Melbourne City’s derby delight, Sydney FC surge: E-League Round 3 wrap

Melbourne City edged a nerve-jangling first instalment of the Melbourne Derby as the E-League ladder began to take shape in Round 3.

Both legs of each fixture were played simultaneously to account for a delayed start time, adding a new layer of intrigue to proceedings.

But there was no trepidation for Sydney FC’s in-form pair, mimicking their Hyundai A-League counterparts by surging to the top of the ladder.

round 3 ladder

Brisbane Roar 2-4 Adelaide United

  • Adelaide United moved level on six points with Brisbane Roar after securing a vital pair of 2-1 victories.

Xbox: James ‘iCripsy’ Williams 1-2 Jamie ‘FUTWIZ Jamie’ O’Doherty

Jamie O’Doherty recovered from an early deficit to inflict a 2-1 defeat on James Williams, his first in the competition.

After trading jabs in the lead-up, it was Williams who landed an early blow with a third-minute opener for Roar.

O’Doherty quickly hit back to equalise on 20 minutes and was suddenly ahead on the half-hour.

That lead proved enough as the Adelaide man had his crossbar to thank for keeping out what would have been a late equaliser, securing him a second successive victory.

PS4: Dino ‘ol_Mate_’ Flocco 1-2 Zachary ‘vDreamz-Shooter’ May-Burgess

Zachary May-Burgess made it back-to-back E-League wins with a well-earned 2-1 victory over Roar representative Dino Flocco.

Fresh off a maiden success last week, May-Burgess grabbed the first inside 20 minutes and added a second from the penalty spot just before the break.

Flocco did pull one back in stoppage time, but it was to be nothing more than a consolation.

Western Sydney Wanderers 4-3 Wellington Phoenix

  • Though results on the night were locked at one apiece, Western Sydney Wanderers narrowly overcame Wellington Phoenix on aggregate for their second team win of the season.

Xbox: Joseph ‘OhNoAGoat’ Nassar 4-2 Justin ‘Justmanutd12’ Josevski

Joseph Nassar held off a dogged Justin Josevski to lead Wanderers to a decisive 4-2 victory over Wellington.

An action-packed first half saw Josevski erase an early two-goal deficit in supreme style.

He cut the deficit on the half-hour and, full of confidence, equalised in breathtaking fashion, befuddling two defenders before picking out the bottom corner.

Nassar regrouped to restore his advantage after the restart and a fourth late on sealed a hard-earned victory, and would prove vital in the wider context of the two legs.

PS4: Rick ‘RDOUBLETTT’ Tran 0-1 Christian ‘Fweshest’ Bartolilo

Christian Bartolilo edged out Rick Tran 1-0 but was left to rue a missed penalty that would have earned Phoenix an overall draw.

Beaten in the first two rounds, Bartolilo netted the only goal inside 20 minutes to secure a confidence-boosting result. 

However, a penalty save late in the first half from Tran ultimately helped Wanderers secure the three points.

Melbourne City 5-4 Melbourne Victory

  • Marcus Gomes again stood tall as Melbourne City defied two fighting performances from rivals Melbourne Victory to secure inaugural derby honours.

Xbox: Marcus ‘SoccerStar07777’ Gomes 2-1 Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed

Marcus Gomes survived a scare against Mouad Zwed to prevail 2-1 on Xbox.

Zwed, stepping in on his unpreferred console in place of unavailable team-mate Mitch Austin, pushed Gomes all the way and looked to have snatched a shock draw with an unerring 80th-minute equaliser.

But the City star, who had earlier opened the scoring in the fifth minute, proved his fortitude by recapturing a match-winning lead through Bruno Fornaroli just six minutes shy of full-time.

PS4: Josh ‘joshingwood’ Wood 3-3 Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed

Josh Wood and Mouad Zwed fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw in a fittingly end-to-end Melbourne Derby.

The pair traded goals in a lively start, Wood immediately cancelling out Zwed’s opener.

The exchange was reversed late in the first half before Zwed tipped the balance back in his favour with a third for Victory after the interval.

But there was still time for one final equaliser in a see-sawing contest, Wood grabbing the all-important goal that sealed City’s aggregate triumph.

Newcastle Jets 3-9 Sydney FC

  • Sydney FC lead the E-League on goal difference following two back-to-back wins over an outclassed Newcastle Jets.

Xbox: Dane ‘bossierhickory8’ Crow 2-4 Samer ‘Samer96_’ Elbadar

Samer Elbadar continued his impressive season with an accomplished 4-2 win over Dane Crow of Newcastle.

Two from Elbadar sandwiched Crow’s lone first-half strike before the Sky Blues competitor broke it open after the break, notching another two fine efforts in the space of seven second-half minutes.

Crow closed the margin with a lightning move from the back but was unable to build on that glimmer of hope in the closing stages.

PS4: Bohdan ‘BLfifa’ Ling 1-5 Mark ‘xMarkoHD’ Brijeski

Mark Brijeski made the most of a numerical advantage to sweep aside Bohdan Ling in a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

Jets received their second red card of the tournament for coughing up a penalty midway through the opening stanza, although Ling did go some way to retrieving the situation by saving the resultant spot-kick.

The odds remained heavily stacked in Brijeski’s favour and he made the extra man count with two quickfire goals in the shadows of half-time.

From there the floodgates opened, Milos Ninkovic among the scorers as arguably the E-League’s standout performer so far made it three on the trot.

Perth Glory 3-4 Central Coast Mariners

  • Central Coast Mariners had ‘King Kyren’ to thank for leading them to victory over Perth Glory after the PS4 star did the business for the third week running.

Xbox: David ‘HighFly357’ Cook 1-1 Matt ‘StrawHat Camels’ Camilleri

Matt Camilleri converted a second-half penalty to deny Glory’s David Cook in a 1-1 draw in the Xbox encounter.

Cook looked on track for a morale-boosting first victory of his E-League campaign when he made space for Thierry Henry to laser a finish into the bottom corner.

But the lead wouldn’t last, Camilleri keeping his cool with 20 minutes to play and earning the Mariners a draw.

PS4: Peter ‘saisanas’ Saisanas 2-3 Kiran ‘KyrenFIFA’ Gupta

Central Coast’s Kiran Gupta looms as a major E-League threat after prevailing 3-2 against Peter Saisanas of Perth.

Gupta got the early jump on his Glory opponent, opening up a 2-0 lead by the 26th minute.

Saisanas cut the deficit on the edge of half-time and hit a delightful second in the closing moments of the match, but Gupta’s well-worked third between those efforts ensured Perth’s fightback fell short.