Western United has suffered an enormous blow to their premiership hopes, losing against Central Coast to remain two points behind league leaders, Melbourne City, with only two games left for either club in the A-League’s regular season.
The Gosford side secured a vital victory over the Green and Black outfit in the biggest fixture of the 26th round, vastly improving their chances of a top six finish and giving their opponents a huge obstacle to overcome to earn their first title.
Melbourne Victory capitalised on their crosstown rivals’ misfortune, ascending to second after a well-fought success against Wellington Phoenix.
Greek winger Savvas Siatravanis helped Arthur Papas’ Newcastle side bag a dominant win over Macarthur FC, eliminating them from finals contention in the process.
Adelaide United, in contrast, guaranteed their place in the top six after a comfortable win against Brisbane Roar while Perth remained winless in their home state following a draw with Western Sydney.
Macarthur FC-Newcastle Jets 0-3
Savvas Siatravanis spearheaded a great team performance as Newcastle laid waste to the Bulls’ ambitions for a top six placement.
The Greek winger hit the back of the net from close range following a free kick (4′) before being subbed off early for a hamstring injury.
His replacement, Valentino Yuel, picked up where he left off, doubling the Novocastrians’ lead with a strong effort (66′) before star striker Beka Mikeltadze guaranteed the win (73′).
Striker Apostolos Giannou played the first half for the Bulls while Newcastle fielded midfielder Kosta Grozos for the first 82 minutes.
Jets manager Arthur Papas, who recently re-signed with the club until the end of the 2023/24 season, commended his players’ efforts despite many of them feeling unwell before the match.
“It was a good performance. It was a difficult day; we had a host of players who haven’t been well and put themselves up for that game. I’m just really proud of their work ethic, their attitude and their focus,” Mr Papas said post-match.
Central Coast-Western United 1-0
17-yr-old forward Garang Kuol’s late winner gave a huge boost to the Mariners’ finals chances, simultaneously resigning Western United to an enormous drawback for their title hopes.
After 81 gruelling minutes of play, Kuol released a delightful curling effort from just inside the box, with the ball settling into the bottom left corner of the goal.
The win takes the Gosford team five points clear of their only competitors, Sydney FC, all but confirming their place in the finals series.
Adelaide United-Brisbane Roar 2-0
A stellar crossing display from star winger and captain, Craig Goodwin, spurred the Reds into finals football.
Forward George Blackwood met captain Craig Goodwin’s excellent free kick delivery, heading the ball into the right side of the goal (15′).
Goodwin’s crossing again orchestrated a goal, this time deflecting off a Brisbane defender and being hit in by striker Hiroshi Ibusuki (28′), assuring the win and their berth in the top six.
Adelaide subbed on midfielder Nathan Konstandopoulos for the last few minutes of the match.
Perth Glory-Western Sydney 1-1
Perth failed to give retiring club veteran Andy Keogh a happy ending after being held to a draw against the Wanderers.
The Glory’s night started fantastically, with captain and star marksman Bruno Fornaroli bending the ball in off the right post from a tight angle (18′).
Western Sydney equalised through a powerful low driven shot from just inside the box by forward Keijiro Ogawa (78′)
Fornaroli made way for Keogh soon after (81′), with the club legend received a standing ovation from the Perth faithful, though neither he nor his club could muster a winner, extending Perth’s winless run to 16 matches.
The Wanderers fielded in their starting line-up Johnny Koutroumbis, Terry Antonis and James Troisi while also subbing on Dimitri Petratos.
Melbourne Victory-Wellington Phoenix 3-1
Victory has put their foot firmly in the race for top two after defeating Wellington Phoenix and going one point ahead of their rivals, Western United, in second.
The Melbournians produced a lightning-fast attack to stun the Phoenix early, with striker Nicholas D’Agostino finishing off the movement (2′).
Wellington forward Rene Piscopo missed a chance to equalise from the spot after his effort was saved by goalkeeper Ivan Kelava (21′) but the resulting play led to another penalty for the New Zealanders, which was buried in by winger Walter Sandoval (26′).
Victory midfielder Jake Brimmer restored their lead with his own spot-kick (66′) before winger Marco Rojas’ header finished off another excellent team goal to seal the win.
Star forward Chris Ikonomidis came on as a sub for the final 36 minutes of play.
Victory coach Tony Popovic was very proud with his side’s performance, especially in how they kept Wellington’s attackers mostly quiet.
“We limited those (Wellington’s) opportunities very well and I thought we showed some great maturity in the second half,” Mr Popovic said post-match.
Melbourne City and Sydney FC missed out again this weekend due to their AFC Champions League group stage commitments, though it has now been completed.
A-League Ladder (number of matches played)
1-Melbourne City: 46 (24)
2-Melbourne Victory: 45 (25)
3-Western United: 44 (24)
4-Adelaide United: 40 (25)
5-Central Coast: 36 (24)
6-Wellington Phoenix: 36 (24)
7-Macarthur FC: 32 (25)
8-Sydney FC: 31 (24)
9-Newcastle Jets: 28 (24)
10-Western Sydney: 26 (24)
11-Brisbane Roar: 23 (24)
12-Perth Glory: 15 (25)
Catch-up fixtures currently scheduled at time of publication
Sydney FC-Melbourne Victory: 19.45, Sat 07 May
CC Mariners-Newcastle Jets: 19.45, Sat 07 May
Macarthur FC-WS Wanderers: 16.05, Sun 08 May
Adelaide United-Western United: 18.20, Sun 08 May