On a warm Tuesday evening, Melbourne City would be shocked by Adelaide United, as they lost 2-1 at home.
A well weighted ball from Connor Metcalfe found the feet of Florin Berenguer who rolled it square where unfortunately for Maclaren his feet were unable to reach the ball.
In the 11th minute following a simple ball over the top, where following a calamitous error from both Lachlan Barr and Joe Gauci the ball fell to Maclaren who struck it home in the 11th minute.
Adelaide would miraculously equalise in the 20th minute where by virtue of a cross-cum-shot Javi Lopez found the back of the net, leaving Glover with flailing arms as it sailed into the back of the net.
City continued to pepper the goal through impressive dribbling displays from both Andrew Nabbout and Marco Tilio eventually leading to Nabbout one on one with Gauci, shooting wide of the goal.
The second half began with Adelaide coming out stronger yet City were afforded the clearer opportunities on goal with Gauci being forced into the action to parry away the ball.
It was Mohamed Toure the hero, as he scored his first goal of the season by virtue of a mistake from former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson as Adelaide earned themselves a smash and grab win away from home.
Key Takeaways:
ERRORS UPON ERRORS
The fixture was typified by defensive errors from both sides with City’s opener plagued by mistakes by Barr and Gauci, the latter who came way too far forward whilst Javi Lopez’s wonder-goal can be deemed a lapse in concentration by Tom Glover who’s performances have come under the microscope this season.
Carl Jenkinson put the cherry on top, passing across goal leading to Mo Toure to score the winner with minutes to spare.
To supplement these errors there were three disallowed goals over the course of the fixture, perfectly articulating the quirky nature of this tie.
TILIO SUBSTITUTED EARLY
Patrick Kisnorbo’s return to the touchline signalled a rotated squad for this mid-week’s clash as Tilio took the starting spot of Matthew Leckie who was rested after his double against Western Sydney on Friday. However he was unable to last even a half, coming off for Stefan Colakovski who is in need of game-time possibly due to injury.
Despite Tilio’s selection for the Socceroos last month he hasn’t in respect made the most of his chances whilst starting for the A-League Men champions.
With many touting Tilio as a future star for the Socceroos, it will prove intriguing in the coming months if he is able to break into the starting XI and prove to be a permanent fixture for City, a task that could be insurmountable with the signing of attacking midfielder Tsasuba in recent weeks.
ADELAIDE HOLDING THEIR OWN
Despite many tipping the Reds to fall down the table this season, they have down more than enough to silence the critics thus far. Through the integration of youth alongside the experience of the likes of Javi Lopez, Goodwin and more they are shaping up as potential top six bolters for the season.
The balanced midfield showcased within the second half demonstrated Adelaide at their best through Mauk, Clough and D’Arrigo in set positions. Effective ball movement generated through the aforementioned Clough led to fluid and exhilarating football on display, eventually leading to the winner from the substitute Toure.n
FINAL SCORE:
A-League Men, AAMI Park
Melbourne City 1 (Maclaren 11m)
Adelaide United 2 (Lopez 20m, Toure 85m)
Image Source: Adelaide United