Squandered Chances

 As the top four, and more particularly the top two continued to steam away, fifth and sixth spots have been left unwanted.

Melbourne’s two teams – Heart and Victory – are both winless in their last four outings but they’ve remained in the top six as those underneath begin their chases.

Mathematically, all five can still make it, but it’s charges from the likes of Wellington, Newcastle and Sydney that are of greater note.

Phoenix, on the back of form striker Paul Ifill, are beginning to look like the team that set an Australian national league record for the longest undefeated streak at home.

Ifill sits equal top on the scoring charts in the middle of a purple patch.

Newcastle’s success has come on the back of off field success, snatching a point in the F3 derby with Central Coast before beating MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a sell out crowd on the weekend.

Sydney FC are benefiting from the ability to keep clean sheets that they couldn’t do earlier in the season. The reigning champions have a couple of games in hand and have only lost one of their last five.

Dropping points seems to be the popular way so whichever one or two of the teams can make a run can cement a top six spot.

Just as tight is the race for the golden boot.

Purple patches seem to be the way to go for the A-League’s sharpshooters, with current form players Robbie Fowler, Ifill and Jean Carlos Solorzano sitting at the top with seven.

Earlier, it was a couple of others who now sit on six, including Kosta Barbarouses, Bruno Cazarine, Robbie Kruse and Adelaide United front man Sergio van Dijk.

Both battles remain up for grabs as we prepare for a tantalizing run home.

Adelaide United 2 (Paul Reid 10’, Travis Dodd 47’)
Gold Coast United 1 (Bas van den Brink 45+2’)
Crowd: 12,005 @ Hindmarsh Stadium

Adelaide United broke Gold Coast’s unbeaten run with an exciting 2-1 win at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.

If there were doubts about quality, the first two goals exchanged by the teams showed a huge amount.

A brilliant pass from Marcos Flores set up the surging Paul Reid to smash a half volley past Scott Higgins before Bas van den Brink put his hand up for goal of the season.

After a lay off, the Gold Coast man struck a bullet into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

Travis Dodd’s winner was a mixture of head and shin as the Reds held on against a 10-man Gold Coast outfit.

Thanks to the winner, Adelaide move well clear of Gold Coast and keep the pressure on Brisbane at the top.

Gold Coast, previously unbeaten in 11, will look to get back to winning ways against North Queensland Fury mid-week.

Adelaide United: 1. Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2. Robert CORNTHWAITE, 4. Iain FYFE, 6. CASSIO, 8. Adam HUGHES, 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Marcos FLORES (24. Cameron WATSON 85’), 12. Paul REID, 13. Travis DODD (c) (7. Lucas PANTELIS 80’), 17. Iain RAMSAY, 18. Fabian BARBIERO (5. Daniel MULLEN 90+1’)

Unused sub: 20. Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Gold Coast United: 20. Scott HIGGINS (gk), 6. Dino DJULBIC, 7. Zenon CARAVELLA, 8. ANDERSON (23. Steve FITZSIMMONS 64’), 10. Jason CULINA (c), 11. Bruce DJITE, 13. Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 16. Kristian REES (5. ROBSON 49’), 18. James BROWN, 22. Adama TRAORE, 24. John CURTIS (2. Steve PANTELIDIS 71’)

Unused sub: 30. Jerrad TYSON (gk)

Yellow cards: Brown 16’61’, Djite 28’, Djulbic 72’

Red card: Brown 61’

Man of the Match – Adelaide United’s Marcos Flores continued his superb form in this game. His breathtaking skill and ability was on show as he provided a fantastic assist for Paul Reid’s goal.

Key Moment – A 61st minute red card to GCU’s James Brown meant Gold Coast had to play down a man for a good half an hour; with Adelaide having such an advantage, it would’ve taken something impressive for the Gold Coast to get back into the game. Ratings by Arabella Vaughan

Wellington Phoenix 2 (Tim Brown 18’, Paul Ifill 84’)
Melbourne Victory 2 (Archie Thompson 21’, Robbie Kruse 40’)
Crowd: 6475 @ Westpac Stadium

Neither Wellington nor Melbourne Victory could move clear of the other, playing out a 2-2 draw thanks to a late Paul Ifill goal.

Phoenix went ahead with a Tim Brown volley, but Melbourne would be ahead by half time.

Archie Thompson scored his 50^th A-League goal and first of the season and Robbie Kruse finished off a nice team move to give Victory a half time lead.

But it was an equalizer from the in-form Ifill that proved Victory’s undoing.

He twisted and turned Rodrigo Vargas inside out before beating Michael Petkovic to ensure Phoenix got a point.

It was a good opportunity for either team to move clear in the top six, but neither was able to take the opportunity.

Wellington Phoenix: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 6. Tim BROWN, 7. Leo BERTOS (4. Nick WARD 56’), 8. Paul IFILL, 11. DANIEL (9. Chris GREENACRE 60’), 12. James MUSA (21. Marco ROJAS 76’), 13. Troy HEARFIELD, 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 22. Andrew DURANTE (c)

Unused sub: 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Melbourne Victory: 1. Michael PETKOVIC (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT (c), 6. Leigh BROXHAM, 8. Grant BREBNER, 10. Archie THOMPSON (15. Tom PONDELJAK 81’), 11. Marvin ANGULO, 12. Rodrigo VARGAS, 14. Billy CELESKI (13. Diogo FERREIRA 87’), 16. Carlos HERNANDEZ, 21. Robbie KRUSE (3. Mate DUGANDZIC 83’), 23. Adrian LEIJER

Unused sub: 20. Sebastian MATTEI (gk)

Yellow cards: Leijer 25’, Angulo 74’

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – The strikers from the two teams, Paul Ifill and Archie Thompson, both performed superbly and got on the scoresheet. It was Thompson’s 50^th A-League goal and first of the season while Ifill moved to the top of the scoring charts.

Key Moment – It looked like Victory were going home with three points until Paul Ifill’s 84^th minute equaliser. He turned twice and struck a low shot past Michael Petkovic. Ratings by Neil Zimmerman.

Melbourne Heart 0
Sydney FC 0
Crowd: 5128 @ AAMI Park

Missed opportunities were the order of the night at a wet AAMI Park as Melbourne Heart and Sydney FC played out a scoreless draw.

It was a chance for the Sky Blues to get very close to sixth spot while Heart could have cemented fifth.

Returning Heart skipper Simon Colosimo was forced into an aerobic clearance from a Mark Bridge chance.

The teams found the net once each but were both denied by offside calls.

John Aloisi had tucked away a rebound from Ivan Necevski before being correctly ruled offside.

At the other end, Bridge neatly beat Clint Bolton in a one-on-one but his goal was also disallowed.

Melbourne Heart: 1. Clint BOLTON (gk), 2. Michael MARRONE, 4. Simon COLOSIMO (c), 5. Michael BEAUCHAMP, 9. Gerald SIBON (22. Nick KALMAR 56’), 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 11. Alex TERRA (23. Dean HEFFERNAN 78’), 15. John ALOISI, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 20. Josip SKOKO (3. Brendan HAMILL 68’), 25. Adrian ZAHRA

Unused sub: 12. Peter ZOIS (gk)

Yellow cards: Colosimo 17’, Behich 35’, Srhoj 38’, Marrone 71’, Kalmar 82’

Red cards: None

Sydney FC: 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL, 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU (11. Kofi DANNING 82’), 7. Brendan GAN (24. Dimitri PETRATOS 64’), 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 22. Sung Hwan BYUN

Unused subs: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 17. Matthew JURMAN

Yellow cards: Musialik 28’, Bridge 47’, Byun 90+2’90+4’

Red cards: Byun 90+4’

Man of the match – Sydney FC’s Sebastian Ryall had a good, solid game in defence for the Sky Blues. He certainly took his opportunity in the absence of Stephan Keller and his performance will give coach Viteszlav Lavicka something to think about when picking his next squad.  

Key Moment – Simon Colosimo’s goal line clearance was vital to keep his team in the game in what was, other than the ruled out goals, the closest either team came. AV

Central Coast Mariners 1 (Adam Kwasnik 50’)
Brisbane Roar 5 (Jean Carlos Solorzano 8’11’, Mitch Nichols 24’, Reinaldo 88’, Alex Wilkinson (og) 89’)
Crowd: 5858 @ Bluetongue Stadium

Brisbane Roar put in another dominant display and broke an A-League record with a 5-1 victory at Central Coast.

Roar extended their unbeaten run to 14, the longest undefeated streak in the competition’s short history.

In-form striker Jean Carlos Solorzano opened the scoring after capitalizing on a rebound before hitting a low drive past Mathew Ryan to make it two in a matter of minutes.

The lively Mitch Nichols was on the scoresheet before the break after a tidy finish from a Kosta Barbarouses cutback.

The Mariners controversially pulled one back early in the second half with Adam Kwasnik having an instant impact off the bench.

His shot at the near post beat both Daniel McBreen and Michael Theoklitos, although the Mariners striker was interfering with play in an offside position.

As Central Coast pushed for a late onslaught, Reinaldo tapped in before Alex Wilkinson slid one into his own net to make it five.

To end a horror day for the Mariners, half time substitute McBreen was sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time.

Central Coast Mariners: 20. Mathew RYAN (gk), 3. Joshua ROSE, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 7. John HUTCHINSON, 8. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 16. Trent SAINSBURY (17. Chris DOIG 90’), 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON (2. Daniel MCBREEN 46’), 22. Mustafa AMINI (23. Adam KWASNIK 46’)

Unused sub: 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk)

Yellow cards: McBreen 54’90+3’, Wilkinson 75’

Red card: McBreen 90+3’

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matthew SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO (11. REINALDO 63’), 15. Matt MCKAY, 17. Mitch NICHOLS (8. Massimo MURDOCCA 73’), 22. Thomas BROICH (12. Matt MUNDY 90’), 23. Milan SUSAK

Unused subs: 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk)

Yellow cards: Theoklitos 51’, Franjic 62’, Broich 65’

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Brisbane Roar playmaker Thomas Broich was back to his brilliant best for Brisbane. Dubbed ‘Mozart’ in the pre-game, the German orchestrated much of the away side’s dominance in the final third.

Key Moment – The all-round lack of marking on Jean Carlos Solorzano for the second goal of the game was a crucial mistake from the Mariners players. Both John Hutchinson and Rostyn Griffiths failed to pick up the Costa Rican, allowing him to slam home his brace. Ratings by Matt Dorman

North Queensland Fury 1 (Mark Hughes 80’)
Perth Glory 1 (Robbie Fowler 23’)
Crowd: 4491 @ Dairy Farmers Stadium

Nine-man Perth Glory fought out a gutsy 1-1 draw at North Queensland Fury.

Glory dominated parts of the first half and marquee man Robbie Fowler was unlucky not to have a hat trick inside 25 minutes.

He was brought down by Mark Hughes in the first half and in the second, striking the bar with a free kick before he opened the scoring.

The goal was pure class, heading home over Justin Pasfield to make it 1-0.

Glory were down to 10 men moments after half time with defender Naum Sekulovski sent off for a second yellow card before defender Brent Griffiths received his second yellow minutes later to join him in the dressing room and leave his side with nine.

Fury defender Hughes got the equalizer with 10 minutes to play, heading home to secure his team a point.

North Queensland Fury: 1. Justin PASFIELD (gk), 5. Mark HUGHES, 6. Ufuk TALAY (c), 7. Gareth EDDS, 10. Dyron DAAL (3. Brad MCDONALD 65’), 11. David WILLIAMS, 12. Panagiotis NIKAS, 13. Andre KILIAN (24. Ramazan TAVSANCIOGLU 85’), 16. Simon STOREY, 17. Osama MALIK, 19. Isaka CERNAK (15. Chris PAYNE 46’)

Unused sub: 28. Sebastian USAI (gk)

Yellow cards: Williams 30’, Talay 78’

Red cards: None

Perth Glory: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 3. Jamie COYNE, 7. Jacob BURNS (c) (17. Todd HOWARTH 46’), 9. Robbie FOWLER, 10. Michael BAIRD (13. Tommy AMPHLETT 86’), 14. Steven MCGARRY, 16. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 18. Brent GRIFFITHS, 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI, 21. Mile STERJOVSKI, 24. Josh RISDON

Unused subs: 20. Aleks VRTESKI (gk), 11. Branko JELIC

Yellow cards: Sterjovski 7’, Sekulovski 38’50’, Griffiths 58’63’, Velaphi 89’

Red cards: Sekulovski 50’, Griffiths 63’

Man of the Match – Perth Glory talisman Robbie Fowler just edges Fury captain Ufuk Talay for mine. The former North Queensland skipper was exceptional for Perth in the first half and, with a bit of luck, could have had another hat-trick.

Key Moment – There were several key moments where either side could have commanded greater ownership of the match. Gareth Edds’ howling miss and Perth’s multiple red-cards in the space of 15 minutes were not conducive to winning football matches. MD

Weekend Break: Newcastle Jets

Mid-week: Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix @ Sydney Football Stadium, Gold Coast United v North Queensland Fury @ Skilled Park

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 League Table

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

7 – Robbie FOWLER, Paul IFILL, Jean Carlos SOLORZANO

6 – Kosta BARBAROUSES, Bruno CAZARINE, Robbie KRUSE, Sergio VAN DIJK

5 – Alex BROSQUE, Adam KWASNIK, REINALDO, Matt SIMON

4 – Tim BROWN, Marcos FLORES, Iain FYFE, Chris GREENACRE, Mathew LECKIE, Mitch NICHOLS, Gerald SIBON, David WILLIAMS

3 – John ALOISI, Leo BERTOS, Thomas BROICH, Shannon COLE, Jason CULINA, Bruce DJITE, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Mark HUGHES, Marko JESIC, Nick KALMAR, Daniel MCBREEN, Chris PAYNE, Iain RAMSAY, Mile STERJOVSKI

2 – Eli BABALJ, Dyron DAAL, Dino DJULBIC, Travis DODD, Mate DUGANDZIC, Ivan FRANJIC, Rostyn GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Branko JELIC, Kevin MUSCAT, Scott NEVILLE, Patricio PEREZ, Joel PORTER, Joshua ROSE, Shane SMELTZ, Matthew SMITH, Alex TERRA, Rodrigo VARGAS, Patrick ZWAANSWIJK

1 – Michael BAIRD, Andrew BARISIC, Grant BREBNER, Michael BRIDGES, Jeremy BROCKIE, James BROWN, Leigh BROXHAM, Billy CELESKI, Isaka CERNAK, Robert CORNTHWAITE, John CURTIS, Luke DEVERE, Gareth EDDS, Rhyan GRANT, Labinot HALITI, Jamie HARNWELL, Scott JAMIESON, Ben KANTAROVSKI, Stephan KELLER, Matthew LEWIS, Terry MCFLYNN, Matt MCKAY, Daniel MULLEN, Massimo MURDOCCA, Erik PAARTALU, Steve PANTELIDIS, Adriano PELLEGRINO, Sasho PETROVSKI, Tom PONDELJAK, Paul REID, RICARDINHO, Sean ROONEY, Ben SIGMUND, Eugene SSEPPUYA, Simon STOREY, Ufuk TALAY, Archie THOMPSON, Matt THOMPSON, Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, Adama TRAORE, Bas VAN DEN BRINK, Rocky VISCONTE, Nick WARD, Alex WILKINSON, Rutger WORM, Adrian ZAHRA