Melbourne Victory have consolidated top spot in the National Youth League with a 7-1 trouncing of the AIS in their Round 3 encounter at the AIS Athletics Track on Saturday afternoon.
Melbourne Victory have consolidated top spot in the National Youth League with a 7-1 trouncing of the AIS in their Round 3 encounter at the AIS Athletics Track on Saturday afternoon.
The Victory were impressive from the outside, mixing skill with speed and hard-running as the AIS struggled to gel and coughed up far too much possession against a red-hot attack.
The day started poorly for the AIS with the loss of goalkeeper Lucas Spinella to a head knock after only five minutes and it got progressively worse.
The Victory showed no mercy, with Julius Davies scoring with a curling free-kick in the 16th minute, before making it a double minutes later with a neat finish on the edge of the 18 yard box.
The AIS struggled to put any attacking pressure on the visitors, who were happy to retain possession in the comfort of their lead.
They went one better when Theo Markelis drew Spinella ‘s replacement Jordan Thurtell off his line and put it into an open goal from a tight angle.
The AIS had some respite on the stroke of half-time when Bright Appiah hit a spinning ball along the turf past an outstretched Lawrence Thomas.
The Victory went for the jugular in the second half, out-muscling, out-running and out-playing their opponents, who struggled for composure under the barrage of pressure.
After a couple of golden opportunities went begging it did not take long for the goals to come as Isaka Cernak was left unmarked on the back post from a corner and duly headed past Thurtell five minutes after the break.
Luke O’Dea heaped on further misery five minutes later with an impressive lofted shot from the left flank.
In the 71st minute Luc Jeggo ran onto a ball on the right hand side of the box with speed to score the sixth before Andrew Nabbout capped off a fine performance with their seventh a minute later.
AIS 1 (Appiah 45+2)
Victory 7 (Davies 16, 19, Markelis 36, Cernak 50, O’Dea 55, Jeggo 71, Nabbout 72)
