Melbourne Victory winger Nishan Velupillay was a half-time substitute in Saturday’s Semi-Final second leg clash with Auckland FC after suffering an injury to his lower right leg.
The Subway Socceroo went down while jostling for possession with Auckland’s Marlee Francois late in the first half of the Semi-Final clash at Go Media Stadium. Velupillay instantly clutched at his right ankle after planting his foot in an attempt to stabilise himself in the 50-50 contest with Francois.
Velupillay tried to carry on after receiving treatment on the field but hobbled his way off the park just before the half-time whistle, and was replaced in Victory’s lineup by Joshua Inserra for the second half.
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Velupillay was spotted on the bench early in the second half with his right ankle heavily iced, and crutches beside him in the Victory dugout.
The 24-year-old has impressed for the Socceroos through the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign and with games against Japan and Saudi Arabia to come in early June, Australia head coach Tony Popovic will join Victory boss Arthur Diles in hoping for a positive update on Velupillay’s injury.
“This is not good news for Melbourne Victory and their Socceroo,” said Sky Sports NZ commentator Jason Pine.
“He’s been a big part of the Socceroos this year. Good to see him back on his feet but he is anything but comfortable in doing so.”
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Victory went on to win the Semi-Final second leg 2-0 in a shock result that knocked out Premiers Auckland FC and sent the Victorian side through to the 2025 Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final.
Post-game, Diles provided an update on Velupillay’s first-half injury as attention now turns to whether the Socceroo will get up in time to feature in next weekend’s title decider.
“Yeah, it doesn’t look good at the moment,” Diles said.
“He’s in a bit of pain, so we’ll wait until we get back to Melbourne, get him scanned and evaluate him. Hopefully it’s not too serious.”
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