Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in momentum to help spark a change in fortunes. A few clubs were on the cusp of turning the tables this weekend, but their efforts to upset the status quo – and their respective rivals – fell agonisingly short.
Melbourne City were brave in defeat during the blockbuster clash with the Victory on Saturday night and, on another occasion, may just have taken all three points from the contest. Having conceded two relatively soft goals, it was City who took the game to a new level in the second half with their intensity and positive attitude.
Put aside the tactical diagrams and strategic analysis for a moment on this one, the final half an hour of the Melbourne derby was simply cracking. There was pulsating end-to-end action, which would have had even the sternest A-League critic enthralled. And, for the most part, it was City who were responsible for the most entertaining moments.
When Aaron Mooy played a sublime ball over the top to set up Stefan Mauk for the equaliser, the game appeared there for the taking for City. In search of just their second away derby win over their more storied opponents, it seemed certain John van ’t Schip’s men would make the most of one of their chances in front of goal.
City could also have been awarded a penalty when Steve Kuzmanovski’s shot struck the arm of the Victory’s Thomas Deng. Incidents where the defender’s arm is so far flung from his body so often result in the referee pointing to the spot – as was the case in a similar moment in the Victory’s FFA Cup win over Rockdale City Suns. And, at that particular point, with a growing force of energy behind them, City surely would have gone on to win.
Similarly, Central Coast Mariners had a strong penalty shout waved away when 1-0 down against Brisbane Roar – a team they are always eager to overcome after the dramatic 2011 grand final. Adrian Caceres was brought down in a clumsy challenge from behind by Jack Hingert, and that could have seen the pendulum swing in the visitors’ favour. But instead Brandon Borello scored his second, which was enough for the Roar to claim a 2-1 triumph.
As an aside, John Aloisi is looking more astute by the week for his acquisition of midfielder Corona, whose touch and vision is among the best the A-League has yet seen. The Spaniard’s compatriot Andreu, meanwhile, has experienced the lows as well as the highs in his brief spell at Western Sydney Wanderers. The Spaniard nodded into his own net against Adelaide United before redeeming himself with a calm finish in the second half to earn a share of the spoils. To be fair, that is one way to get a leg up the scoring charts early doors.
Back in Melbourne, and after scoring two well constructed goals of their own, City were hit by a sucker punch as Besart Berisha demonstrated his predatory nature by pouncing on a parried clearance to slot home the winner. The reigning champions professionally closed out the game, much like the Roar, and normal service had evidently resumed.
Earlier on Saturday evening in Newcastle, the margins between success and failure were narrower still. The Jets should never have had Jason Hoffman’s headed goal ruled out for offside against Sydney FC. Replays showed Hoffman was on the right side of the last defender when the ball was sent in from a set-piece delivery, leaving the home side in uproar against their bigger NSW brothers.
Again, that moment could potentially have launched the new-look Jets – who, after only two rounds, already appear a much better proposition than last season – to go on with the job. Of course, the Sky Blues went on to net a last-gasp winner of their own through Alex Brosque to seal a 1-0 win.
That game also brought about another major talking point for the week, as Sydney FC’s Shane Smeltz clattered into Jets goalkeeper Mark Birighitti, leaving the custodian with a bloodied face and in need of surgery.
Sky Blues boss Graham Arnold later explained that his striker was “distraught” over the challenge, which bore a shocking resemblance to the time the same player left former Jets goalkeeper Neil Young worse for wear. “[Smeltz] said to me that after it happened his head was gone,” Arnold said post-match. “He would have come off if we had another sub.
“I haven’t seen the incident, did he leave his foot in? The match review panel will look at it. It’s not good for it to happen to anyone, let’s hope he recovers quickly.”
Arnold’s counterpart on the day, Scott Miller, labeled the tackle “outrageous”. Was it really so bad or, as Arnold suggested, “the nature of sport”? Perhaps the answer is a little of both, as surely there was no malice behind the action from Smeltz, but it is quite clearly dangerous and careless.
In that sense it can be compared to the leading elbow Wellington’s Blake Powell shoved into Michael Thwaite’s nose in Perth’s 2-1 loss to the Phoenix on Sunday. Moments after Thwaite left the field with blood streaming from his nose, Glory skipper Richard Garcia was shown a second yellow card, and Vince Lia prodded in his first A-League goal in four-and-a-half years.
It can be argued that these moments did not in themselves alter the result of their respective matches, and given these incidents flash by in a brief moment, it is hard for a referee to take the right action. What is known, though, is that more consideration needs to be placed on the issue of head injuries in the A-League generally, and that includes all stakeholders from players, coaches and officials.
Looking ahead, and whilst they were amongst the clubs without the rub of the green this weekend, Perth and Melbourne City will have the opportunity to reverse that in Wednesday’s FFA Cup semi-final. In cup football, perhaps more so than in the league, these moments of momentum shifts can become even more crucial to the outcome.
