Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners have taken a point apiece from an epic Grand Final rematch, with Alessandro Lopane’s stoppage time equaliser denying the Mariners all three points in a 3-3 draw at AAMI Park.
City took a 1-0 lead into half-time after Marin Jakoliš struck the opener inside two minutes, before an avalanche of second-half action including a further five strikes – three of which scored by Mariners winger Ángel Torres.
The Colombian’s first and second goals came before Tolgay Arslan’s leveller at 2-2 for City – but Torres sealed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead which they held until the 92nd minute. City substitute Lopane scored his first A-Leagues goal, and the sixth and final goal of the game, to snatch a point back for the hosts.
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City took the lead inside two minutes when Aziz Behich’s cross fell invitingly for Jakoliš to finish at the back post, aided by a deflection off the chest of Storm Roux which changed the angle of the ball flight off the boot of Behich.
Joeys star and Mariners teen Miguel Di Pizio is relishing a steady run of minutes in the first team of late, and his low, driven shot just before the quarter-hour mark called Jamie Young into a diving save.
City could have made it two in the 37th minute when a Steven Ugarkovic shot deflected off Brian Kaltak and fell fortuitously to Jamie Maclaren in the box, who couldn’t beat Danny Vukovic from a dangerous position.
Maclaren was presented with another opportunity soon after, with Behich’s cross delivered just too high for the City captain to angle his header on target.
The half-time whistle blew with City leading 1-0, bringing an end to a tense first half in which City defender Samuel Soprayen and Mariners forward Marco Tulio were the two key instigators of the first-half spot fires.
Just 70 seconds into the second half, Ugarkovic crashed the post with a powerful shot from range as City instantly got back on the front foot at AAMI Park.
But just minutes later, it was the Mariners finding the back of the net when Roux’s cross was nodded toward the back post by Souprayen, who was attempting to clear the danger but picked out Torres all alone to finish.
Before long, the Mariners had a 2-1 lead – and it was Torres coming up with his second of the afternoon. Josh Nisbet was the architect of Central Coast’s second, rolling Hamza Sakhi oh the edge of the area and sliding the ball into the box for Torres to fire past Young and into the back of the net.
The lead would last just two minutes. City needed a quick response and found it through Tolgay Arslan whose touch to control a low Leo Natel cross, and the resulting finish into the bottom-right corner, was all class.
Curtis Good prevented a third goal in five minutes, finding himself in the right place at the right time to block a close-range shot from Torres that would have wrapped up the Colombian’s hat-trick.
Alou Kuol came off the bench for the visitors and the substitute had a glorious opportunity to make it 3-2 when he latched onto Nisbet’s cross inside the six-yard box; his lunging first-time attempt was directed just wide of the far corner.
In the 82nd minute, Torres would find his third of the afternoon, pouncing on a loose ball in the box, feinting to shoot off his left and instead cutting into space on his right to seal his hat-trick.
Torres’ second-half blitz was worthy of deciding any game of football – but it wasn’t to be the final big moment at AAMI Park. City substitute Lopane rescued a point for City with his 92nd-minute equaliser.
More to come…
The star
Ángel Torres has shown glimpses of his potential in recent weeks – but on Sunday afternoon, the Colombian said it best himself:
“I feel like with these goals, I have arrived.”
Torres scored three second-half goals to notch his first Isuzu UTE A-League hat-trick – and if not for City’s late equaliser, he would have departed AAMI Park as the match-winner. He’s now scored four goals in his last three league appearances for the Mariners, and Torres’ uplift in form has coincided with the Mariners’ response to a torrid start to the campaign.
Torres was sent off in the Mariners’ 2-0 loss to Perth Glory in Round 3. He missed the subsequent defeat to Brisbane Roar before returning to the fray and contributing to the two wins and two draws that have followed.
The Mariners have turned a corner after the four-consecutive defeats that began their Championship defence; Torres was one of the signings brought to Gosford in the off-season, tasked with mitigating the loss of an array of stars who departed the club after Grand Final victory over City.
French winger Béni N’Kololo was one of the players who left big shoes to fill after the Championship campaign.
One of the Mariners’ Grand Final goalscorers, N’Kololo left the club on a high after a dazzling second season. N’Kololo didn’t score a goal in any of his first seven league appearances for the Mariners. but by the end of his second season he had become one of the club’s most important players.
While watching Torres turn on the style for the Mariners at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon, Paramount+ commentator Andy Harper saw similarities between N’Kololo’s slow burn of a start to life in Gosford, and the journey Torres is currently experiencing in his first taste of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“It was a huge hole that Beni N’Kololo left, but it took Beni a while to get going as well,” Harper said.
“You shouldn’t confuse the barnstorming back half of his Mariners time with the slowish start to his Mariners career.
“Maybe Angel Torres can, over time, fill that significant hole left by Beni N’Kololo’s departure – and I think he’s gathering some legs.
“Let’s hope he continues on this trajectory for the sake of the Mariners and their army of fans.”
Post-match, Mariners Football Manager Mark Jackson lauded Torres for his performance but noted that, despite the goals coming in a flurry on Sunday afternoon, he’s been showing signs that things are clicking for some time.
“I don’t think it’s just this game,” Jackson said. “He’s got the end product in this game getting a hat-trick, and he’ll get the plaudits for sure – and he should do that, for scoring three goals.
“I think his performances have been growing every game, over the season. He’s understanding what we want from him, he’s getting better and better, and hopefully now he’s had that little bit of success with goalscoring he can kick on, and continue to progress.”
