Melbourne City academy graduate Max Caputo broke his 12-month scoring drought with two goals in a 2-0 win over Macarthur Bulls on Friday night – a result that sent City from fifth up to second on the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
Caputo last scored an Isuzu UTE A-League goal in March, 2024 but ended that streak in style with a clinical finish on a tight angle in the first half.
The 19-year-old then doubled his tally for the night in the 74th minute from the penalty spot after Tomislav Uskok was penalised for a handball in the box off City defender Kai Trewin’s long-range strike.
Macarthur were hot contenders for a spot in the finals early in the season after a terrific start to the campaign but the mid-season departure of attacking trio Valere Germain, Jed Drew and Ariath Piol has blunted head coach Mile Sterjovski’s attack in recent weeks; the Bulls now sit eighth, five points outside the top six, having lost four of their last five games.
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Marco Tilio had the first big chance of the game with just under 30 minutes on the clock, when his volley from the edge of the box was well blocked by Bulls midfielder Jake Hollman.
Despite the lack of big chances through the first half hour, City were well on top at AAMI Park – and that dominance ultimately led to the opening goal when young striker Max Caputo opened his account for the 2024-25 season.
Fellow City academy graduate Kavian Rahmani supplied the assist, picking out Caputo at the near post whose inventive finish buried into the opposite corner.
“That’s a glorious goal, made in the Melbourne City academy!” Said Network 10 commentator Simon Hill.
“Two youngsters combining. It’s Max Caputo’s first goal of the season, his first in a year since scoring against the Wanderers last March, and City have their reward for their dominance.”
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On the Network 10 half-time show, A-Leagues great Archie Thompson marvelled at Caputo’s ability to turn the opening goal in from a tight angle.
“It was such a difficult chance for him to score that,” Thompson said.
“I don’t know where he generated that power (from), to be able to dink it and go far post… what about that finish.”
Macarthur almost equalised within minutes when Samuel Souprayen was dispossessed on a driving run through midfield.
Hollman’s cross found Marin Jakolis inside the six-yard box and his half-volley was somehow saved by Patrick Beach – but the offside flag spared Jakolis’ blushes.
Caputo then came close to doubling his tally for the night – and would have done so if not for the superb goalkeeping of Filip Kurto, who denied the young striker in a one-on-one.
On the cusp of half-time, City received a free-kick in a dangerous area and Andreas Kuen’s attempt left Kurto planted to the spot. The Bulls keeper stood and watched as the ball whipped dangerously close to the bottom-left corner, but the Austrian’s effort flashed just wide of the post.
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Already on a yellow card, Caputo danced with danger in first-half stoppage time when he caught Bulls defender Matthew Jurman with a high elbow in an aerial challenge.
Caputo escaped without a second yellow as the half-time whistle blew with his side up 1-0 thanks to his 34th-minute goal.
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Mathew Leckie thought he’d doubled City’s lead in the second half but his close-range header was ruled out due to a foul spotted from Leckie on Bulls defender Jurman that opened space in the box for Leckie to meet the ball unchallenged.
Seventy minutes elapsed on the match clock with City’s one-goal lead still intact until a shot from outside the box by Kai Trewin hit the arm of Macarthur centre-back Tomislav Uskok.
Uskok’s intervention in the box initially wasn’t punished initially by referee Ben Abraham but VAR intervened, suggesting the on-field referee take another look at the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Abraham returned to the field of play to overturn his original decision and award City a penalty that young striker Caputo buried into the bottom-left corner to secure his brace and send City two goals clear.
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City keeper Beach wasn’t asked to do much through the first 75 minutes of play but when Luke Brattan picked out Jakolis on the edge of the box with an inventive free-kick, the young shot-stopper was called into action.
Beach leapt to his right to parry Jakolis’ curling effort off target and to keep his clean sheet intact.
