Toivonen reveals match-winning brace came in spite of injury

Melbourne derby hero Ola Toivonen has revealed his match-winning performance against Melbourne City came despite carrying injury into the game.

The Victory captain scored both goals as his side bounced back to form with a much-needed 2-1 win at AAMI Park over their local rivals.

The win was the first in the Hyundai A-League since late October for Marco Kurz’s side and just their second in Melbourne this season.

It came in large part thanks to a captain’s knock from Toivonen, who tucked away a pair of close range finishes in the 15th and 41st minutes to lift his season’s tally to seven goals.

However, the towering Swede conceded post-match his performance came after nursing a hip injury through the contest – ultimately forcing his departure in the 62nd minute.

“I have had some problem ten days now with my hip and it wasn’t good today,” he told Fox Sports.

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However, it didn’t curb the 33-year-old’s enthusiasm for the heated Melbourne derby atmosphere – riding a number of strong challenges in the first half and even drawing a booking with his gamesmanship on the bench in dying stages.

That booking will see Toivonen suspended for his side’s next game, but he suggested the timing was largely serendipitous given his recent fitness concerns.

“Now I get some rest and fix the problem,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

The captain’s resilience was mirrored by the rest of his side against the high-flying City in their second derby meeting of the season – racking up 12 shots and plenty more half-chances across the ninety minutes.

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Toivonen conceded while recent criticisms of Victory performances were justified, he felt the team had turned a corner with their derby showing.

“We have been down. We have been struggling with injuries and bad results, but today we really showed up.

“We gave ourselves and give our members and supporters something to enjoy. I think everyone will have a delightful Christmas after this game.”

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He highlighted the performance of German defender Tim Hoogland in his starting Hyundai A-League debut as crucial to the result.

“You can see Tim came in today and in his first game he is really leading the team from behind there and it was a really outstanding performance.”

Hoogland, whose career has seen him play in the Bundesliga in his home country and the Championship in England, said he revelled in the atmosphere of his first Melbourne derby.

“A big thanks to our crowd. It was amazing and exactly what we needed,” the 34-year-old said.

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Victory’s performance also drew praise from Fox Sports pundit and former Caltex Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich.

“It was their best performance of the season by a long-shot,” Bosnich said.

He added: “This team won the game, in my opinion, comfortably even though the score line didn’t say so. They had enough chances to win two games.”

Victory will have to wait for the chance to build on the result as they sit out Round 12 with the bye.

They return to Hyundai A-League action in the new year when they play host to Newcastle Jets.

Round 13

Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets

Date: Sunday, 5 January
Venue: AAMI Park
Kick-Off: 6:30PM AEDT
Match Centre
Click here to buy tickets

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