Two decisive contributions from Alex Gersbach lifted Western Sydney to a 2-0 win over Western United, all but guaranteeing them finals football and dealing a heavy blow to their opponent’s premiership aspirations.
Wanderers march towards finals
Eight points clear of seventh-placed Adelaide with three games remaining in the regular season, Sunday’s win made it nine games without defeat for Alen Stajic’s side as they surge towards what would be just a second finals appearance in eight seasons.
The Wanderers now sit fourth, just two points behind third-placed United and four off second-placed Melbourne City, who will make the trip to Wanderland next Saturday.
A five-game winning run featuring 19 goals now snapped, United slipped to third and missed out on the chance to draw within three points of leaders Auckland, who will travel to Ironbark Fields on the final day of the season.
Adelaide’s freefall continues
Adelaide United’s season has continued to disintegrate after they were defeated 4-1 by cellar-dwellers Perth Glory, with outgoing coach Carl Veart labelling their performance “unacceptable”.
Able to supplant Sydney in the top-six after the Sky Blues drew 2-2 with Auckland earlier on Saturday, the Reds collapsed to their equal heaviest defeat of the campaign at Perth’s HBF Park and made it eight games without a win.
Hosting Wellington before travelling to face Brisbane and Melbourne City in their remaining three fixtures, Adelaide sit seventh, a point back of sixth-placed Sydney and a point clear of eighth-placed Macarthur, with their goal difference inferior to both.
Dragging themselves off the foot of the table with the victory, it was just the third win of the Glory’s season and the first time they’d won a league fixture by three goals since December of 2021.
Jet-powered Newcastle maul Mariners
Central Coast coach Mark Jackson issued an apology to his club’s fans after the Mariners suffered a 6-0 F3 Derby humiliation against the Newcastle Jets, a thrashing that mathematically ended their title defence.
Welcoming the Mariners to McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, the Jets were ruthless against their at-times hapless foes.
The six-goal margin was the equal heaviest in F3 Derby history – matching the Jets’ 8-2 win in 2018 – and left the Mariners nine points outside the top six with two games remaining, ending their run of fairytale back-to-back championships and forcing them to watch the playoffs from home for the first time since 2019-20.
Five points outside the top six with just three games to play and already having announced that coach Rob Stanton will not be returning, the Jets are also unlikely to play finals but secured derby bragging rights for the first time since December 2022.
Segecic stars but Sydney and Auckland draw
Adrian Segecic’s heroics weren’t enough as Sydney FC coughed up a two-goal lead and faltered in the top-six race with a 2-2 draw against Auckland FC.
Auckland recovered from 2-0 down and edged closer to the premier’s plate last Saturday night, when Steve Corica coached against his old side at Allianz Stadium for the first time since being fired in 2023.
It looked set to be a disappointing homecoming for Corica as rising star Segecic continued a breakout season with two first-half goals.
But the league’s newest side remained calm and needled at a Sydney defence that wobbled in its first game without the important Alex Grant (calf injury).
The draw saw Sydney miss the chance to forge ahead in the race for top-six qualification and extends Auckland’s competition lead to four points in their fight to finish atop the ladder.
Velupillay on song as Victory sink Phoenix
Nishan Velupillay has continued his blistering run of form by scoring in his sixth-straight match to give Melbourne Victory a 3-2 away win against Wellington Phoenix.
The Socceroos winger was electrifying on Saturday as he opened the scoring at Sky Stadium in the fourth minute before assisting Zinedine Machach from a corner late in the first half.
Greek striker Nikos Vergos inflicted more pain on Wellington, scoring his seventh goal of the season five minutes into the second half.
Velupillay’s strike – set up by fellow Australian international Daniel Arzani – was his sixth consecutive goal in as many games with both Victory and the national team.
The 23-year-old’s red-hot form helped the Victory further solidify their grip on a top-six berth, with Arthur Diles’s side climbing to fourth on the table with the win.
Wellington could count themselves lucky to have not shipped five or six against a rampant Victory outfit.
City fightback win over Roar
On-loan attacker Marco Tilio helped spark Melbourne City’s fightback in a 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar last Friday.
After second-half goals from Tilio and Max Caputo erased Asumah Abubakar’s ninth-minute opener at AAMI Park, a deflected strike from Keegan Jelacic in the 69th had City facing a 2-2 draw with the league cellar-dwellers.
But an unlikely 85th-minute header from Argentine defender German Ferreyra lifted the hosts to a dramatic win on Friday that kept their push for a top-two finish on track.
City are second on the ladder, four points behind league-leaders Auckland while the Roar, meanwhile, remain rooted at the foot of the table and need eight points from their remaining four games to avoid setting a new club record for fewest points in a season.
Matchday 27 schedule (AEST)
Thursday 17/4
Brisbane Roar v Western United 7.35pm
Friday 18/4
Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix 7.35pm
Saturday 19/4
Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC 5pm
Western Sydney v Melbourne City 7.35pm
Sunday 20/4
Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets 3pm
Central Coast Mariners v Macarthur 5pm
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Auckland FC 13.8.2.47
2. Melb City 13.4.6.43
3. Western Utd 12.5.6.41
4. Western Sydney 11.6.6.39
5. Melb Victory 11.6.6.39
6. Sydney FC 9.7.7.34
7. Adelaide Utd 9.6.8.33
8. Macarthur 9.5.9.32
9. Newcastle Jets 8.5.10.29
10. Central Coast 5.10.9.25
11. Wellington 6.6.11.24
12. Perth Glory 3.5.16.14
13. Brisbane Roar 2.5.15.11
With AAP
