Melbourne Victory missed the chance to cement second place on the Hyundai A-League table after they lost 1-0 to Adelaide United in a fiery clash at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
Melbourne Victory missed the chance to cement second place on the Hyundai A-League table after they lost 1-0 to Adelaide United in a fiery clash at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
In a match that saw in-form full-back Adama Traore harshly dismissed for a questionable challenge with 15 minutes remaining and Archie Thompson succumb to a hamstring injury, Jeronimo Neumann’s first half header was the difference between the two sides.
Jeronimo nodded home Dario Vidosic’s cross in the 42nd minute to break the deadlock, just moments after interim Adelaide United coach Michael Valkanis was sent to the stands for protesting with referee Jarred Gillett.
Valkanis wasn’t happy with the five yellow cards handed out to his side during the opening half, but that mattered little as Jeronimo’s strike was enough to send Victory to their sixth loss of their campaign.
Adelaide made a bright start to the contest and Iain Ramsay should have given his side in just the fifth minute when he only had Nathan Coe to beat in the Victory goal.
Victory were struggling to create many clear cut chances at the other end, with the visitors getting plenty of ball in the midfield but unable to pinpoint that decisive pass in the final third.
Cassio and Jeronimo were added to the referee’s notebook around the half hour mark as the foul count continued to rise, before Victory were dealt a big blow when Thompson limped off the pitch with a hamstring complaint.
Connor Pain replaced Thompson, but his introduction made little difference as Adelaide continued to create the better chances and look the most likely to score.
Jeronimo shot over in the 39th minute when he should have scored and then moments later Valkanis was sent to the stands for protesting the yellow card shown to Ramsay.
Valkanis may not have even had enough time to find his new vantage point as Vidosic floated in a teasing cross that Jeronimo was good enough to head past an advancing Coe and into the back of the net.
An unusually quiet Marco Rojas almost equalised immediately from the kickoff when he dashed forward and into the box, but he was unable to get a shot away as the scrambling Adelaide defence recovered in time to stop the goal threat.
Victory came out with more intent at the start of the second half and the introduction of Jesse Makarounas in the 56th minute gave the Adelaide defence more to ponder as Ange Postecoglou’s side went in search of an equaliser.
Pain and Rojas were getting more of the ball in wide positions, while Coe was doing everything he could at the other end to ensure Adelaide didn’t double their advantage.
Coe made two good saves to keep out Jeronimo, while Rojas really should have done better when he drove into the area but shot wide.
Victory’s chances of equalising were diminished when Traore was given his marching orders, despite replays indicating he made little to no contact in two consecutive tackles right under the nose of Gillett.
Vidosic should have taken advantage of the numeric advantage and sealed the game with five minutes remaining when he was one on one with Coe, only for the Victory keeper to pull out yet another brilliant save to keep his side in it.
Then in stoppage time Rojas’ half-hearted shouts for a penalty were waved away by Gillett as Adelaide held on to register Valkanis’ first win and draw within a solitary point of Victory in fourth place.
Adelaide United 1 (Jeronimo 42)
Melbourne Victory 0
Crowd: 12,025 @Hindmarsh Stadium