Melbourne Victory Men defeated the Western Sydney Wanderers in a hard-fought 2-1 win, booking their place in the Isuzu Ute A-League Semi Finals.
Facing a red-hot Western Sydney Wanderers in a do-or-die contest at CommBank Stadium, Arthur Diles fielded an unchanged starting XI from the final regular season game.
In usual fashion, Victory started the game strong and created a number of chances on goal.
Nishan Velupillay’s speedy run down the left wing forced Wanderers’ defenders to pull off multiple blocks on incoming shots just minutes into action.
The Vuck’s pressure continued, finding reward for their efforts in the seventh minute.
On the ball with space in the middle of the park, Daniel Arzani picked out Kasey Bos with a pinpoint pass out on the left-wing.
In firing form, Bos composed himself and scored in his third consecutive game for the Navy Blues.
It couldn’t have been much more of a perfect start for Victory, who were giving the Wanderers all sorts of headaches.
Earning several corner kicks with consistent attacking moves, the home side needed to respond quickly.
And respond quickly they did, thanks to a neat attacking move that saw Socceroo Brandon Borrello thread through Zac Sapsford on goal.
Aided by a slight deflection, Sapsford’s shot spun past the outstretched Jack Duncan to provide an equaliser for the Wanderers in the 23rd minute.
The Western Sydney crowd erupted in what was building to be a cracking game between two top sides.
Kasey Bos almost netted his second with a right-footed curling effort that was deflected out for a corner, while the defensive unit worked valiantly to deny the Wanderers a second.
Demanding the ball out on the left wing, Daniel Arzani received possession and magnificently danced his way into the box, creating uncertainty in the penalty area.
Cutting the ball back inside, a perfect bobble for Zinedine Machach saw the Frenchman finish emphatically for his sixth goal of the season.
Restoring Victory’s lead heading into the break, Arthur Diles’ men held more possession and created the best chances on goal in the opening half.
Daniel Arzani continued his excellence into the second 45, winning his duels and constantly looking to create opportunities.
While the Wanderers looked to hold more possession in the hunt for a goal, Victory stayed resolute in the backline and did not allow any clear chances on goal.
World Cup Winner Juan Mata was introduced along with two others for the Wanderers as the game approached the final quarter of an hour, while Nishan Velupillay fired his volley on a tight angle narrowly wide minutes later.
Substitutes Josh Rawlins, Santos, Bruno Fornaroli, Brendan Hamill and Jing Reec were all introduced from the bench as Arthur Diles sought to manage the game well, limiting the Wanderers’ attacking talents’ space.
The Vuck worked heroically as a unit to deny the league’s top-scoring side in front of their home crowd, giving full effort in every single action.
The final whistle signalled the end of a cracking game in the West of Sydney, Victory avoiding elimination and progressing straight into the next stage of the Finals Series.
Taking on the Premiers, Melbourne Victory return to AAMI Park for their A-League Men’s semi-final home leg against Auckland FC on Saturday, May 17.
Match Details
Isuzu Ute A-League Elimination Final
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Sapsford 23′)
Melbourne Victory 2 (Bos 7′, Machach 42′)
Western Sydney Wanderers Starting XI: 20. Lawrence THOMAS (GK, C), 2. Gabriel CLEUR, 3. Alex GERSBACH, 4. Alex BONETIG, 7. Zac SAPSFORD, 14. Nicolas MILANOVIC, 18. Oscar PRIESTMAN, 22. Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS, 23. Bozhidar KRAEV, 25. Joshua BRILLANTE, 26. Brandon BORRELLO
Substitutes: 30. Jordan HOLMES (GK), 6. Mohamed AL-TAAY, 9. Marcus ANTONSSON (73′), 17. Jarrod CARLUCCIO (73′), 21. Aydan HAMMOND (89′), 28. Joshua LAWS, 64. Juan MATA (73′)
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 6. Ryan TEAGUE, 7. Daniel ARZANI, 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 9. Nikos VERGOS, 14. Jordi VALADON, 16. Joshua INSERRA, 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (C), 28. Kasey BOS
Substitutes: 30. Daniel GRASKOSKI (GK), 5. Brendan HAMILL (87′), 10. Bruno FORNAROLI (87′), 11. SANTOS (83′), 18. Fabian MONGE, 19. Jing REEC (87′), 22. Josh RAWLINS (78′)
