A record crowd turned out at Adelaide Oval to witness Melbourne Victory snatch a late equaliser to break the hearts of the local Adelaide United supporters. Sergio Cirio thought he had secured the three points after his curling effort got the better of Nathan Coe, but a late Fahid Ben Khalfallah strike ensured both sides walked away with something.
***
GK: Nathan Coe – 7.5
Had another solid night. Seems to have improved aerially and coming off his line. Was competing with Galekovic all night for the most swept up through balls outside the box. One or two shaky moments, but generally held onto his saves well. Could do nothing about Cirio’s curling goal.
RB: Jason Geria – 6
With the ball seemingly glued to the far side of the pitch for both teams, had to withstand a barrage but for the most part played his role well bar one or two shaky moments, with Adelaide not fashioning any clear cut chances from his wing while he was on. Still struggles positionally in an unnatural position, but his tackling has improved and his touch is mostly tidy.
CB: Adrian Leijer – 6.5
Was okay but had a few characteristically nervous moments, giving away a seemingly needless yellow that gave Djite the incentive to run at him. Also coughed up possession in a dangerous position which luckily went unpunished.
★ CB: Matthieu Delpierre – 8 ★
The man can do it with his head and with his feet. Comfortably towered over his opponents to clear aerial balls, while stuck his leg out to dispossess opponents or cut off deliveries. Comfortable in playing out from the back, too. The defensive rock that Victory desperately needs in the backline.
RB: Daniel Georgevski – 7.5
Another impressive performance from the fullback, despite having considerably less to do than his fellow defenders. Comfortable with both feet and adds another dimension going forward. Was only genunely beaten by Cirio once down his wing, with Delpierre sliding in to cut off the resulting cross.
CM: Mark Milligan – 6.5
While in midfield, Milligan’s presence was commanding, doing what he does best in breaking up opposition play and launching the transition ball. His one blight on the game was after being pushed back on the last line, where he was completely exposed and made to look silly by Cirio for the goal.
CM: Carl Valeri – 7
Another unassuming performance from Valeri, who can often go unnoticed but has a big impact in stifling Adelaide’s play and being Victory’s engine in the middle. Tidy in possession
AM: Gui Finkler – 5.5 (1 assist)
Was starved of space on the ball, enduring a frustrating night. Never really seemed to be in the game, despite his best efforts. Had a few clever moments but generally struggled to cohesively link up with the front three, much to Gombau and Adelaide’s credit. Had Victory’s best chance in the first half, but the usually clinical finisher just flashed his volley past Galekovic and the woodwork. Did salvage a late assist with his corner-kick met by Khalfallah
RW: Kosta Barbarouses – 6.5
Looked dangerous despite having little opportunity to showcase himself. Got in behind Adelaide’s defence on a few occasions, and was inches away from setting up Berisha for the first goal when he dribbled into the box and sent in a cross just inches away from the Albanian. Caused Elrich a number of headaches but just couldn’t land the killer blow.
LW: Archie Thompson – 5
A quiet one for the Victory stalwart, who didn’t have the pace to beat his man or latch onto through balls on a lighting quick surface. He did work hard, dropping back off the ball to provide defensive support, but overall it was a fruitless night for Thompson, much like the rest of his attacking compatriots.
ST: Besart Berisha – 5
A tough night at the office for the striker, who didn’t receive much service and had to often drop deeper in an attempt to create something, to little effect. His ‘backchat to the referee count in protest of harsh 50-50 calls’ count outnumbered his opportunities on goal, as he was effectively marked out of the game.
Sub: Leigh Broxham – 5 (on 64′)
Struggled when he came on. Didn’t close down Djite in the box on one occasion, with the striker able to get a shot away just wide of Coe, and was left in no man’s land when the ball out of Adelaide’s defence was played to Cirio for his goal.
Sub: Fahid Ben Khalfallah – 7 (on 74′, 1 goal)
The impact sub made a big impact, scoring the crucial equaliser. Did well to time the volley from Finkler’s corner, beat Galekovic, and also keep the strike from flying over the crossbar. Looked dangerous down the left wing when he came on, getting in behind on a couple of occasions, just let down by his final ball.
Sub: Rashid Mahazi – n/a (on 79′)
Came on late and had a few passes, looked quite physical in midfield. Not enough to form a succinct assessment of his late cameo.
***
Votes:
3. Matthieu Delpierre – 8
2. Nathan Coe – 7.5
1. Daniel Georgievski – 7.5
TCF Melbourne Medal Running Tally:
15.5 – Daniel Georgievski (Melbourne Victory)
9 – Leigh Broxham (Melbourne Victory)
8.5 – Besart Berisha (Melbourne Victory)
8.5 – Damien Duff (Melbourne City)
8 – Matthieu Delpierre (Melbourne Victory)
8 – Aaron Mooy (Melbourne City)
7.5 – Nathan Coe (Melbourne Victory)
7.5 – Paddy Kisnorbo (Melbourne City)