A-League Men: Finals race tightens up

1 week ago 12

Wanderers spell 4th with large win implicit Perth

Western Sydney Wanderers person jumped to 4th connected the table with a thumping 4-1 win implicit struggling Perth Glory.

The Wanderers came from down to assertion their third win connected the bounce aft Adam Taggart opened the scoring successful the 5th infinitesimal astatine CommBank Stadium connected Sunday.

Young attacker Aydan Hammond equalised with a wonder strike successful the 14th minute, then enactment the Wanderers up successful the 39th. Oscar Priestman and Bozhidar Kraev struck successful the 2nd half.

With victory implicit manager Alen Stajcic’s erstwhile side, the Wanderers sit fourth, conscionable a constituent down second-placed Western United and third-placed Adelaide, and up of Melbourne City connected extremity difference.

Slick Sydney stick the footwear into struggling Macarthur

Sydney FC person bolstered their hopes of a top-six decorativeness with a 2-0 win that has heaped further misery connected a fast-falling Macarthur outfit.

Goals from super-sub Adrian Segecic and Patryk Klimala helped Ufuk Talay’s broadside unafraid victory successful beforehand of 8002 spectators astatine Campbelltown Sports Stadium connected Saturday.

The gathering betwixt Macarthur and Sydney shaped arsenic perchance season-defining for some clubs, but the location broadside could not laic a mitt connected the Sky Blues.

Macarthur lacked immoderate attacking spark and their play is connected the brink of implosion, having picked up conscionable 1 win successful their past six games.

On New Year’s Day the Bulls sat second, but present find themselves successful eighth spot.

Their illness successful signifier comes σύντομα aft the nine allowed skipper Valere Germain, striker Ariath Piol and winger Jed Drew to determination overseas successful the January window.

Victory unafraid constituent with precocious equaliser against Roar

Brisbane’s winless streak astatine location has stretched to 10 matches arsenic Melbourne Victory struck successful the past infinitesimal to assertion a 1-1 gully astatine Suncorp Stadium.

A infinitesimal aft Samuel Klein had spurned a accidental successful beforehand of goal, near backmost Kasey Bos caught the Roar defence napping successful the 97th minute.

Victory, 5th connected the ladder coming into Saturday’s clash, had a aureate accidental against the cellar-dwellers to articulation Western United and Adelaide United connected 32 points successful adjacent 2nd presumption with a win, but were outplayed by the hosts.

The Roar’s winless streak astatine their spiritual location stretches backmost to March 3 past year when they bushed Victory 3-2.

Saturday’s gully was their archetypal constituent astatine location since then aft 9 losses.

Roar forwards Nathan Amanatidis and Asumah Abubakar created havoc successful onslaught but could not find the net.

Amanatidis had three chances wrong 15 minutes, the third expertly saved disconnected the enactment by defender Joshua Rawlins.

He burst done the mediate of the Victory defence successful the 50th infinitesimal but again failed to finish, injuring a hamstring successful the process and limping from the pitch.

Corica lashes punishment calls aft melodramatic 4-4 draw

Auckland FC manager Steve Corica lashed two contentious penalties awarded to Adelaide United arsenic “not bully enough” officiating successful a dramatic, high-stakes 4-4 draw.

United came from down three times to combat retired the bonzer gully with league leaders Auckland astatine Go Media Stadium connected Saturday, giving the contention for top spot a pulse.

Adelaide fought backmost from 2-0 then 3-1 down to level the crippled astatine 3-3 done two Zach Clough penalties.

Then, Auckland skipper Hiroki Sakai thought he’d scored the winner successful the 92nd minute, earlier Bart Vriends bundled location a 98th-minute equaliser.

Corica said post-match that “both penalties are not penalties … The referee successful my opinion, Daniel (Elder), helium got some of them wrong.”

He pointed to when they past drew with Adelaide, and the Reds were awarded a goal.

“The referees the adjacent time said, ‘Yeah, you’re right. It shouldn’t person been a goal.’ And I’m sure tomorrow we’ll get an apology arsenic well,” Corica said.

“But that’s not bully enough, really, is it?

“When you’re talking astir top of the table, two large teams trying to win, and not lone 1 determination but two decisions similar that spell against you.

“It’s disappointing.”

Walatee injured arsenic Western United bushed Mariners

Western United broke their Central Coast hoodoo with a 3-1 win courtesy of a Luke Vickery goal.

Vickery came disconnected the seat astatine Industree Group Stadium successful the 78th infinitesimal and enactment Western up 2-1 three minutes later, earlier Michael Ruhs added different successful added time.

But their archetypal win implicit Central Coast since 2021 has travel astatine a outgo aft rising star Abel Walatee suffered a suspected abdomen wounded aboriginal past Friday night’s match.

Western United emergence to 2nd successful the league aft securing their archetypal win successful Gosford.

Finals hopes fading for Phoenix aft City defeat

Wellington Phoenix manager Giancarlo Italiano admitted his side’s hopes of playing finals person been dealt a adjacent fatal stroke by a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Melbourne City.

Entering past Friday evening’s contention disconnected a 6-1 drubbing from Kiwi rivals Auckland the week prior, and winless successful their past 4 games, the Phoenix suffered their ninth decision of the run astatine Sky Stadium thanks to Marco Tilio’s 51st infinitesimal strike.

It near them rooted successful 11th spot connected the table.

The Phoenix will play 5 of their past 8 games crossed the Tasman, with pivotal trips to look Western United and Sydney FC to travel successful the adjacent fortnight.

Conversely, the congested ALM playoff representation means City successful 5th are conscionable 1 constituent down Western successful second.

This week: On Friday night, City big Macarthur. On Saturday, it’s high-stakes shot arsenic Adelaide play Brisbane, Western United take connected Wellington and Victory big the Mariners. Then, resurgent Newcastle take connected Auckland connected Sunday.

Matchday 22 – Schedule AEDT

Friday 7/3

Melbourne City v Macarthur Bulls 7.35pm

Saturday 8/3

Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar 5pm

Western United v Wellington Phoenix 6pm

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners 7.35pm

Sunday 9/3

Newcastle Jets v Auckland FC 5pm

Standings (as of the completion of Round 21)

Teams Win Draw Loss Points

1. Auckland FC 12.4.2.40