Melbourne Victory moved into second on the Hyundai A-League table after Besart Berisha scored the winner in a 2-1 derby triumph over Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Having wasted a pair of first-half opportunities, Berisha capped Victory’s comeback from a 1-0 deficit by sweeping home a well-worked team move in the 78th minute.
Tim Cahill’s textbook header had given City the lead but Victory responded prior to half-time when Marco Rojas punished a defensive lapse.
The hotly-contested battle remained alive until the end but it was Berisha who atoned for his earlier errors by equalising Archie Thompson’s all-time Hyundai A-League goalscoring record.
GOALS
1-0 City: Cahill, 16’
Luke Brattan’s corner hung high in the air and neither Carl Valeri or Alan Baro could stop Cahill from nodding the opener back across Lawrence Thomas.
1-1 Victory: Rojas, 24’
Ruan Tongyik afforded James Troisi too much time to head a second ball into the path of a free Rojas, who applied a tidy finish inside the near post.
1-2 Victory: Berisha, 78’
As Victory attacked in numbers, substitute Jai Ingham pushed a pass right to the overlapping Rojas who in turn picked out Berisha centrally for a simple finish.
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