Melbourne Victory failed to find a way through a resolute Central Coast Mariners in a one-goal defeat on Sunday evening.
Ali Auglah’s 35th-minute finish was the difference at polytec Stadium, with his strike the only shot on target the Mariners recorded on the night.
Victory, who had 27 attempts to Central Coast’s seven, saw a Nikos Vergos header chalked off for offside against a Mariners outfit that played most of the second half with 10 players after Nathan Paull was shown a straight red card for bringing down the number nine.
The Isuzu UTE A-League Round 15 contest was earlier delayed by more than an hour during the opening period due to lightning strikes in the local area.
Team News
Fresh off a Big Blue triumph, Arthur Diles elected for an untouched starting XI in Gosford. Two alterations came amongst the available substitutes, with Reno Piscopo and Joshua Inserra missing out as Captain, Roderick Miranda, and January signing Charles Nduka came into the squad.
Match Action
Victory could have nudged in front as early as the third minute. Jason Davidson sent a delicious cross along the corridor of uncertainty, but Matt Grimaldi’s close-range attempt was missing a suitable connection, and the Mariners smuggled the ball away.
Grimaldi would connect significantly better when the play opened up for him outside of the area, and Andrew Redmayne was fortunate that no attacker was positioned to pounce on his parried save.
The goalkeeper was called into action again just past the quarter-hour point, palming Vergos’ header to a delightful Juan Mata delivery around the post.
Central Coast’s first goal attempt was a speculative one, and Miguel Di Pizio hooked the ball harmlessly wide of Jack Warshawsky’s goal.
A deluge of rain made an already sticky surface tough going with a greasy top, so sensibly Denis Genreau took the conditions out of the equation. His humming strike zoomed past Redmayne’s big dive and fractionally over the crossbar.
Unfortunately, taking a leaf out of Genreau’s book, Auglah fired the hosts one up. Di Pizio headed a loose ball into his path, but the man recently captured from Sydney Olympic had plenty to do – carrying possession purposefully before his curling, dipping shot located the far corner.
Victory’s opportunity to respond would have to wait, as a matter of moments later, the players were withdrawn from the field due to lightning strikes in the local area. 61 minutes down the line, and with a shade over four first-half minutes to complete, play resumed.
The action of note during this window was an Oliver Lavale cross headed off target by Di Pizio.
Half-time: Central Coast Mariners 1-0 Melbourne Victory
Diles opted for two changes at the break, withdrawing Genreau and Santos for Jordi Valadon and Nishan Velupillay.
Although it was two starters who combined for Victory’s first chance of the second 45. Mata’s flighted pass picked out the peeling Vergos, but both his initial effort and the follow-up were stopped by Redmayne. Another inviting Mata cross was met by Grimaldi, only for his polite header to be straight at the well-placed ‘keeper.
The best of Victory’s attacks had been against a well-stocked bank of yellow shirts, until this changed in the 55th minute. Velupillay launched a counterattack, playing a timely release to Vergos, who was brought down by the last man, Paull, to earn him his marching orders.
Redmayne had already proven a tough nut to crack, and more would be required from the Central Coast goalkeeper, starting with a stinging Grimaldi drive and a deflected Lachlan Jackson header that both needed a hand over.
Redmayne was then beaten; however, his clean sheet remained intact as Vergos was called offside when heading in D’Arrigo’s cross. The striker was soon replaced by Charles Nduka for his A-League debut, during a substitute that also saw Keegan Jelacic enter in exchange for Grimaldi.
The ball, though, appeared to have a gravitational pull toward Redmayne as a sweeping Velupillay attempt was right down his throat.
Nduka would be at the centre of a few chances on his first outing, unable to steer a cutback by Velupillay on target in the 87th minute, and later brilliantly bringing down a ball played in by Jelacic that was blocked in the nick of time by a Mariners defender.
In a game where Victory finished with 2.49 expected goals to the Mariners’ 0.54, boasting 67% of possession, it was a frustrating outcome to a dominant performance by the Boys in Blue, ultimately lacking the final product to convert the range of chances into goals.
Match Details
Central Coast Mariners 1 (AUGLAH 35′)
Melbourne Victory 0
Central Coast Mariners starting XI: 30. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK) (C), 5. Lucas MAURAGIS, 3. Nathan PAULL, 2. James DONACHIE, 15. Storm ROUX, 72. Ali AUGLAH (43. Jacob NASSO 71′), 48. Chris DONNELL, 8. Alfie MCCALMONT (26. Bradley TAPP 58′), 11. Sabit NGOR, 10. Miguel DI PIZIO (7. Christian THEOHAROUS 90+3′), 23. Oliver LAVALE (18. Nathanael BLAIR 71′).
Substitutes not used: 40. Dylan PERAIC-CULLEN (GK), 6. Haine EAMES, 17. Kaito TAMIGUCHI.
Booking: PAULL SENT OFF 55′, DONACHIE 61′, MAURAGIS 80′.
Melbourne Victory starting XI: 40. Jack WARSHAWSKY (GK), 2. Jason DAVIDSON (C), 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 15. Sebastian ESPOSITO, 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 10. Denis GENREAU (8. Jordi VALADON 46′), 27. Louis D’ARRIGO (19. Jing REEC 82′), 11. Clerismario SANTOS RODRIGUES (17. Nishan VELUPILLAY 46′), 64. Juan MATA, 14. Matthew GRIMALDI (23. Keegan JELACIC 71′), 9. Nikolaos VERGOS (44. Charles NDUKA 71′).
Substitutes not used: 25. Jack DUNCAN (GK), 21. Roderick MIRANDA.
Booking: REEC 90′.
Coming soon
The second of back-to-back away fixtures sends Victory over to New Zealand for a meeting with Wellington Phoenix on Friday, February 6, kick-off 5pm AEDT. The Boys in Blue are back at AAMI Park the following weekend, hosting Brisbane Roar.
