Melbourne Victory recorded a comfortable 4-1 win over Macarthur Bulls in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Sunday night.
An own goal from former player Damien Da Silva would give Arthur Diles’ men, who made a fast start, a lead inside a quarter of an hour before Denis Genreau, once of the Bulls, executed a precise finish to make it two.
Luke Vickery’s curler halved the arrears going back to the rooms, but Victory would produce a strong second-half showing to extend their advantage to an insurmountable one.
Sebastian Esposito rose highest to head in a Juan Mata corner, and Charles Nduka displayed attacking instincts to complete the scoring.
Team News
The Head Coach settled on three changes to the starting XI. Genreau, a second-half substitute versus Sydney FC, was good to go from minute one as Xavier Stella dropped to the bench, left-back Franco Lino came in for his first start of the season in the place of Santos, and Nduka got the nod ahead of Nikos Vergos.
Lachlan Jackson and Adama Traore were amongst the replacements, meaning Joshua Inserra, Reno Piscopo and Jing Reec missed out on the match day squad.
Match Action
Victory were close to breaking the deadlock inside three minutes, as they piled on the pressure. Filip Kurto was fortunate to shovel away a fizzing Keegan Jelacic shot, with Da Silva handily placed to block Mata’s on-target follow-up.
The man returning to familiar surroundings would, however, have far less success with his next defensive intervention. Jelacic’s dangerous low centre was intended for Nduka, but the recovering Da Silva, on the slide, could only turn the ball into his own net.
Valdon’s piledriver, close to doubling the lead, just refused to dip in time. The Bulls, in response, would begin to carry a threat, and Callum Talbot’s skidded delivery was just out of reach for a sliding Mitch Duke.
That scare survived, the hosts would promptly make it two-nil. Mata’s crafty flighted pass put Velupillay into a dangerous position, and when it seemed the chance was fizzling out, Nduka picked up the pieces to tee up Genreau, who planted a low finish into the corner from just inside the box.
A third was nearly added when Mata executed a corner routine, and Rawlins volleyed over. Instead, the next goal was a Macarthur one. Vickery benefited from an extra yard as an overlapping full-back occupied Lino and stylishly picked out the far corner.
Half-time: Melbourne Victory 2-1 Macarthur
Turning defence into attack, the hosts almost went from defending a corner to scoring, but Nduka could not get his head effectively around Jelacic’s searching cross.
Lino then appeared to have Kurto scrambling when he let fly from outside of the area, only for Da Silva’s block to take the sting out of it.
The visiting goalkeeper was at a standstill, though, when Victory added a third shortly after the hour mark. Mata’s inswinging corner, bringing up his 11th assist of the season, was headed into the far corner by the leaping Esposito.
With Santos and Matt Grimaldi on, three quickly became four, as a result of the latter being felled. Mata’s low free kick diverted off bodies in the box, and Nduka was alive to guide home his third for the Club.
Match Details
Melbourne Victory 4 (DA SILVA own goal 12′, GENREAU 25′, ESPOSITO 63′, NDUKA 65′)
Macarthur FC 1 (VICKERY 38′)
Melbourne Victory starting XI: 40. Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (C), 15. Sebastian ESPOSITO, 18. Franco LINO (3. Adama TRAORE 80′), 8. Jordi VALADON, 10. Denis GENREAU (9. Nikolaos VERGOS 88′), 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY (11. SANTOS 64′), 64. Juan MATA (34. Xavier STELLA 80′), 23. Keegan JELACIC (14. Matthew GRIMALDI 64′), 9. Nikolaos VERGOS, 44. Charles NDUKA.
Substitutes not used: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 4. Lachlan JACKSON.
Booking: MIRANDA 36′, VALADON 73′.
Macarthur FC starting XI: 12. Filip KURTO (GK), 3. Damien DA SILVA, 8. Luke VICKERY (35. Henrique OLIVEIRA 74′), 10. Anthony CACERES, 13. Rafael Duran MARTINEZ (9. Chris IKONOMIDIS 64′), 15. Mitchell DUKE (28. Harrison SAWYER 64′), 18. Walter SCOTT (32. Will MCKAY 74′), 22. Liam ROSE, 24. Dean BOSNJAK, 25. Callum TALBOT, 26. Luke BRATTAN (C) (23. Frans DELI 74′).
Substitutes not used: 30. Joshua LAKKIS (GK), 5. Matthew JURMAN.
Booking: TALBOT 9′, ROSE 19′, SCOTT 48′.
Coming soon
Victory are back at AAMI Park in under a week, with Central Coast Mariners the visitors as the Club hosts its annual U-NITE Multicultural Round.
