Melbourne Victory won an epic derby encounter against Melbourne City on Saturday night, 3-2 the final score.
SUMMARY
Head coach Tony Popovic made three changes to his starting XI, as Paul Izzo, Jason Geria and Chris Ikonomidis all made their returns.
New signing Fernando Romero also made his first appearance in the match day squad, starting on the bench.
Victory’s evening got off to the perfect start, as a thumping Damien Da Silva header powered them into the lead after just six minutes played.
A goal in his first Melbourne Derby, Da Silva gave his side a much needed early advantage against the league-leaders.
City though did not wait long to hit back, as Mathew Leckie’s mistimed header found its way past Izzo in the Victory goal following a set piece in the 24th minute.
The remainder of the half was hard-fought and the intensity remained high, with both sides spurred on by the vocal AAMI Park crowd.
Izzo made several key interventions on his return to the Victory goal, showcasing his supreme shot-stopping ability.
1-1 remained the score as half-time arrived, with everything still to play for in the second period.
Yet again, it was Victory that made an ideal start following the resumption of play.
This time, Bruno Fornaroli propelled his side back into the lead within the first minute of the half.
A sublime assist from Ben Folami after charging down the left wing, Fornaroli forced the ball over the line at the second time of asking after his initial effort was kept out.
Popovic’s side came desperately close to extending their lead in the 70th minute, with Fornaroli’s quickly-taken shot narrowly kept out by Glover following a corner.
Victory’s third would arrive soon after though, as captain Josh Brillante thundered home a sensational strike from outside the box in the 77th minute.
The goal appeared to have sealed the result, but City responded again through Leckie just a few minutes later to make the score 3-2.
Fernando Romero made his club debut amongst all the chaos, with Victory now focused on seeing out the remainder of the game.
Further displays of desperate defending in the dying minutes ensured Victory claimed all three points in what was a pulsating contest.
A second consecutive home win lifts Popovic’s side off the bottom of the table as they eye a late charge towards finals.
KEY MOMENT
Josh Brillante’s late goal will live long in the memory…
IMPLICATIONS
Victory jump into 10th spot on the table, just seven points outside of the top six.
RESULT
Isuzu UTE A-League 2022/23 Round 17
Melbourne Victory 3 (Da Silva 7′, Fornaroli 46′, Brillante 77′)
Melbourne City 2 (Leckie 24′, 80′)
NEXT UP
Victory are back at AAMI Park next Sunday 26th February for the Pride Cup double-header against Adelaide United, kicking-off at 3:00pm AEDT.
