Five moments from Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United in Round 8 of the Hyundai A-League 2014/15 Season
Recapping 5 moments from Friday night’s five goal spectacle in Melbourne. While Adelaide United came away with their first loss of the season, there was no shortage of action. The new rivalries might be fun, but there’s nothing like the original.
1. Own Goal Double
Rolling out what might’ve been the most attacking lineup of the season, the Reds had a tough night in defence as Melbourne applied plenty of pressure in the opening minutes. Victory’s early dominance translated into two United own goals. The first was a Nigel Boogaard defensive header gone wrong, following a Gui Finkler set piece. Boogard suffered a second round of misfortune after attempting to clear a Ben Khalfallah cross. The ball instead hit Cirio and bounced back into Adelaide’s net.
2. Mabil’s Stunning Equaliser
In between United’s early deuce of conceded goals, Craig Goodwin broke free on the left wing in the 14th minute. Goodwin whipped a gorgeous cross into the path of a sprinting Awer Mabil, who scored in spectacular fashion at the back post. Reds fans watching at home could be forgiven for thinking they were looking at an instant replay at first, as Mabil had an almost identical chance minutes earlier. Mabil added more speed to his run the second time, which allowed him to get to the mark in time and equalise for United. Adelaide’s defence may have been struggling for parts of the game, but United’s extra attacking game plan was certainly creating plenty of chances up front.
3. Rivalry Testiness
The clash certainly had all the elements you’d expect from the A-League’s oldest rivalry, including an incredible atmosphere and certain testiness between the two sides. There’s always a chance that the passion will boil over when United face Victory. That’s exactly what happened when Isaias took exception to multiple Victory players attempting to wrestle the ball away from him after a whistle, as a minor scuffle ensued and words were exchanged.
4. Goodwin’s Impressive Disallowed Goal
Craig Goodwin netted a superb long range free kick from a tight angle, but had the goal disallowed by referee Kris Griffith-Jones who whistled a foul in the box. Despite the goal being waived away, the shot showcased Goodwin’s incredible ability from set pieces as the local product continues to prove himself to be a threat from distance.
5. Honouring Phil Hughes
The evening’s most meaningful came before kickoff, as the 22 men on the pitch and the 22,000 in the stands observed a minute’s silence in memory of much loved Australian batsman Phil Hughes. This was followed by a minute’s applause in the 63rd minute, symbolic of Hughes’ 63 run final innings, a truly touching moment.
