A-Leagues Download host Jake Barker-Daish has revealed that Nishan Velupillay’s goal for Melbourne Victory against Perth Glory wasn’t a training ground move as first thought, but came from Juan Mata’s quick thinking.
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“I don’t want to discredit Arthur Diles and the set piece coaching, but apparently that corner was Juan Mata’s thinking,” Barker-Daish said on the latest episode of A-Leagues Download.
“He just saw Nishan out the back and just decided to hit that ball.
“They said on the comms that it was a set play, but it actually wasn’t. It just shows his influence.”
READ MORE: Juan Mata inspired Melbourne Victory make it four in a row in five-goal thriller
The goal came in the 53rd minute of Victory’s 3-2 win in round 11 of the Isuzu UTE A-League, when players from both sides bunched up towards the Glory goal — except for Velupillay.
Mata spotted the five-time Socceroo loitering over at the far side of the penalty area and looped the corner over the mass of players at the six yard line, giving Velupillay enough time to position his body to sidefoot a volley though the scrum and Glory keeper Matt Sutton.
Download panelist Naum Sekulovski said that the goal was indicative of Mata’s broader influence on the competition this season.
“You can’t buy experience, and he’s been an absolute weapon,” Sekulovski said.
“You play him, you give him the time, you’re getting that return on investment… they kept chipping away, working, they stayed persistent with Juan Mata as well, and it’s paying off.”
Mata will meet his former Isuzu UTE A-League club this weekend, with the Victory hosting Western Sydney Wanderers at AAMI Park on Saturday afternoon.
The divergent fortunes of his two A-League homes couldn’t be more striking currently; Melbourne Victory have won four games on the bounce, while the Wanderers languish last on the ladder having scored just 8 goals in 11 matches.
Mata’s output at Victory, meanwhile, has already surpassed what he managed to display at the Wanderers by round 11 of the Isuzu UTE A-League:
Stream the 5pm kick off between Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday on Paramount+.
Watch every episode of A-Leagues Download on YouTube now, and tune in every Monday for more.
