Melbourne Victory secured a vital three points for their title chase on Sunday afternoon, overcoming an in-form Langwarrin side 4-1 at Hume City Stadium.
Summary
A brisk afternoon in Melbourne’s north set the scene for what promised to be a high-quality affair with plenty at stake.
Tommaso Minutoli made a promising start for Victory, manufacturing space for the first clear-cut chance of the game, but his shot was well saved and Dimi Palatsides was unable to put away the follow up.
Minutoli though was posing plenty of danger early and soon had his name on the scoresheet.
A clever assist from Jack Mihailidis picked out Minutoli in the middle of the box, before the striker clinically finished the chance and gave Victory an early lead.
Reward for a strong start to the game for Luciano Trani’s team, but Langwarrin responded well to going behind early.
Yona Sultan was called into action a couple of times following the goal, but met each challenge admirably.
Victory though would quickly reassert their control, as a lofted ball over the Langwarrin defence played Adem Duratović in behind in the 20th minute, before the forward was brought down in the penalty area.
The referee pointed to the spot, as well as showing the Langwarrin defender a second yellow card for the challenge, reducing the visitors to ten players.
Duratović made no mistake with the subsequent spot-kick, thundering the ball past the goalkeeper and doubling Victory’s lead.
The visitors though continued to fight hard, pulling one goal back ten minutes later from a free-kick.
Nonetheless, Victory’s attacking threat remained prominent, as they scored their third just a handful of minutes after the Langwarrin goal.
Kayne Razmovski was the scorer, firing his attempt from long range which caught a heavy deflection, lifting it over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Razmovski’s goal would be the final one of the half, as Victory headed into the break in firm control of the contest.
The second half began as a tamer affair, although Victory looked to pose a real threat on the counter-attack.
Marc Petheriotis was brought into the game on the hour mark, as the hosts looked to maintain their control.
The game remained stable as the second half progressed, with Victory edging closer to what would be an invaluable three points.
Daniel Lazarevski and Jordan Hoey were also brought into the game for the final 20 minutes.
Langwarrin though continued to pose a threat, with Sultan making another key save with 15 minutes remaining.
Zander Kapaklis’ substitution was the final change made by coach Trani, with Victory’s win all but assured as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
Petheriotis was the player to ice the game, adding Victory’s fourth in the 84th minute, before a second red card of the game for Langwarrin was shown to their goalkeeper.
4-1 the full-time score, as Victory claimed a pivotal three points in their title chase.
Head Coach Luciano Trani’s post-match thoughts
On getting the win…
“It feels good.”
“It was a game against a team that’s been very much in the top half of the competition this season.”
“Obviously, with the progression of players who are now training full-time with the A-League Men’s team, that allows opportunities for a younger group of players to step up.”
“That gives them the chance to test themselves against more physical, mature bodies.”
“For our boys to come out and performance as they did, it was very pleasing.”
On managing the title race…
“Learning how to win is part of the players’ development.”
“That winning culture can breed a confidence in the group.”
“If we get that, it’s going to add even more to each individual.”
“Learning to deal with the highs and the lows is part of that development journey for every player.”
On the focus heading into the final three games of the season…
“Maintaining the high standards.”
“That obviously starts with our preparation and training.”
“The boys need to stay focused on and off the pitch in order to perform on the weekend.”
Next Up
Victory will get set for Monday night football next time out, when they head to the Veneto Club to take on Bulleen Lions on 29 July, kicking off at 8:30pm AEST.
VPL1 2024 Round 23
Melbourne Victory 4 (Minutoli 9′, Duratović (pen) 22′, Razmovski 36′, Petheriotis 84′)
Langwarrin SC 1
Melbourne Victory U23s starting XI: Yona Sultan (GK), Dimi Palatsides, Nikolas Čevizović, Damien Bozinovski, Riley Foxe, George Karvounis, Kayne Razmovski, Jack Mihailidis, Adem Duratović (c), Austin Ganino, Tommaso Minutoli
