Who'll Stop Roar Now?

The disappointing loss against a Roar outfit missing three of their stars also came at an injury cost before the trip to AAMI Park on Sunday.

Midfielder Joseph Keenan fractured his left fibula and is set to miss the remainder of the season, while four others are also under an injury cloud.

Defender Nigel Boogaard and star midfielder Marcos Flores both have groin strains while Cassio is struggling with a sore hamstring.

Adam Hughes is struggling with general soreness but the top of the table clash was to show more about United than Roar with the visitors missing captain Matt McKay, star winger Thomas Broich and full back Ivan Franjic.

Despite conceding an unlucky goal, the Reds struggled going forward and only created a couple of chances, unable to beat Michael Theoklitos during the 90 minutes.

Recruits Francisco Ususcar and Andy Slory are expected to have their paperwork cleared and be available for the clash with Victory, be it starting or having an impact off the bench.

Although it has been a busy schedule for the Reds, their wins have only come against two of the bottom three – North Queensland Fury and Sydney FC.

There have been losses against Wellington, Melbourne Heart, Perth, Central Coast and Brisbane, with two of those coming at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Injuries aren’t Adelaide’s only problem with the side scoring just twice in their last three outings.

The reliance on gun striker Sergio van Dijk has become greater and more of a contribution is needed from an out of sorts Travis Dodd and his fellow midfielders.

There’d be no better way for Adelaide to resurrect their season than with a win at AAMI Park, but their struggles are becoming more and more evident.

They’ll be glad to finish with four of their last five games at home, following the meeting with Victory.

It was a win that all but assured Brisbane the Premier’s Plate while Sydney FC broke a five-game losing run with a win at Newcastle in other week 21 action.

Melbourne Heart kept sixth spot, Victory scored a late win at Central Coast while Gold Coast and Perth played out a scoreless draw.

Central Coast Mariners 1 (Adrian Leijer 48’(og))
Melbourne Victory 2 (Diogo Ferreira 85’, Grant Brebner 87’)
Crowd: 12,409 @ Bluetongue Stadium

Melbourne Victory scored twice in the last five minutes to extend their unbeaten run to seven with a 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners in the last match of 2010.

The Mariners couldn’t hold on after striker Adam Kwasnik was sent off early in the second half after being booked for the second time in 13 minutes.

Both teams struggled to create anything clear cut in the opening period with Victory keeper Michael Petkovic and young Mariners shot stopper Mathew Ryan playing their parts in goal.

Petkovic denied Patricio Perez on more than one occasion while Ryan was forced to palm away a stinging shot from Carlos Hernandez.

But a goal brought life into the contest early in the second half, thanks to Joshua Rose, Kwasnik and Adrian Leijer.

Rose did the hard work on the left before aiming his cross for Kwasnik, but Leijer tracked back before beating his own keeper from close range.

After seeing yellow for a rash challenge, Kwasnik saw a second and red for an angry response to a non-decision.

Victory made the Mariners pay late on with young substitute Diogo Ferreira levelling the scores after Grant Brebner set him up inside the area.

Provider turned scorer moments later as Brebner capitalized on a rare error from Ryan.

The young shot stopper spilled a long shot, allowing Brebner to react quickly and poke home before he could recover.

The win was Victory’s fourth in a row and seventh consecutive game undefeated, moving them well clear in fifth.

The Mariners were brave but lost out after playing almost the entire second half with 10 men.

Central Coast Mariners: 20. Mathew RYAN (gk), 3. Joshua ROSE, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 7. John HUTCHINSON (22. Mustafa AMINI 89’), 10. Patricio PEREZ (2. Daniel MCBREEN 63’), 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 16. Trent SAINSBURY (17. Chris DOIG 73’), 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON, 23. Adam KWASNIK

Unused sub: 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk)

Yellow cards: Kwasnik (41’53’)

Red cards: Kwasnik (53’)

Melbourne Victory: 1. Michael PETKOVIC (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT (c), 3. Mate DUGANDZIC (13. Diogo FERREIRA 46’), 8. Grant BREBNER, 11. Marvin ANGULO (19. Evan BERGER 77’), 12. Rodrigo VARGAS, 14. Billy CELESKI (9. RICARDINHO 70’), 15. Tom PONDELJAK, 16. Carlos HERNANDEZ, 21. Robbie KRUSE, 23. Adrian LEIJER

Unused sub: 20. Sebastian MATTEI (gk)

Yellow card: Petkovic (90+4’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Diogo Ferreira. Played a part in both of the Victory’s late goals and gave the side the necessary impetus when they had the man advantage.

Key Moment – Five minutes after playing a part in the Mariners taking the lead, Adam Kwasnik receives his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card for abusing referee, Ben Williams. Immediately put his team on the back foot and it was only a matter of time before the Victory found an opening.

Melbourne Heart 2 (John Aloisi 58’, Gerald Sibon 83’)
North Queensland Fury 0
Crowd: 6482 @ AAMI Park

Melbourne Heart made it three wins on the trot with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over North Queensland Fury.

Heart had to wait until the hour mark for John Aloisi to break through, before fellow veteran Gerald Sibon made the points safe with a towering header late on.

The home side had the better of the first half, but the closest it came was via a stinging drive from Josip Skoko that was smartly palmed away by Justin Pasfield.

Fury had chances of their own in the first half, none better than when Chris Payne got behind the Heart defence.

He chose to try and cut a pass back for strike partner David Williams instead of shoot and Simon Colosimo brought an end to the attack.

Despite a bright start by Fury early in the second half, Heart deservedly opened the scoring just before the hour mark.

The influential Michael Marrone did the hard work down the right before crossing for Aloisi to control his finish beautifully and beat Pasfield at his near post.

Heart dominated the last half hour and were rewarded when Sibon rose highest to head past a stranded Pasfield, who came for the ball before changing his mind.

It was a third-straight win for Heart as they kept the pressure on Wellington and Newcastle for sixth spot, one they hang on to for the time being.

Fury’s loss was their third in fourth outings and keeps them just ahead of Sydney in the battle to avoid bottom place.

Melbourne Heart: 1. Clint BOLTON (gk), 2. Michael MARRONE, 4. Simon COLOSIMO (c), 6. Matt THOMPSON, 7. Rutger WORM (11. Alex TERRA 52’), 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 15. John ALOISI (5. Michael BEAUCHAMP 76’), 16. Aziz BEHICH, 20. Josip SKOKO, 22. Nick KALMAR (9. Gerald SIBON 59’), 25. Adrian ZAHRA

Unused sub: 12. Peter ZOIS (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

North Queensland Fury: 1. Justin PASFIELD (gk), 3. Brad MCDONALD, 5. Mark HUGHES, 6. Ufuk TALAY (c) (8. Adam CASEY 57’), 7. Gareth EDDS, 11. David WILLIAMS, 12. Panagiotis NIKAS (21. Jason SPAGNUOLO 71’), 13. Andre KILIAN (2. Jack HINGERT 75’), 14. Chris GROSSMAN, 15. Chris PAYNE, 24. Ramazan TAVSANCIOGLU

Unused sub: 28. Sebastian USAI (gk)

Yellow card: Hughes (90+4’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – With North Queensland Fury all performing… well… very averagely it was always going to be a Melbourne Heart player who stepped up. Veteran John Aloisi continued his good run of form and capped it off with a goal. Aloisi is enjoying a good season with the Heart in what is his last year of professional football.

Key Moment – The deadlock was broken in the 53rd, sucking virtually all remaining signs of life out of Fury. Ratings by Arabella Vaughan

Adelaide United 0
Brisbane Roar 1 (Jean Carlos Solorzano 69’)
Crowd: 14,420 @ Hindmarsh Stadium

Brisbane Roar moved 11 points clear at the top of the ladder with a 1-0 win at Adelaide United.

In an exciting end-to-end encounter, Roar got the winner through gun striker Jean Carlos Solorzano with 20 minutes to play.

Adelaide started brightly and full back Cassio struck the woodwork from a tight angle in the opening exchanges.

Playing against his former club, Adelaide striker Sergio van Dijk narrowly missed the chance to open the scoring when he fell just short of reaching a cut back from Iain Ramsay.

Roar midfielder Mitch Nichols tried his luck with an overhead kick, but he could only manage to direct it onto the roof of the net.

The visitors needed a piece of luck to break the deadlock with a pass from Nichols deflecting off Iain Fyfe and into the path of Solorzano, who finished superbly under Mark Birighitti.

United weren’t to find an equalizer despite the best efforts of van Dijk and Fyfe, leaving Roar to all but secure the premier’s plate.

It was a disappointing result for United, their fourth loss in five outings, against a team missing Matt McKay, Thomas Broich and Ivan Franjic.

Adelaide United: 20. Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 3. Nigel BOOGAARD (2. Robert CORNTHWAITE 85’), 4. Iain FYFE, 6. CASSIO (18. Fabian BARBIERO 78’), 8. Adam HUGHES (13. Travis DODD 67’), 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Marcos FLORES, 12. Paul REID (c), 14. Cameron WATSON, 17. Iain RAMSAY, 26. Joseph KEENAN

Unused sub: 1. Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk)

Yellow card: Cornthwaite (90’)

Red cards: None

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matthew SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 4. Shane STEFANUTTO, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBARBOUSES (12. Matt MUNDY 90+5’), 8. Massimo MURDOCCA (10. HENRIQUE 67’), 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO, 14. Rocky VISCONTE (18. Luke BRATTAN 46’), 17. Mitch NICHOLS, 23. Milan SUSAK

Unused sub: 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk)

Yellow cards: Nichols (37’), Susak (40’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Erik Paartalu needed to step up in the absence of Matt McKay and he did just that. The big man won headers, made interceptions and kept a clear head when Adelaide put Brisbane under the pump.

Key Moment – It was Brisbane’s survival of a poor first 10 minutes and an intense final period which allowed them to claim victory. In between was a very solid hour of football for the away side but it was crucial for the Roar to show that they could scrap for survival. Ratings by Matt Dorman

Newcastle Jets 1 (Labinot Haliti 66’)
Sydney FC 2 (Hirofumi Moriyasu 36’, Bruno Cazarine 45+1’)
Crowd: 12,118 @ EnergyAustralia Stadium

Sydney FC broke a five-game losing run and put a dent in Newcastle’s finals hopes with a 2-1 win at EnergyAustralia Stadium.

After a lengthy scoring drought, the Sky Blues eased the pressure on manager Vitezslav Lavicka by scoring twice in the first half and holding on despite the Jets pulling one back in the second period.

Hirofumi Moriyasu opened the scoring when he swept a corner past Ben Kennedy before Bruno Cazarine doubled the lead in first half stoppage time amid some shambolic defending.

After a backpass to him was left short, Kennedy’s clearance fell for Cazarine to curl into the roof of an open net.

The Jets pulled one back through substitute Labinot Haliti after he struck his shot into the roof of the net after a cutback from Ruben Zadkovich.

Fellow substitute Sasho Petrovski almost scored what would have been a crucial equallizer but his diving header struck the woodwork.

It was a much-needed win for Sydney FC with Lavicka facing a meeting in mid January.

The loss for the Jets ensures their poor record against the Sky Blues continues and although they still hold prime position for sixth spot, this would have been a game they planned to take at least a point from.

Newcastle Jets: 1. Ben KENNEDY (gk), 3. Adam D’APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5. Ljubo MILICEVIC (17. Marcello FIORENTINI 14’), 7. Kasey WEHRMAN (c), 10. Ruben ZADKOVICH, 11. Tarek ELRICH, 12. Jobe WHEELHOUSE, 18. Marko JESIC (14. Labinot HALITI 63’), 19. Ali ABBAS, 23. Ryan GRIFFITHS (13. Sasho PETROVSKI 63’)

Unused sub: 50. Jack DUNCAN (gk)

Yellow cards: Griffiths (17’), Wehrman (27’)

Red cards: None

Sydney FC: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 3. Stephan KELLER, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU (2. Sebastian RYALL 84’), 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 9. Bruno CAZARINE (18. Juho MAKELA 77’), 10. Nick CARLE (12. Shannon COLE 71’), 15. Terry MCFLYNN (c), 17. Matt JURMAN, 21. Scott JAMIESON, 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS

Unused sub: 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk)

Yellow cards: Keller (39’), Carle (49’), Jamieson (75’), Reddy (84’)

Red cards: None

Man of the match – Sydney FC’s Hirofumi Moriyasu stood out with a bright performance and managed to nab himself a goal in what was a long awaited positive result for the reigning champions.

Key moment – After scoring one back to make the score 2-1, Newcastle Jets spurned several golden opportunities to level the score and come away with a point. Sasho Petrovski, come on down. AV

Gold Coast United 0
Perth Glory 0
Crowd: 2931 @ Skilled Park

Gold Coast United failed to move into third spot after being held to a scoreless draw by Perth Glory.

United did find the net late on but a cross from Tahj Minniecon was ruled to have crossed the line after Bruce Djite placed it into an open net.

Djite had gone within inches of the opener on the hour mark after an Adama Traore pass, but his shot went just by the post.

Perth striker Robbie Fowler had what was arguably the best chance for Glory, but he scuffed his shot from inside the penalty area wide.

It was a disappointing result for United while Glory would have been pleased to pick up a point away from home.

Gold Coast United: 1. Glen MOSS (gk), 2. Steve PANTELIDIS (8. ANDERSON 56’), 5. ROBSON (25. Chris BROADFOOT 83’), 6. Dino DJULBIC, 7. Zenon CARAVELLA, 11. Bruce DJITE, 13. Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 14. Joel PORTER (15. Tahj MINNIECON 63’), 16. Kristian REES, 22. Adama TRAORE, 24. John CURTIS

Unused sub: 20. Scott HIGGINS (gk)

Yellow cards: Pantelidis (24’), Anderson (75’)

Red cards: None

Perth Glory: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2. Josh MITCHELL (13. Tommy AMPHLETT 89’), 3. Jamie COYNE, 5. Jamie HARNWELL, 7. Jacob BURNS (c), 9. Robbie FOWLER, 12. Scott NEVILLE, 14. Steven McGARRY (17. Todd HOWARTH 78’), 16. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI (4. Andy TODD 46’), 21. Mile STERJOVSKI

Unused sub: 20. Alex PEARSON (gk)

Yellow cards: Coyne (48’), Todd (75’)

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – In a lacklustre game featuring few moments of real quality, Adama Traore was one who did manage to produce individual highlights. His direct dribbling in particular caused the Perth defence difficulties on occasion.

Key Moment – A match bereft of clear-cut scoring opportunities required someone to grab a half-chance but both sides failed to do that. Two that went begging for Gold Coast only seconds from half-time, first from Joel Porter and then from Dino Djulbic, were mirrored by Robbie Fowler and Todd Howarth blowing consecutive chances for Perth in the second half. MD

Weekend Break: Wellington Phoenix

Mid-week: Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory @ Westpac Stadium

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 League Table

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

11 - Sergio VAN DIJK

10 - Kosta BARBAROUSES, Robbie KRUSE, Jean Carlos SOLORANZO

9 - Robbie FOWLER

7 - Bruno CAZARINE, Paul IFILL, Adam KWASNIK, Matt SIMON

6 - Alex BROSQUE, Tim BROWN, Gerald SIBON

5 - John ALOISI, Jason CULINA, Marcos FLORES, Chris GREENACRE, REINALDO, David WILLIAMS

4 - 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, Grant BREBNER, James BROWN, Dyron DAAL, Dino DJULBIC, Travis DODD, Mate DUGANDZIC, Ivan FRANJIC, Rostyn GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Labinot HALITI, 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, 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, Diogo FERRERIA, Brendan GAN, Rhyan GRANT, Jamie HARNWELL, Scott JAMIESON, Francis JEFFERS, Joe KEENAN, Stephan KELLER, Matthew LEWIS, Terry MCFLYNN, Josh MITCHELL, Hirofumi MORIYASU, 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