Melbourne City have booked their place in a third successive A-League Grand Final after a scintillating second leg victory at AAMI Park which ended in extra-time.
They will host the league’s first ever all-Victorian Grand Final against Western United as they look to win a second straight A-League Premiership and Championship double.
The match began with an arm wrestle which resembled that of the first leg. Neither side could muster great control over the ball or territory in possession as tempers began to flare in the middle of the park.
In the 15th minute, Adelaide had the first real chance of the match after they stripped the ball from Johnny Warren Medal contender Florin Berenguer before Yengi smashed a volley into row Z after being played in behind by a wonderfully weighted chipped pass from Ryan Kitto.
With Craig Goodwin remaining relatively shackled by Carl Jenkinson on Adelaide’s left hand-side, his opposite number Matthew Leckie started to get some joy out of Javi López as his wily dribbling and acceleration seemed to trouble the in-form Spaniard.
Adelaide began to gain control over possession and looked to threaten with their aerial presence from set pieces. Starting over Japanese import Hiroshi Ibusuki, George Blackwood forced a sublime save out of Tom Glover with a great leap and header from a characteristically pinpoint delivery by Craig Goodwin.
Adelaide came out of the blocks firing after half-time and capitalised on the lion’s share of possession in the 48th minute.
In a breathtaking piece of brilliance, Zach Clough flicked the ball up to himself on the run before nonchalantly looping the ball over Tom Glover’s head from the edge of the box. Plagued by inconsistency since arriving as the replacement for captain Stefan Mauk, the Englishman silenced his doubters with this decisive action and seemed to revel in losing himself amongst a forest of limbs in the away section.
The away side seemed to be buoyed by the goal as the momentum swung in their favour. Yengi almost hit City with a dagger as he swivelled away from Curtis Good in the 56th minute before his shot was eventually blocked near the goal by Connor Metcalfe with many of the Adelaide faithful raising suspicions as to whether Metcalfe had illegally handled the ball in the process.
Looking to turn the momentum in his side’s favour, Kisnorbo introduced Marco Tilio into the game and clearly instructed his side to lift the intensity of their press as Adelaide’s defenders continued to be closed down aggressively. In some respects, Adelaide began to pay the price for sitting deeper and absorbing pressure as they merely invited City’s pressure and allowed them to close them down closer to their goal.
This culminated in an equaliser for the home side in the 74th minute as an Andrew Nabbout cross found its way over Leckie before Tilio ghosted in at the back post unmarked to head the ball home into an open net. With the momentum in their favour, City began to search for the goal that would send them into a second consecutive Grand Final. Nabbout sought to attack Ryan Kitto 1 vs 1 with the support of Leckie who moved to a No.10 position upon Tilio’s introduction.
Despite City’s best efforts to score a second goal within the 90 minutes, the game remained locked at 1-1, sending it into extra-time.
Two minutes into the added 30 minutes, golden boot winner Jamie Maclaren struck a goal out of nothing using his poacher’s instinct to smash a ball beyond Joe Gauci at his near post after the Adelaide defenders failed to clear the lines after a shot from Metcalfe.
As Tilio and Leckie continued to dazzle, Adelaide appeared to fizzle out of the game as their players appeared to be hobbling over the finish line. In contrast, City appeared to be buoyed by the occasion as the trying conditions in Thailand during their ACL campaign prepared their bodies for the fatigue of extra-time.
Key Takeaways:
CONSERVATIVE PLAN FROM KISNORBO
After missing Melbourne City’s entire Asian Champions League campaign with a hamstring injury, Patrick Kisnorbo gladly called upon Florin Berenguer for the crucial second leg clash. The creative fulcrum of City’s outfit, Berenguer was tightly marked by Isaías and Juandé while City’s wide players Nabbout and Leckie struggled to get involved.
Perplexingly, Kisnorbo’s first port of call from the bench was to bring off Taras Gomulka for the more robust and experienced campaigner in Rostyn Griffiths while replacing Berenguer for Tilio.
Given that they were trailing by a goal, it almost beggars belief as to why Kisnorbo did not opt for a more imaginative substitution to threaten the scoreline.
RISK-FREE FOOTBALL ACCENTUATES DEADLOCK
After last night’s historic Semi-Final upset from Western United which broke Melbourne Victory’s 16-match unbeaten streak, fans were expecting similar fireworks at AAMI Park for the second Semi-Final. However, the City Terrace and travelling Adelaide roadshow were treated to a game of chess, as both coaches seemed content to let the game play out and not take any overt risks.
This is perhaps best summarised by the fact that, for the majority of proceedings, the best chances from both sides came from set-pieces. The midfield resembled somewhat of a battlefield as the two sides wrestled for control in the middle of the park.
The inclusion of Zach Clough in place of Lachlan Brook with somewhat shrewd in this respect given his tendency to come inside and provide an extra number to match City’s three in midfield. Irrespective of that, the tenacity and desire of Alex Tobin Medal winner Connor Metcalfe seemed to overpower the more passive duo of Juandé and Isaías at times.
EXPERIENCE PROVES THE DIFFERENCE
After 58 minutes had elapsed, there was palpable tension in the air at AAMI Park. City’s Premiership season surely could not end like this, could it? Lagging a goal behind and struggling to manufacture any meaningful attacking chances, City were on the ropes. Then came the crucial double substitution.
Gomulka made way for Griffiths and Tilio came in for Berenguer who did not look his usual self upon returning from injury. While they represented two like-for-like and, arguably, not eye-catching changes, Kisnorbo’s substituons made the difference as Griffiths gave his side vital experience and guile at the base of midfield while also amplifying the connectivity between attack and defence for his side.
On the flip side, Adelaide called upon the likes of Nestor Irankunda, Lachlan Brook and Bernardo Oliveira from the bench who, for all their dynamism and unpredictability, remain largely untested under this pressure and at this level. While much is made of the importance of youth in the A-League, it was City’s decision to bite the bullet and opt for experience to see out the game which helped them to Victory in this crucial affair.
FINAL SCORE (after extra-time):
A-League Men Semi-Final Leg Two, AAMI Park
Melbourne City 2 (Tilio 74m, Maclaren 92m)
Adelaide United 1 (Clough 48m)
