Melbourne Victory went down 3-1 to Western United in the Hyundai A-League on Sunday.
Summary
Andrew Nabbout gave Victory the lead with a fine finish at GMHBA Stadium, but Western United fought back.
Besart Berisha scored a brace either side of Panagiotis Kone’s goal and Victory was unable to get back into the game despite having most of the possession in the second half.
Robbie Kruse drew a save from Western United goalkeeper Filip Kurto from an angle in the sixth minute after getting in behind down the left.
Victory opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Nabbout’s second Hyundai A-League goal of the campaign.
Jakob Poulsen’s pass released Nabbout down the right and the winger ran at the Western United goal before firing a brilliant strike across Kurto and into the bottom corner.
The host equalised just three minutes later through Berisha, who headed in a Connor Pain cross from the left.
Western United went ahead through Kone, the midfielder putting away an Alessandro Diamanti set-piece in the 24th minute.
Poulsen almost brought Victory level approaching the half-hour mark, curling a free-kick into the side-netting.
Only a Kurto save denied Ola Toivonen an equaliser before James Donachie hit the crossbar and the Swede had a header cleared off the line.
Instead, Berisha made it 3-1 before half-time, glancing in a cross from Josh Risdon.
Victory had another chance on the hour-mark, but Nabbout’s header from an Adama Traore cross was saved by Kurto.
Toivonen was denied again in the 74th minute, Kurto producing a diving save after Josh Hope’s cutback from the right as Victory controlled possession but was unable to find another goal, with Donachie also forcing a stop from the goalkeeper late on.
Player in focus
Key moment
What they said – Kruse
on the game…
“When you go in at 3-1 at half-time it’s obviously difficult. We knew all week they like to get crosses into the box. I think they had three shots in the first half, three of them were from crosses and they scored. I think we hit the post three times and the keeper has made two good saves. At half-time it should never have been 3-1 then obviously they have the right to sit deep and just play the game out and make it difficult.”
on next week…
“Obviously last week was a good win and this week was good training, but obviously if you can’t defend crosses and you can’t block crosses and obviously we couldn’t finish the chances we had you don’t deserve to win so back to the drawing board for next week. It comes a time there where you have to start stringing some games together.”
Result
Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Round 9
Western United 3 (Besart Berisha 17’/43′, Panagiotis Kone 24′)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Andrew Nabbout 14′)
Western United: Kurto (gk); Risdon (Hamill 66′), Calver, Durante, Gulum, Pain; Jertec (Stamatelopoulos 70′), Skotadis, Kone; Diamanti (c), Berisha (Pierias 83′).
Melbourne Victory: Thomas (gk); Roux (Lesiotis 46′), Donachie, Broxham, Traore; Poulsen, Basha; Nabbout (Hope 72′), Kamsoba (Athiu 68′), Kruse; Toivonen (c).
Yellow cards: Traore 29′, Diamanti 45′, Donachie 53′, Gulum 63′, Aspropotamitis 75′, Skotadis 84′, Hamill 85′
Red cards: Nil
Attendance: 10,128
Venue: GMHBA Stadium
Next up
Victory is back at home in Round 10, hosting the Wellington Phoenix at AAMI Park on Saturday, December 14.
