Melbourne City have locked in a finals spot after another brilliant display from Marcus Younis led the reigning champions to a 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
Younis cemented City’s 12th consecutive finals campaign as well as his status as the most in-form player in the Isuzu UTE A-League with two goals in five second half minutes, the first of which cancelled out Justin Vidic’s 44th minute opener.
Mehden Memeti then scored off the bench to make the result safe for City in the 80th minute, before Youstin Salas put in a nomination for goal of the season with an amazing volley in stoppage time.
The result propels City to third on the table and nearly settles the makeup of the top six, with Macarthur now the only team that can squeeze in if one of Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC or Adelaide don’t take another point and the Bulls turn around a significant goal difference.
Vidic and Sam Klein had early looks for Brisbane, but it was City who had the first clear sight on goal in the 12th minute when Roar goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis errant pass went straight to Andreas Kuen whose shot had to be saved.
City took control of the game during the middle part of the first half, with Younis asserting himself as the competition’s in-form player.
The 20-year-old was involved in three big chances for City nearing the half hour mark, even finding the back of the net at one stage.
Younis first rose highest at the back post from a corner to draw a save from goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis, before then putting in a crunching challenge on Klein that led to Kavian Rahmani thundering a long range effort into the crossbar 30 seconds later.
The Brondby loanee then thought he’d scored from the resultant corner, with his headed finish disallowed due to a foul on Bouzanis.
Younis then found himself behind Brisbane’s defence after being set free by a quality ball from Andreas Kuen, but Bouzanis was equal to his attempted finish from just inside the area.
At that stage Younis looked likely to be the difference maker in the game, but it was the Roar who opened the scoring against the run of play two minutes before first half stoppage time.
The goal came from the boot of Vidic, but the move started from goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis’s route one ball that targeted the combative 21-year-old.
Henry Hore picked up the scraps and moved the ball across to Georgios Vrakas, who got away a shot that looped off Harrison Shillington and fell invitingly for Vidic to calmly volley past Pat Beach to give the Roar an unlikely 1-0 advantage heading into the break.
Ninja A-League Dolan Warren Awards voting now OPEN! Everything you need to know
Vidic was busy again early in the second stanza with a couple of early chances, but Younis again took control in the middle part of the half.
He won a penalty after a clumsy challenge from Noah Maieroni, before taking responsibility himself to send Bouzanis the wrong way with his stutter step spot kick routine.
The 20-year-old maestro then gave City the lead just five minutes later, with Kuen taking a quick throw that played in Medin Memeti whose shot was saved at the near post.
Unluckily for Bouzanis, the ball rebounded perfectly for Younis to hook the ball back past him on the volley.
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If that goal hadn’t seemed to knocked the stuffing out of the Roar, it looked like Memeti’s would 15 minutes later after Elbasan Rashani’s centimetre perfect ball across was turned in expertly by the 18-year-old.
However the Roar forced themselves back into the contest in stoppage time through a piece of remarkable individual brilliance from Salas, the Costa Rican reading the ball off a tackle to perfection and crashing a thunderous volley past a powerless Patrick Beach in the City goal.
Klein then was inches away from bringing Brisbane level just a minute later when his turn and hit flew just past the post, but City managed to hold on and lock away their finals spot.
City will be playing for a home final next Sunday when they host Adelaide United at AAMI Park, while Brisbane will have nothing but pride on the line when they take on Perth Glory at HBF Park on Anzac Day.
ALEX TOBIN MEDAL VOTES:
3. Marcus Younis
2. German Ferreyra
1. Samuel Souprayen
