Adelaide United has triumphed 2-0 over the North Queensland Fury at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Sunday.
Lucas Pantelis launched a thunderous strike form directly in front of the box in the 60th minute before Mathew Leckie sealed the game in injury time with a clinical dribble and shot into the bottom corner of the net.
North Queensland dominated the first half, threatening with eight shots on goal and four corners, but lacked the finishing touch required to find the back of the net.
Adelaide was restricted to its own half for most of the first term for just four shots on goal which was easily plucked out of the air by goalkeeper Paul Henderson.
Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar said his side did exceptionally well to grind out a win.
“We certainly dug in deep in the first half and really dictated the majority of the second half which I think was a god result for us,” he said.
“We knew that in the first 20 minutes they would throw everything at us and with the conditions they would try and runs us off our feet.”
North Queensland coach Ian Ferguson was left rueing the missed opportunities.
“They were really good chances and again I thought we played really good football but when opportunities come we have to take them,” he said.
“You dominate a game for so long and create some really good chances but it comes back to bight us.”
“Unfortunately for us, we are down one after playing so well … I am just disappointed.”
The Fury’s Daniel McBreen looked guaranteed to score early when he lashed at a lose ball in the box with only one defender in his path but the shot was wide of the post.
Robbie Fowler pummelled the ball long from a free kick to force a save form United keeper Eugene Galekovic.
The strikers combined late in the half with McBreen charging down the left wing with Fowler on his inside but in a communication meltdown the marquee man let the ball roll behind him thinking it was meant for a team-mate.
United had its first real chance of the night straight after the break when Cassio forced a turnover on the wing to set up Pantelis but the striker could not get a shot away
A clumsy clearance from Henderson fell straight to an opponent who laid the ball off to an unmarked Pantelis to open the scoring in the 60th minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box.
Iain Fyfe almost doubled the score just minutes later when a through ball found him unmarked out wide but his shot went narrowly wide.
Dyron Daal was injected into the game from the bench and almost had an immediate impact when he used his height to meet a cross but his header was off target.
Daal won a midfield highball with another header into the path of a rampaging Jason Spagnuolo who brought McBreen into the frame but the striker again pushed his shot wide of the goal.
Leckie then sealed the game when he dribbled through sloppy defence stepping around the final defender to slot the final nail in the Fury-s coffin in injury time.
North Queensland Fury 0
Adelaide United 2 (Pantelis 60, Leckie 91)
Crowd 6,755 at Dairy Farmers Stadium
