Melbourne Victory Men’s faced Adelaide United in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Home of the Matildas, falling short 2-1 in a tight contest.
Utilising a mixture of youth and experience in the starting XI, Arthur Diles was keen to test out his playing group up against A-League Men’s opposition.
Young Socceroos duo, Sebastian Esposito and Joshua Inserra, were partnered in the backline alongside Lachlan Jackson and Adama Traoré, with the latter donning the captain’s armband.
In midfield, teenager Xavier Stella was supported by Louis D’Arrigo and Luka Kolic, while speedy 16-year-old winger Malik Olukhale had the opportunity to play from the start on the right flank.
Taking on a more experienced Adelaide United starting XI, the young group matched up well and battled hard in a back-and-forth first half.
Victory sought to control possession and play from the back, while the Reds threatened with attacks over the top of their opponents’ defensive line.
Both sides created promising chances, with Nikos Vergos and Louis D’Arrigo denied goals due to some excellent stops by United’s goalkeeper, Joshua Smits.
As the first 45 ticked down, a whipped corner delivery by Luke Duzel was met by a superb leap from United’s Dutch defender, Bart Vriends, breaking the deadlock with the last action before the half-time break.
Returning for the second half of action, Victory remain unchanged and came out hungry after the restart.
In the 50th minute, Luka Kolic found himself in the penalty box with just the ‘keeper to beat, but opted to pass the ball across goal to Greek striker Nikos Vergos for an easy tap-in, bringing the score back level.
Victory certainly had the momentum, playing some positive football and linking up well in the final third.
However, the Reds would be the next to score on the hour mark, arriving thanks to a header at the back post from Socceroo winger, Craig Goodwin.
Following the goal, the Reds would bring on all of their substitutes, while Santos and Jason Davidson would be brought on for Luka Kolic and Adama Traoré, with Davidson taking the armband.
Victory would seek to respond and create several opportunities, earning a range of corners that couldn’t quite be converted.
Across the remainder of the game, youngsters Kayne Razmovski, Patrick Wall, George Mihailidis, Daniel Lazarevski, Emre Saglam and Keigo Shimokawa were all introduced from the bench, receiving the opportunity to take on A-League quality opponents.
The full-time whistle would eventually arrive, concluding a beneficial and productive hit-out for both sides as they prepare for the 2025/26 season.
Victory will face off against A-League opponents again later in the month, travelling out west to play Perth Glory in Mandurah and Bunbury on Sunday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 24, respectively.
Match Details
Melbourne Victory 1 (Vergos 50’)
Adelaide United 2 (Vriends 45’, Goodwin 60’)
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 3. Adama TRAORÉ, 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 9. Nikos VERGOS, 15. Sebastian ESPOSITO, 16. Joshua INSERRA, 23. Keegan JELACIC, 26. Luka KOLIC, 27. Louis D’ARRIGO, 41. Malik OLUKHALE, 42. Xavier STELLA
Substitutes: 30. Daniel GRASKOSKI (GK), 2. Jason DAVIDSON (61’), 11. SANTOS (61’), 24. Emre SAGLAM (82’), 28. Kayne RAZMOVSKI (70’), 31. Daniel LAZAREVSKI (82’), 38. Patrick WALL (75’), 43. Keigo SHIMOKAWA (85’), 44. George MIHAILIDIS (75’)
