Chasing The Golden Boot

Brisbane Roar’s Kosta Barbarouses, Melbourne Victory’s Robbie Kruse and Adelaide’s Sergio van Dijk top the scoring charts with 10 goals each.

Kruse may yet be Asian Cup bound, which would all but rule out his chances of remaining at the top.

Shane Smeltz is a two-time winner while the previous two, Joel Griffiths and Danny Allsopp, both went abroad.

Although Smeltz’s record tally of 19 in season five won’t be matched, the next best of 12 is more than likely to be topped.

Roar’s dominance in season six is highlighted by the second line of scoring where import Jean Carlos Solorzano features with nine.

He and Barbarouses have both shown to be clinical finishers with the Kiwi playing at close to his full potential.

The timing of his run to level the scores against Gold Coast was one of a player who is at the top of his game.

Kruse has been even more impressive and is likely to be named in the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup.

His assist for Ricardinho’s late winner against Newcastle matched his exchange with Archie Thompson earlier in the season.

He is a young man with plenty of confidence and willing to back himself in any situation.

Van Dijk scored at the wrong end in week 20 and he has slowed as the Reds have in recent weeks.

The Dutchman has scored a couple of brilliant headers this season and is vital to the cause if Adelaide are to regain their form heading into the finals.

Robbie Fowler (nine goals) can’t be ruled out while Mariners pair Matt Simon and Adam Kwasnik (seven) could benefit from their teams good form.

Simon scored in week 20 as the Mariners beat Adelaide while elsewhere, Heart overcame Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast played out an entertaining draw, Victory scored a late win against Newcastle and Fury were held by Phoenix.

Sydney FC 0
Melbourne Heart 1 (Adrian Zahra 86’)
Crowd: 6636 @ Sydney Football Stadium

Melbourne Heart kept their hopes of playing finals football alive while all but ending Sydney’s with a 1-0 win.

In a vital game for both sides, Heart found the winner courtesy of substitute Adrian Zahra in the 86^th minute.

The Sky Blues started brightly but were unable to make the most of a couple of chances in the opening 20 minutes.

Heart gained control soon after, but they too couldn’t beat returning Sydney keeper Liam Reddy.

It was left to both substitutes, Gerald Sibon and Zahra to create the only goal of the game.

In one of a number of late counter attacks, Sibon fed Zahra at the edge of the area and the youngster controlled smartly before placing his shot in the corner with the outside of his boot.

Heart have played 23 games but moved back into the top six after collecting three points.

Although Sydney can still mathematically make the finals, they have lost four on the trot and are struggling at home and away.

Sydney FC: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 3. Stephan KELLER, 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU, 9. Bruno CAZARINE (11. Kofi DANNING 75’), 12. Shannon COLE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 21. Scott JAMIESON (10. Nick CARLE 60’), 22. Sung Hwan BYUN, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS

Unused subs: 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL

Yellow card: Cazarine (44’)

Red cards: None

Melbourne Heart: 1. Clint BOLTON (gk), 2. Michael MARRONE, 4. Simon COLOSIMO (c), 6. Matt THOMPSON, 7. Rutger WORM (25. Adrian ZAHRA 77’), 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 15. John ALOISI (9. Gerald SIBON 58’), 16. Aziz BEHICH, 17. Jason HOFFMAN, 20. Josip SKOKO, 22. Nick KALMAR (5. Michael BEAUCHAMP 66’)

Unused sub: 12. Peter ZOIS (gk)

Yellow cards: Srhoj (1’)

Red cards: None

Man of the match – In what was certainly not the most entertaining match of the round, both teams played fairly poorly, however, the performance of Sydney FC’s Dimitri Petratos was a positive sign for the Sky Blues.

Key moment – Both teams seemed to be just hanging in there for most of the match but Melbourne Heart’s 86th minute goal sealed the points for the A-League new boys and consigned Sydney to another defeat. Ratings by Arabella Vaughan

Central Coast Mariners 2 (Matt Simon 51’, Sergio van Dijk 78’(og))Adelaide United 0
Crowd: 6249 @ Bluetongue Stadium

Central Coast moved within a point of second place with an important and impressive 2-0 win over Adelaide United.

A goal from Matt Simon and a rare own goal from Sergio van Dijk gave the Mariners three points at home.

Both teams struggled to create chances in the first half with Simon going closest with a header that was saved by Eugene Galekovic at his near post.

The same man brought life to the contest six minutes into the second half with a fine individual effort.

After moving with the ball to the edge of the 18-yard box, Simon squeezed a fine strike past Galekovic.

The Reds burst into life but failed to test Mathew Ryan often enough to create any serious pressure.

Star striker van Dijk found the net 12 minutes before time, but he beat his own keeper Galekovic after miscueing an attempted clearance from a Mariners corner.

The loss was Adelaide’s third in a row and fourth in their last five while the Mariners are now on a contrasting run heading into 2011.

Graham Arnold’s side is unbeaten in four and has another three home games in a row against Victory, Wellington and Brisbane.

Central Coast Mariners: 20. Mathew RYAN (gk), 3. Joshua ROSE, 4. Pedj BOJIC, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 8. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 10. Patricio PEREZ (22. Mustafa AMINI 80’), 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON (7. John HUTCHINSON 89’), 23. Adam KWASNIK (2. Daniel MCBREEN 76’)

Unused sub: 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk)

Yellow cards: Griffiths (68’), Simon (72’)

Red cards: None

Adelaide United: 1. Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 3. Nigel BOOGAARD (7. Lucas PANTELIS 85’), 4. Iain FYFE, 6. CASSIO, 8. Adam HUGHES, 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Marcos FLORES (14. Cameron WATSON 70’), 12. Paul REID, 13. Travis DODD (c) (17. Iain RAMSAY 70’), 18. Fabian BARBIERO, 26. Joseph KEENAN

Unused sub: 20. Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk)

Yellow cards: Barbiero (64’), Hughes (67’)

Red cards: None

Man of the match – Central Coast Mariners’ Michael McGlinchey put in another fantastic performance; he carved out chance after chance for the Mariners and was deadly up both sides of the pitch.

Key moment – Just as Adelaide were starting to get back into the game, a 78th minute own goal to Sergio Van Dijk wiped out any chance Adelaide had of getting anything out of the game. AV

Brisbane Roar 2 (Kosta Barbarouses 30’, Jean Carlos Solorzano (pen) 66’)
Gold Coast United 2 (Dino Djulbic 13’, Robson 55’)
Crowd: 13,065 @ Suncorp Stadium

Brisbane were forced to come from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw against Gold Coast United in driving rain.

Roar fell behind twice but came back through their two form strikers in an entertaining local derby.

United opened the scoring after Brisbane dominated the early exchanges when defender Dino Djulbic got on the end of a beautiful curling cross from Adama Traore, heading home past a helpless Michael Theoklitos.

Keeper Glen Moss continually denied the home side until some brilliant build up left him exposed for Kosta Barbarouses to level.

Captain Matt McKay played into the feet of Mitch Nichols who delightfully fed Barbarouses, the striker timing his run with perfection and chipping Moss superbly.

Gold Coast were ahead again after the break courtesy of a great goal by Robson, who skipped through Roar’s defence and finished smartly past Theoklitos.

But Roar were level for the second time when awarded a penalty after John Curtis brought Barbarouses down with his arm after sprawling to the deck.

Jean Carlos Solorzano stepped up to squeeze his shot under Moss in the United goal.

Winger Thomas Broich had the best chance to find the winner, but his attempted chip over an advancing Moss went wide in the slippery conditions.

Brisbane’s unbeaten run has extended to 18 courtesy of the draw as Gold Coast continue to show they can be a serious threat in season six.

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matthew SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 4. Shane STEFANUTTO (23. Milan SUSAK 77’), 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO (14. Rocky VISCONTE 73’), 15. Matt MCKAY (c), 17. Mitch NICHOLS (8. Massimo MURDOCCA 67’), 22. Thomas BROICH

Unused sub: 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk)

Yellow cards: Smith (41’), Susak (90+6’)

Red cards: None

Gold Coast United: 1. Glen MOSS (gk), 3. Michael THWAITE, 5. ROBSON (16. Kristian REES 78’), 6. Dino DJULBIC, 7. Zenon CARAVELLA, 10. Jason CULINA (c), 11. Bruce DJITE (26. Ben HALLORAN 87’), 13. Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 14. Joel PORTER (2. Steve PANTELIDIS 62’), 22. Adama TRAORE, 24. John CURTIS

Unused sub: 20. Scott HIGGINS (gk)

Yellow cards: Thwaite (32’), Curtis (64’), Traore (88’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Gold Coast ‘keeper Glen Moss was outstanding. The away side could have easily conceded several more goals had it not been for the brilliance of their number one.

Key Moment – There were a number of moments which defined this match but Thomas Broich’s missed one-on-one chance was a golden opportunity to earn a hard-fought victory. Ratings by Matt Dorman

Melbourne Victory 2 (Carlos Hernandez 20’, Ricardinho 90’)
Newcastle Jets 1 (Ruben Zadkovich 54’)
Crowd: 16,378 @ AAMI Park

Melbourne Victory moved back into the top six with a 2-1 win over Newcastle, thanks to a late winner by Ricardinho.

In a fiery contest, a late piece of magic by Robbie Kruse set up Ricardinho to tap into an open net in the 90^th minute.

Victory went ahead through Carlos Hernandez with the Costa Rican beating Ben Kennedy from distance with a low shot.

But the Jets had an even better response through Ruben Zadkovich after the interval.

The midfielder struck a stunning volley into the top corner of Michael Petkovic’s net to put Newcastle back on level terms.

It wasn’t to be for Branko Culina’s men after Kruse twisted and turned on the left wing before squaring for Ricardinho to tap in for an important win.

Victory are now undefeated in six games and continue to show they will be a finals danger.

The Jets have a couple of games in hand on their fellow finals competitors but would have loved to take a point from AAMI Park.

Melbourne Victory: 1. Michael PETKOVIC (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT, 3. Mate DUGANDZIC (9. RICARDINHO 76’), 6. Leigh BROXHAM, 11. Marvin ANGULO (13. Diogo FERREIRA 81’), 12. Rodrigo VARGAS, 14. Billy CELESKI, 15. Tom PONDELJAK, 16. Carlos HERNANDEZ (19. Evan BERGER 90+3’), 21. Robbie KRUSE, 23. Adrian LEIJER

Unused sub: 20. Sebastian MATTEI (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Newcastle Jets: 1. Ben KENNEDY (gk), 3. Adam D’APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5. Ljubo MILICEVIC (c), 7. Kasey WEHRMAN, 10. Ruben ZADKOVICH (14. Labinot HALITI 89’), 11. Tarek ELRICH, 12. Jobe WHEELHOUSE, 18. Marko JESIC, 19. Ali ABBAS (17. Marcello FIORENTINI 76’), 24. Francis JEFFERS

Unused subs: 50. Jack DUNCAN (gk), 13. Sasho PETROVSKI

Yellow card: Milicevic (22’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match - Probably can’t go past Carlos Hernandez for this one. Without the usual protection of Brebner in the midfield, Hernandez had to do a lot of the hard work himself with the opening goal an audacious effort against the run of play.

Key Moment - It has be Kruse’s trickery bypassing four Newcastle Jets players to set up Ricardinho for the winning goal. Ratings by Neil Zimmerman

North Queensland Fury 1 (Chris Payne 12’)
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Dylan Macallister 77’)
Crowd: 5107 @ Dairy Farmers Stadium

North Queensland Fury were forced to settle for a controversial 1-1 draw at home to Wellington Phoenix.

Fury were disallowed a late goal that they believed had crossed the line after a goal mouth scramble in stoppage time.

Fury went ahead early on after David Williams fed Chris Payne, who slid his shot past Danny Vukovic in the wet conditions.

Phoenix equalised after substitute Nick Ward put in a delightful cross for Dylan Macallister to poke home from close range.

The home side had a penalty shout turned down after David Williams was felled in the box by Manny Muscat, forced to settle for a draw after the late scramble.

Phoenix continue to struggle away from home while Fury remain locked in a tight battle with Sydney at the bottom.

North Queensland Fury: 1. Justin PASFIELD (gk), 3. Brad MCDONALD, 5. Mark HUGHES, 6. Ufuk TALAY (c), 7. Gareth EDDS, 11. David WILLIAMS, 12. Panagiotis NIKAS (10. Dyron DAAL 71’), 13. Andre KILIAN, 15. Chris PAYNE (14. Chris GROSSMAN 88’), 16. Simon STOREY, 24. Ramazan TAVSANCIOGLU

Unused subs: 28. Sebastian USAI (gk), 21. Jason SPAGNUOLO

Yellow card: Kilian (13’)

Red cards: None

Wellington Phoenix: 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 6. Tim BROWN (c), 7. Leo BERTOS (11. DANIEL 61’), 9. Chris GREENACRE, 13. Troy HEARFIELD (22. Andrew DURANTE 69’), 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 21. Marco ROJAS (4. Nick WARD 61’), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER

Unused sub: 20. Reece CROWTHER (gk)

Yellow cards: Muscat (20’), Lia (76’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Danny Vukovic was the man who kept Wellington alive in the match. He made a series of crucial saves - many from close range – which gave his side the chance to claim a point.

Key Moment – Once again the key moment of the match was a controversial one. Whether or not a goal should have been awarded in the final seconds, Dyron Daal should really have made a stronger connection to force the ball convincingly over the line. MD

Weekend Break: Perth Glory

Mid-week: Adelaide United v Sydney FC @ Adelaide Oval

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 League Table

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 - Leading Goal-Scorers

10 - Kosta BARBAROUSES, Robbie KRUSE, Sergio VAN DIJK

9 - Robbie FOWLER, Jean Carlos SOLORANZO

7 - Paul IFILL, Adam KWASNIK, Matt SIMON

6 - Alex BROSQUE, Tim BROWN, Bruno CAZARINE

5 - Jason CULINA, Marcos FLORES, Chris GREENACRE, REINALDO, Gerald SIBON, David WILLIAMS

4 - John ALOISI, Iain FYFE, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Marko JESIC, Mathew LECKIE, Mitch NICHOLS, Chris PAYNE, Mile STERJOVSKI

3 - Leo BERTOS, Thomas BROICH, Shannon COLE, Bruce DJITE, Mark HUGHES, Nick KALMAR, Dylan MacALLISTER, Sasho PETROVSKI, Iain RAMSAY, Ufuk TALAY, Archie THOMPSON, Bas VAN DEN BRINK, Patrick ZWAANSWIJK

2 - Eli BABALJ, James BROWN, Dyron DAAL, Dino DJULBIC, Travis DODD, Mate DUGANDZIC, Ivan FRANJIC, Rostyn GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Branko JELIC, Daniel MCBREEN, Matt MCKAY, Kevin MUSCAT, Scott NEVILLE, Patricio PEREZ, Joel PORTER, RICARDINHO, ROBSON, Joshua ROSE, Ben SIGMUND, Shane SMELTZ, Matt SMITH, Alex TERRA, Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, Rodrigo VARGAS, Adrian ZAHRA

1 - Ali ABASS, Michael BAIRD, Andrew BARISIC, Grant BREBNER, Mark BRIDGE, Michael BRIDGES, Jeremy BROCKIE, Leigh BROXHAM, Billy CELESKI, Isaka CERNAK, Simon COLOSIMO, Robert CORNTHWAITE, Jamie COYNE, John CURTIS, Luke DEVERE, Dino DJUBLIC, Gareth EDDS, Brendan GAN, Rhyan GRANT, Labinot HALITI, Jamie HARNWELL, Scott JAMIESON, Francis JEFFERS, Joe KEENAN, Stephan KELLER, Matthew LEWIS, Terry MCFLYNN, Josh MITCHELL, Daniel MULLEN, Massimo MURDOCCA, Erik PAARTALU, Steve PANTELIDIS, Adriano PELLEGRINO, Tom PONDELJAK, Paul REID, Marco ROJAS, Sean ROONEY, Eugene SSEPPUYA, Simon STOREY, Matt THOMPSON, Adama TRAORE, Rocky VISCONTE, Nick WARD, Alex WILKINSON, Rutger WORM, Ruben ZADKOVICH