6:23pm: 54.00 - MV 0 SFC 4 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" 54" pen Ryall 25")
GOAL!
It's been a horror day for Melbourne and this one is the worst of the lot!
Del Piero had fired a shot over the bar for a goal kick.
But the kick from Coe is a howler and rebounds off a Sydney head...straight into the path of Del Piero!
Del Piero chests the ball down at the top of the area, takes a touch and slides a right-footed finish straight past the hapless Coe!
It's a comical goal but nobody from Victory is laughing!
6:21pm: 52.25 - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Rogic already giving Melbourne some impetus...he weaves through the middle and plays through Thompson who is advancing from the left!
But the flag goes up. Thompson was well off too, not a close call for the assistant referee.
6:20pm: 51.15 - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Rogic tries to force an opening as he runs at two defenders...form a central position to the left...then he cuts back in board! But his shot is along the ground and an easy collect for Janjetovic.
6:16pm: 46.00 - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Thompson gets an early look at a half chance but his attempted volley from a central-left position is high over the bar.
6:12pm: HALF TIME - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Victory is back out of the tunnel well before Sydney...looks like they were pretty keen to get out of the rooms!
Andrew Nabbout has been subbed off and Tom Rogic is on for his Victory debut...not the A-League return he would have envisaged!
6:08pm: HALF TIME - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
The current scoreline has pushed Sydney FC up to fifth on the live table. Perth plays at Western Sydney later this evening.
4. MV - 23 (-3)
5. SFC 22 (-2)
6. ADE 21 (+2)
7. PER 20 (+1)
5:59pm: HALF TIME - MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Boos ring around Etihad Stadium as the half-time whistle sounds.
It's been one of Victory's worst halves ever...and after last week's capitulation against Wellington it's looking like a negative trend!
Sydney has three goals and Adrian Leijer is off with a suspected concussion. The tempo slowed significantly after the thrid goal but any hopes of a Victory comeback will need a dramatic shift of strategy, or a Sydney disaster, after half time.
5:57pm: 45+5 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
More delays...Terry McFlynn goes to ground with what looks like a left quad injury.
With only seconds until half time it looks like Sydney will wait until after the break to make a sub.
5:56pm: 45+3 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Corner to Melbourne...played out to Murnane who is 20m from the top of the area...he drives a diagonal ball through the penalty area and it runs out for a goal kick.
5:53pm: 45.00 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Sydney up to 58% possession. Even with the match slowing down considerably, Victory has not been able to find a foothold in the match.
There will be five minutes of stoppage time to end the first half.
5:50pm: 43.00 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Murnane concedes a corner on the right.
The tempo has slowed right down...Del Piero's corner is punched away by Coe and cleared.
5:46pm: 35.30 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
So with Leijer off, Victory has moved Broxham to centre back to partner Galloway, with Murnane on the left and Geria on the right.
As makeshift a defence as Victory has ever fielded in the A-League...so surely more goals on the way?
5:45pm: 36.30 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Sydney's travelling Cove is chanting that "Melbourne is sky blue". No doubt that chant was planned regardless of the score in light of the Melbourne Heart sale to Manchester City during the week.
5:43pm: 35.30 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Victory probing down the left and Nabbout wins a corner...Troisi pulled up sore in the build-up but will continue.
The corner goes to waste...overhit and out the back of the penalty area.
5:42pm: 34.30 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Handball on the edge of the area from Petkovic as he tried to deflect away a cross.
Four players in teh wall for Sydney...free kick is in a central left position.
Nabbout shoots harmlessly over.
5:38pm: 31.00 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
Victory straight back under the pump...shot from the top of the area collects Leijer square on the jaw...and he's down!
Ben Williams sees the hit and blows his whistle to halt play straight away.
Leijer is down for almost five minutes before being carried off the pitch by the stretcher bearers.
Jason Geria is subbed on for the injured Leijer.
5:34pm: 25.00 MV 0 SFC 3 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen Ryall 25")
GOAL!
Seb Ryall channels his inner Beckenbauer and goes on a miracle run through the Victory defence to score!
He beat two opponents as he advanced into the penalty area in a centre-right position, then toe-poked a right-footed finish that curled around Coe's dive an dinto the net!
This is surreal stuff from Sydney FC!
5:31pm: 23.00 MV 0 SFC 2 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen)
Free kick into the area from Del Piero...first head from Jurman but it's an up and under!
Bundled out for a corner.
5:29pm: Who needs Del Piero when you've got McFlynn?
5:27pm: 20.00 MV 0 SFC 2 (Despotovic 11" Del Piero 20" pen)
GOAL!
Del Piero facing Coe...Coe dives to his right, Del Piero shoots the other way into the bottom right corner!
Sydney stunning Melbourne with a 2-0 lead!
5:26pm: 18.00 MV 0 SFC 1 (Despotovic 11")
Del Piero with a ball over the top...Despotovic gets goal side of Leijer...a bit of holding and Despotovic goes to ground...penalty!
Leijer gets booked...it was an arm over the shoulder...looked like a penalty!
Feeling in the press box is it's a soft decision but Ben Williams was quick on the whistle.
5:24pm: 15.00 MV 0 SFC 1 (Despotovic 11")
Del Piero pulling the strings...he puts Abbas through down the left but his cross is cleared by the Victory defence.
Sydney applying pressure but Leijer is able to make an interception and win the ball back.
5:20pm: 11.30 MV 0 SFC 1 (Despotovic 11")
GOAL! Sydney hit Melbourne with a long ball and great finish!
McFlynn hit a long ball for Despotovic and Ansell to chase...Despotovic got to it on a 45-degree angle in the penalty area and hit it first time across Coe!
It nestled in the bottom right corner! What a finish from Despotovic to give Sydney a surprise lead!
5:18pm: 7.00 MV 0 SFC 0
What a chance for Barbarouses! Petkovic slipped over on the ball at the top of the area and presented a shooting chance to Barbarouses who had to lunge for the ball and couldn't generate any power.
5:14pm: 6.00 - MV 0 SFC 0
Del Piero tries to flick a through ball to set Despotovic into the penalty are abut it's blocked away.
Victory counter attack but Nabbout's cross from the left is cleared.
Nabbout leaves his foot in tracking back for a challenge but the referee sees no issue and lets play continue.
Today's referee is Ben Williams.
5:11pm: 4.00 - MV 0 SFC 0
Murnane tries to play through Nabbout down the left but overhits the pass.
5:07pm: KICK-OFF - MV 0 SFC 0
Despotovic and Gameiro start the match for Sydney!
5:06pm: The pre-game ceremony is finished and kick-off is not far away. Victory will attack the Lockett End or left-of-screen in the first half and Sydney FC the Coventry End.
5:00pm: A bit of a missfire with the national anthem - the opening fanfare started but so that it can be shown on the television broadcast we're in a holding pattern!
4:51pm: Both teams have finished warm-ups without any need for a late change. There is a bit more activity on the pitch as we will have a rendition of the national anthem and some other Australia Day festivities before kick-off.
4:25pm: Sydney's Serbian connections Despotovic and Dimitrijevic start as does marquee star Del Piero.
Nick Carle is on the bench.
SYDNEY FC
20. JANJETOVIC Vedran (gk), 2. RYALL Sebastian, 4. DESPOTOVIC Ranko, 5. JURMAN Matthew, 6. PETKOVIC Nikola, 9. GAMEIRO Corey, 10. DEL PIERO Alessandro, 15. McFLYNN Terry, 21. DIMITRIJEVIC Milos, 22. ABBAS Ali, 24. GLIGOR Hagi.
Bench: 1. NECEVSKI Ivan, 19. CARLE Nick, 25. PETKOVSKI Daniel, 28. THOMSPON Matthew, 29. UROSEVSKI Alex
4:18pm: Victory's injury and suspension hit team is still filled with NYL regulars, while new signing Tom Rogic is on the bench.
MELBOURNE VICTORY
1. COE Nathan, 4. ANSELL Nicholas, 6. BROXHAM Leigh (c), 9. BARBAROUSES Kosta, 10. THOMPSON Archie, 13. NABBOUT Andrew, 14. TROISI James, 16. MAHAZI Rashid, 23. LEIJER Adrian, 24. GALLOWAY Scott, 31. MURNANE Dylan.
Bench: 7. FINKLER Guilherme, 11. PAIN Connor, 20. THOMAS Lawrence, 21. ROGIC Tomas, 25. GERIA Jason.
4:11pm: Welcome to today's live blog of the Australia Day A-League clash between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC from Etihad Stadium.
The seats are in and roof open for today's blockbuster match as Sydney's hopes of a top six spot go on the line and Melbourne tries to maintain its current course towards a home final.
Action starts at 5pm but stay with our live coverage as we count down to kick-off.
No comments:
Post a Comment