Melbourne Victory coach Carlos Salvachua believes Andrew Nabbout’s last-gasp winner against Adelaide United released the pressure of months of frustration around the club.
Nabbout seized his moment in the 91st minute to make it 2-1 and put an end to the Reds’ four-match dominance in the Original Rivalry, while securing a first Hyundai A-League win in the dugout for Salvachua since his appointment on January 15.
It seemed like a familiar story for Victory when Kristian Opseth fired the away side into a seventh-minute lead but Kiwi dazzler Marco Rojas struck to haul the Navy Blue level before the hour mark.
That goal up for a grandstand finish and Socceroos attacker Nabbout delivered the late drama in front of more than 14,000 fans at Marvel Stadium, and Salvachua admitted he questioned when that moment would arrive.
“During the game, your mind [thinks about] the first game against them,” said Salvachua, which Victory lost 1-0 against Adelaide in his first match in charge.
“We had many chances and, watching the first half, scoring a couple of goals would be a different game.
“At the end – the last goal with Andrew Nabbout – the stadium exploded with energy.
“All that energy people are accumulating in 90 minutes, within seven months, and at the end I think we make people happy on this night.”
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Three points against the old enemy keeps Victory’s slender Finals Series hopes alive, as Salvachua’s team move within six points of the top six in ninth place.
And the weight is now off the Spanish coach’s shoulders after Victory finally recorded their first win of his tenure at the sixth attempt.
“Of course, I’m really happy for the players first because they work really hard over the last 50 days,” Salvachua said.
“Really happy for all of the staff as well for all of the help and the hard work as well, happy for the club – starting with the chairman and the board – because they need these kind of moments and, of course, really happy for the fans.
“In the worst moments… the fans are always with us and [on Saturday] it was unbelievable how they tried to follow the team and to help us to score the goal in the last minute.
“For sure, next week, we need the same. We need to stay together – staff, players and all of the club, all of the Victory family.”
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Gertjan Verbeek believes he needs more stability in his Reds squad after being forced into a defensive shuffle against Victory, and insists he is concentrating on fixing those issues over the season run-in.
“I am totally not focused on getting to the Finals,” Verbeek said.
“I am focused on what to do for the next game. Hopefully we get some players back for next week again.
“We have to get more stability. You see the changes in the team and on the bench, we have problems with defensive players.
“Hopefully, Michael [Marrone] and [Ryan] Strain are next week present. Hopefully, we can play with all the players so I can select them and [have] quality to win games.
“The last few weeks, we have a lot of injured players – but that’s also for the opponent – and still I think we could have done better than we did until now.
“If you don’t score in right moments, in the last minute, you can always have a goal against you and that happened.”
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Round 22
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
Saturday, 7 March
Marvel Stadium
Kick off: 7.30pm AEDT
Adelaide United v Western United FC
Saturday, 7 March
Coopers Stadium
Kick off: 4.30pm local, 5pm AEDT