Melbourne Victory Men go against the odds once again to cement their place in the Isuzu Ute A-League Grand Final, defeating Auckland FC 2-0.
Falling short to the Premiers in a tough loss at AAMI Park, head coach Arthur Diles made four changes to the starting XI for the must-win second leg.
Captain Roderick Miranda returned to the lineup after recovering from injury, while Josh Rawlins, Bruno Fornaroli and Santos were all promoted from the bench for the biggest clash of the season yet.
Searching to overcome the aggregate in a difficult away leg, Victory had a mountain to climb at a packed Go Media Stadium.
Unable to score against Auckland in the last three meetings, many predicted that the task would be too challenging for the Vuck.
Victory applied pressure early on, positioning themselves high up the field and holding the majority of possession.
Operating in an unfamiliar role, Santos made his mark early with his defensive work rate in covering the left flank.
Quick counter-attacking moves were key for Victory, forcing a number of crucial blocks out of defender Dan Hall in particular.
In a tense battle, Nishan Velupillay went down injured late in the half.
Despite attempting to run it off, the Socceroos winger was withdrawn at the break as the game remained scoreless.
While versatile defender Josh Inserra was brought on in his place, it was certainly disappointing to see Velupillay unable to continue after a positive start to the game.
However, the Victory Boys used this as fuel and played for their fallen teammate.
10 minutes into the half, a defensive intervention from Jordi Valadon enabled Zinedine Machach to drive forward into the opponent’s final third.
Launching a shot on goal, a favourable deflection off the defender saw the ball curl straight into the back net, bringing the semi-final tie back level.
The Frenchman celebrated by lifting the jersey of Brendan Hamill, who missed out on action due to an ACL rupture in the first leg.
Breaking their scoreless streak against the Premiers, that goal was exactly what Victory needed to believe they could go through.
On the hour mark, some slick passing around the box saw Jordi Valadon slip an emphatic pass through to Bruno Fornaroli.
Taking time to pick his spot, El Tuna made no mistakes with his finish and fired his side ahead on aggregate.
The momentum had well and truly swung to Victory, with the previously buzzing crowd silenced by a quick-fire double.
Flying in from out of nowhere, Joshua Inserra almost added a third goal after meeting Santos’ whipped cross, but couldn’t direct his header goalward.
The home side thought they had brought the tie back level after Logan Rogerson rippled the back of the net, but the ball delivered into the winger was ruled to have initially travelled out of bounds.
As the Black Knights pushed for their required goal, Victory came together exceptionally well as a defence unit to keep their opponents out.
Jing Reec, Reno Piscopo, Nikos Vergos and Alex Badolato were all introduced over the final half-hour from the bench, bringing fresh legs into the game.
With just a minute to go, Auckland thought they had their moment as the ball was volleyed into an open goal.
However, a desperate goal-line clearance from defender Josh Rawlins sank the hearts of the Auckland crowd, keeping Victory ahead.
Defending as if their lives depended on it, the final whistle concluded yet another incredible away finals win for the Vuck.
“We just plan and prepare, we work hard,” said Arthur Diles post-game, explaining how the club always seems to find a way in the big games.
“Melbourne Victory does come with territory that you are expected to play in these matches.
“That’s the club that we are, and that’s the expectation that the club has. The board, the owners, the fans; we’ve got to do our bit every day… we’ve got one more game to go.”
Continuing to lead the league’s charts for most finals wins, Victory cemented their place in the A-League Men’s Grand Final for the second consecutive season.
Set for the last dance at AAMI Park, Arthur Diles expressed his excitement to play on the biggest of stages on home soil.
“I know our fans will be there, that’s for sure.
“Our fans will turn up in numbers, they’ll be loud, they’ll be our 12th man… we can’t wait to play in front of them.”
Melbourne Victory will take on the winners of the semi-final tie between Melbourne City and Western United on Saturday, May 31.
Match Details
Isuzu Ute A-League Semi-Final: Leg 2
Auckland FC 0
Melbourne Victory 2 (Machach 55′, Fornaroli 60′)
Auckland FC Starting XI: 12. Alex PAULSEN (GK), 2. Hiroki SAKAI (C), 4. Nando PIJNAKER, 6. Louis VERSTRAETE, 10. Guillermo MAY, 11. Marlee FRANCOIS, 15. Francis DE VRIES, 21. Jesse RANDALL, 23. Dan HALL, 27. Logan ROGERSON, 28. Felipe GALLEGOS
Substitutes: 1. Michael WOUD (GK), 5. Tommy SMITH, 7. Cameron HOWIESON (74′), 14. Liam GILLION (62′), 17. Callan ELLIOT (74′), 22. Jake BRIMMER (58′), 25. Neyder MORENO (58′)
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 6. Ryan TEAGUE, 7. Daniel ARZANI, 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 10. Bruno FORNAROLI, 11. SANTOS, 14. Jordi VALADON, 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY, 21. Roderick MIRANDA (C), 22. Josh RAWLINS
Substitutes: 30. Daniel GRASKOSKI (GK), 9. Nikos VERGOS (83′), 16. Joshua INSERRA (46′), 19. Jing REEC (66′), 23. Alex BADOLATO (90+5′), 27. Reno PISCOPO (83′), 38. Luka DIDULICA
