James Troisi stars as in-form Melbourne Victory overcome Adelaide United
Melbourne Victory chalked up their fifth win on the trot with a clinical 2-0 defeat of Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium.
James Troisi starred for the visitors with a goal and an assist, while bottom side Adelaide remain without a win since beating Wellington Phoenix on 4 December.
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Troisi was lively early on and set up Fahid Ben Khalfallah in the seventh minute with a through ball but the attack was thwarted by Tarek Elrich and Eugene Galekovic.
The Reds then had a couple of chances when Sergi Guardiola poked his shot past the upright in the 10th minute before Sergio Cirio also narrowly missed the target after a brilliant solo run.
With chances flowing at both ends, it took something special from Adelaide-born Troisi to break the deadlock on 22 minutes.
Leigh Broxham found plenty of space on the left flank and whipped in a cross which was only partially cleared, leaving Troisi to bend a first-time shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Besart Berisha had been quiet for much of the first half but would have doubled Victory’s lead with a close range header if not for a quick reflex save from Galekovic.
After the restart the intensity continued from both sides with the Reds pushing for an equaliser and one nearly came just after the hour when Isaias struck a superb free-kick from 25 metres only for it to rebound off the cross bar.
Three minutes later Troisi popped up again to dent any hopes of a United fight back, this time providing the assist. The Victory playmaker whipped in a free kick to the near post where Berisha was perfectly placed to place a powerful header into the bottom corner.
Newcastle striker Morten Nordstrand struck, decisively, with six minutes remaining against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Photograph: Glenn Hunt/AAP
A late strike from Morten Nordstrand secured the Newcastle Jets a 3-2 upset victory over Brisbane Roar earlier in the day.
In an action-packed contest at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday in which the lead changed hands three times, it appeared a draw was looming after an 82nd-minute penalty from striker Jamie Maclaren pulled Brisbane level.
But Danish import Nordstrand popped up just two minutes later to drive a dagger through the Roar’s hearts, standing his ground and firing from close range after an aerial contest with goalkeeper Michael Theo, who was yellow-carded for protesting the incident afterwards.
It was no less than what the Jets deserved after delivering one of the biggest shocks of the A-League season so far.
It is the Roar’s first defeat in nearly 12 months at home, and came after Newcastle also smashed them 4-0 back in round two at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Tommy Oar’s first goal for Brisbane in more than seven years opened the scores after just 15 minutes, and they looked comfortable 1-0 up.
The Jets struck back right on the stroke of half-time, as Andrew Hoole dribbled his way through a flat-footed Roar defence and found the top corner with a rocket from 20 metres, stunning the crowd of 14,470.
Then in the 72nd minute, Newcastle’s other winger Andrew Nabbout made it 2-1, heading in a cross from full-back Jason Hoffman that caught a slight deflection off Jade North’s head along the way.
Brisbane thought they’d done enough to salvage at least a point when Maclaren scored his seventh goal of the season from the spot, after Nigel Boogaard brought down Jack Hingert in the penalty box with a clumsy challenge.
However, Nordstrand had the final say, pushing the Jets back into the top six and leaving the Roar in danger of losing touch with breakaway ladder leaders Sydney FC.
The Roar meet Victory next week at AAMI Park, while Newcastle are at home to Perth Glory.