Melbourne Victory’s pre-season campaign has come to an end, with a tough 1-1 draw against rivals Sydney FC at North Hobart Oval on Sunday.
An impressive 6,920 fans turned out at North Hobart Oval and got to witness a football feast, with a double-header featuring Melbourne Victory’s Hyundai A-League and Foxtel National Youth League sides.
Kevin Muscat’s side will go into the regular season, without tasting defeat in an impressive pre-season, winning nine games, drawing once and conceding only twice.
The match might have officially been a friendly, but there was nothing friendly about the encounter between two of the A-League’s biggest rivals. Both sides didn’t leave anything to the imagination, and referee Shaun Evans had to reach for the yellow card on several occasions throughout the day.
It was Sydney FC who took the upper hand after 21 minutes, with Victory’s defence unable to clear a dangerous cross and Sydney’s marquee man, Marc Janko slotting the opener.
It was a tough day out for the boys in blue, with the chances not flowing as easily as they had in previous pre-season matches.
Muscat made six changes throughout the game, three at the break, ensuring game time for all Hyundai A-League squad members who made the journey to the Apple Isle.
Victory left it late to equalise, with new arrival Fahid Ben Khalfallah going one-on-one with Ivan Necevski, before cooly netting the equaliser in the 90th minute, seeing the spoils between the two of the A-League’s biggest teams shared.
Earlier in the day, a select Tasmanian XI took the honours of Victory’s Foxtel National Youth League side, scoring an impressive 2-1 win.
Melbourne Victory 1 (Ben Khalfallah 90′)
Sydney FC 1 (Janko 21′)
Crowd: 6,920 at North Hobart Oval
