhagiar brings Sydney level (1-1)
An instant impact from the super sub!
Trent Buhagiar was introduced by Sydney head coach Steve Corica in the 59th minute, and before the clocked ticked past the hour mark he had his goal, heading home a cross from the right wing.
It’s game on in Ho Chi Minh City!
54′: CHANCE! Brandão flashes his strike wide (0-1)
Brandão had the goal at his mercy his strike from the edge of the area was on target. Redmayne stood and watched as the Brazilian’s effort sailed toward goal, but the shot off the outside of his right foot faded late past the right-hand goalpost.
46′: SECOND HALF (0-1)
Sydney fC have it all to do in the second half, coming out from the sheds trailing HAGL by one goal to nil.
HALF-TIME: Sydney 0-1 HAGL
Vu Van Thanh’s 26-minute strike splits the two sides at half time. Sydney saw two early penalty shouts waved away after both Narsingh and Le Fondre went to ground under contact in the box in separate incidents.
45+1′: SAVE! Redmayne tips certain Wilkinson own goal over the bar (0-1)
A cross from HAGL forward Washington Brandão took a hefty deflection off Sydney FC’s Alex Wilkinson, threatening to loop over the head of Redmayne and into the back of the net before the Sydney gloveman intervened, stretching out an arm to prod the ball over the crossbar.
26′: GOAL! HAGL take the lead against the flow (0-1)
Vu Van Thanh has opened the scoring for HAGL.
His shot from range deflected off Sydney left-back Connor O’Toole, changing the trajectory of the strike and wrong-footing Andrew Redmayne, with the strike beating the Sky Blues keeper from some distance.
21′: Narsingh strike safely collected by Huynh Tuan Linh (0-0)
A well-hit shot form outside the box looked a decent one by Narsingh, and might have troubled HAGL goalkeeper Huynh Tuan Linh if directed to either corner.
Instead, the strike fell directly into the waiting arms of Tuan Linh who saved comfortably.
15′: HAGL growing into the contest (0-0)
The Sky Blues have had the better of the early opportunities – but the hosts have enjoyed their fair share of possession, with a noisy home crowd rising each time HAGL move the ball into their attacking third.
5′: Early Sydney penalty cries waved away (0-0)
Luciano Narsingh and Adam Le Fondre have both been denied early penalties, getting on the receiving end of respectively rash challenges inside Sydney’s attacking penalty area.
1′: KICK-OFF (0-0)
The Sky Blues are underway in Ho Chi Minh, with Hoang Anh Gia Lai the Tuesday night opponents.
TEAM NEWS
FULL-TIME: WESTERN UNITED 2-0 MACARTHUR FC
90+4′: GOAL! Prijović settles it (2-0)
Macarthur gambled with three late corners, sending Kurto up in an attempt to find an equaliser. But Western repelled the danger at the third time of asking, with Neil Kilkenny sending Prijović into Western’s attacking area to finish into an unguarded net.
85′: CHANCE! Prijović off the bar (1-0)
The woodwork was all that stood between Prijović and a top-class finish, with his left-footed curler looping over Kurto from distance and brushing the crossbar on its way out of play.
Kurto was adamant his side should have received a goal kick, but referee King saw a touch from the Macarthur keeper before the ball struck the bar, and a Western corner ensued.
81′: CHANCE! Pain fires wide (1-0)
That was almost the sealer for Western, with Pain collecting the ball from Aleksandar Prijović and driving into the box to shoot.
His attempt came under pressure from a slight angle, only just missing the bottom-right corner.
77′: CHANCES! Pain, Luštica denied (1-0)
Bulls keeper Kurto is keeping his side in the contest. Two quick-fire stops to deny both Pain and Luštica were the latest in a series of Kurto saves to give 10-man Macarthur hope of snatching a point.
69′: RED CARD! Mariappa receives his marching orders (1-0)
The Bulls are down to 10 after Mariappa’s dismissal for his second yellow card of the night.
The Macarthur central defender was dismissed by referee Alex King after being dispossessed by Steven Luštica, proceeding to pull the Western midfielder to the ground to prevent the fast break.
57′: GOAL! Pain breaks the deadlock with brilliant volley (1-0)
Once again it was Imai to Pain causing the danger for Western – only this time, the latter was able to put a classy finish on the former’s cross to make it 1-0 in Launceston.
Imai’s ball off the right wing found Pain in the box, who let the ball drop before dispatching a first-time finish off his left foot to find the back of the net.
49′: Manic moments in Western attack (0-0)
Western’s two best chances of the game came within seconds of each other early in the second half.
First it was Rene Khrin getting in on goal, opting not to pass the ball across the box to Lachie Wales streaming in for a simple tap in, with Kurto getting off his line to smother the ball at the feet of the Slovenian international.
Moments later, Tomoki Imai swung the ball off the right wing into the box to find Pain who fired a header on goal from close range – his effort was directed straight at Kurto who stood tall to palm the ball out for a corner.
46′: SECOND HALF (0-0)
This game is there to win should any of these two sides manage to improve their attacking output in the second stanza.
HALF-TIME: WESTERN 0-0 MACARTHUR
The Bulls enjoyed the best of the first-half chances, but Western’s defence remained typically resolute as the opening 45 minutes of play ticked by without a goal.
44′: CHANCE! M’Mombwa at the back post (0-0)
An opportunity for Macarthur to take the lead presented late in the first half, with Charles M’Mombwa arriving at the back post to meed a cross whipped in off the right flank.
M’Mombwa made purchase with the header but couldn’t direct his attempt back toward goal, with the ball missing the target.
26′: SAVE! Young to the rescue for Western (0-0)
“That was a world-class save from Jamie Young!” Exclaimed Paramount+ commentator Ben Homer as the Western gloveman leapt backwards to prod Adrian Mariappa’s header on goal from Craig Noone’s free-kick over the bar.
18′: CHANCE! Bulls back in numbers to block Pain strike (0-0)
Once again it was Pain causing trouble down the left, carving out space in the box and for a moment looking likely to strike on goal.
But three Macarthur defenders were quick to arrive on the scene, getting in front of Pain to ensure his shot on goal couldn’t get close to Kurto on the line.
13′: CHANCE! Pain puts Kurto to work (13′)
The first Western chance of the evening fell to Connor Pain, whose left-footed strike called Bulls keeper Filip Kurto into a low save to his left.
7′: CHANCE! Meredith spurns golden opportunity (0-0)
Leo Lacroix was caught napping on the ball in his defensive penalty area by Bulls captain Ulises Dávila, and the Mexican pounced on possession before teeing up James Meredith to convert into an open net.
However, Meredith’s finish was not up to the standard of the approach play from Dávila, with his attempt fading wide of the mark.
1′: KICK-OFF (0-0)
We’re underway in Launceston with Macarthur kicking off proceedings.
TEAM NEWS
PRE-GAME
This is the state of the table prior to this evening’s kick-off.
It’s safe to say a Western win is pivotal to their title tilt:
