Not even a questionable referee’s decision could bring drama to the game. In front of a disappointing crowd of 19,071 people at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory played out an uninspiring scoreless draw.

In what has become an all-too familiar theme in the A-League, the major talking point of the match was the referee. On 72 minutes Peter Green gave Leigh Broxham a second yellow card for a decidedly soft elbow to the neck of Adelaide midfielder Isaias Sanchez, leaving Victory with 10 men for the last 20 minutes. And yet a listless Adelaide could not convert their numerical advantage to the scoreboard.

Much of the pre-match build up focused on new Adelaide coach Guilleme Amor and the Spanish style he has promised to continue after the departure of Josep Gombau to New York. Yet the Reds played none of the slick passing football that we have come to expect from them since Gombau arrived two seasons ago.

There were signs of life from Marcelo Carrusca, Jimmy Jeggo and Sergio Cirio, but otherwise Adelaide appeared sluggish and disinterested – on 10 minutes Cirio beat his man down the left and flashed the ball across the face of goal, but new signing Mate Dugandzic simply watched on rather than attack the far post.

While Amor sat bolt upright and unmoved on the sideline, his opposite number Kevin Muscat was his usual excitable self, barking instructions, pacing along the technical area and cajoling the referees assistant. And it was Muscat’s side that took the initiative for much of the game.

Victory’s attacking trio of Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Besart Berisha and Kosta Barbarouses were lively but lacked polish.

Ben Khalfalah was the standout, immediately getting the better of his marker, Michael Marrone, and then repeatedly terrorising him down the left flank. Victory’s first two corners came as a result of Ben Khalfalah’s efforts, the first yellow card of the match was a Marrone foul on Ben Khalfalah on 14 minutes, and the best chances of the first half all involved the Tunisian.

Both Bozanic and Berisha had early chances, snap shots from inside the box which sailed over the bar, while Victory’s Brazilian midfielder Guilherme Finkler fizzed a shot just wide.

Berisha really should have put the visitors ahead on 22 minutes, but he wasted Ben Khalfalah’s slide-rule ball with a poor second touch which ruined the one-one-one chance. It was an off night for Berisha, who bungled a similar chance on the hour mark, crossing his lines as he bore down on goal.

Adelaide might have had more shots in the first half, but it was Victory that appeared the most dangerous. Both sides had relative newcomers in between the posts – it was John Hall’s run-on debut for Adelaide while Danny Vukovic made his first A-League appearance since his move from Perth Glory. Yet in a sign of the game’s caginess, neither goalkeeper was forced to make a save in the first 45 minutes.

When called into action, Hall held his own. Five minutes after half-time he making a sharp save to deny a vicious Barbarouses shot from inside the penalty area. Strong in the air and decisive off his line, just after the hour mark Hall pulled off a decisive save to deny Finkler from close range.

Barbarouses had two more chances within moments of one another. The first found the back of the net, after a Berisha ball split the Reds defence, however it was disallowed for offside. His second crashed a shot from range off the post.

A final chance fell to Cirio in added time, but Vukovic made a smart save to send the Reds fans home disappointed. As one punter yelled when the crowd was announced: “We should have stayed at Hindmarsh!”

“I didn’t think Peter Green got the decision right,” said Muscat post-match. “Considering if you follow the game as well, the player he’s playing against [Isaias], every challenge he always hit the deck.”

Despite the send off Muscat said he was disappointed that Victory didn’t win the game, and took aim at Adelaide’s players for trying to influence the decision, saying that “it didn’t really feel like we were in Australia”.

Amor, meanwhile, said that he was “very satisfied” with the result and refused to comment on the red card. “As a rule I prefer to not to judge the performance of referees,” he said. “It’s obvious that they are human beings and they try to do a good job. Obviously they call it as they see it, sometimes they make mistakes.”