Melbourne Victory Men’s triumphed in an Original Rivalry pre-season clash at the Mildura Sporting Precinct, prevailing as 3-0 victors.
Taking on Adelaide United in a charity fundraiser match, with all proceeds benefiting the Mildura Base Public Hospital, Melbourne Victory were keen to put in their best performance against the Reds.
Making four changes to his starting lineup that defeated Perth Glory 3-0 in Bunbury, Arthur Diles brought Lachlan Jackson, Nikos Vergos, Keegan Jelacic and Louis D’Arrigo into the XI.
Just two minutes after kick off, Victory would take the lead in Mildura.
Quickly becoming a trademark since arriving at the Club over the off-season, Louis D’Arrigo delivered a dangerous whipped corner delivery into the penalty area, finding the arriving Kayne Razmovski, who would head the ball straight into the back of the net.
Victory would continue to pile on pressure, creating a number of chances and keeping the ball in their offensive half.
On the 10-minute mark, Santos would slip through a slick pass in behind the Adelaide defence, unlocking Nikos Vergos to produce a cool, calm and collected finish.
Six minutes later, new recruit Keegan Jelacic would guide home Victory’s third, picked out in the box by a smart cross from Kayne Razmovski.
While Victory’s influence would be prevalent for the remainder of the half, United began to slowly find their way into the game and put a stop to Victory’s ruthless attacking.
Teenage midfielder Xavier Stella would be brought on for Louis D’Arrigo during a drinks break, with D’Arrigo taken off on precautionary measures.
Victory would remain unchanged heading into the second 45, seeking to keep up their top start to the game.
Chances would arise for both sides, but the boys in blue certainly appeared the more likely to add to their lead.
On the 70th minute mark, Joshua Rawlins, Jing Reec, Adama Traoré and Nishan Velupillay would enter the action, with Velupillay in particular playing his first minutes of the pre-season after recovering from an Achilles injury.
17-year-old Oliver Dragicevic and 16-year-old Malik Olukhale would be the next to be brought on, while midfielder George Mihailidis would be Victory’s final substitution.
Holding out the game exceptionally well to keep a third-straight clean sheet, Victory celebrated a second consecutive 3-0 win against an A-League opponent.
Closing the pre-season on a high, Arthur Diles’ men will turn their full attentions to the 2025/26 Isuzu UTE A-League season, kicking off their season at AAMI Park against Auckland FC on October 18.
Match Details
Melbourne Victory 3 (Razmovski 2′, Vergos 10′, Jelacic 16′)
Adelaide United 0
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 2. Jason DAVIDSON, 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 8. Jordi VALADON, 9. Nikos VERGOS, 10. Denis GENREAU, 11. SANTOS, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (C), 23. Keegan JELACIC, 27. Louis D’ARRIGO, 28. Kayne RAZMOVSKI
Substitutes: 50. Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 3. Adama TRAORÉ (70′), 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY (70′), 19. Jing REEC (70′), 22. Joshua RAWLINS (70′), 29. Oliver DRAGICEVIC (75′), 41. Malik OLUKHALE (75′), 42. Xavier STELLA (23′), 44. George MIHAILIDIS (83′)
