April 16, 2024
The regular season in the A-League is coming towards its conclusion, with just two rounds of fixtures remaining after today’s match before the Finals Series play-offs to determine the overall champion.
Western United had no chance of reaching the play-offs and needed points to avoid the wooden spoon. Adelaide realistically needed three wins from their remaining three matches, all away from home, to make the top 6.
Western United
Western United have twice featured in these diaries, with a 1-1 home draw with Macarthur in October 2022, and a 0-1 loss at the Central Coast Mariners in April 2022.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/10/western-united-1-1-macarthur-fc-att-tbc.html
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/04/central-coast-mariners-1-0-western.html
They started the day in 11th position with a 6-4-14 record, and in a battle with Perth Glory to avoid finishing bottom. They had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, with a 3-2-2 record in their last 7 games.
At the start of the month, Western United moved into their temporary new stadium, the 5,000 capacity Wyndham Regional Football Facility, which is also called Ironpark Fields. A bigger stadium is being built next door with a schedule to open in the 2025/26 season, which will hold 15,000 spectators. Previously, the Green and Blacks had been playing at the AAMI and Mars Stadiums in Melbourne and Ballarat respectively, as well as playing some matches in Hobart in Tasmania.
Western United won their first match at Ironpark Fields, 4-2 over Macarthur but then slumped to a 0-2 loss to title chasing Central Coast Mariners.
Brazilian forward Penha was the top scorer for Western United this season with 7 goals but was missing through injury. Also missing was their second highest scorer, Noah Botic with 5, leaving Michael Ruhs their highest scorer in today’s squad with just 4 goals.
Left back Ben Garuccio has played for Heart of Midlothian and Japanese midfielder Riku Danzaki had a brief spell with Motherwell.
Adelaide United
Adelaide United started the day in 9th position with a 8-4-12 record, six points behind 6th placed West Sydney Wanderers. They were featured in these diaries in late October when they hosted champions Central Coast Mariners in the first match of the season and looked very impressive in winning 3-0. 17 year-old Nestory Irankunda looked an outstanding talent that day, and will now be joining Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/10/adelaide-united-3-0-central-coast.html
Known as the Reds, Adelaide took seven points from their opening three matches but then went on a run of just three wins in 17 games. Two important players left the club in the January window, with keeper Joe Gauci ( 2 caps ) signing for Aston Villa for a reported AUD 2.5M, and defender Alexander Popovic joining K-League side Gwangju. Talented but injury prone youngster Bernardo left to join Macarthur and highly rated 19 year-old keeper Steven Hall, the youngest goalkeeper to ever play in the A-League and already an Under 23 international, signed for Brighton and Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee.
Their recent form was to win three matches in a row, but last time out lost 1-2 at home to Macarthur, after leading 1-0 with 5 minutes remaining against 10 men.
Japanese striker Hiroshi Ibusuki was their top scorer with 11 goals this season, followed by Irankunda with 7.
Previous Meetings
Adelaide had been victorious in the two encounters between the two sides this season, winning 3-1 in Ballarat in November and 4-1 at home in March, when Irankunda went home with the match-ball after his first hat-trick in senior football.
Matchday Information
Tickets for the match ranged between 10 AUD for standing and 30 AUD for seats.
The temperature at the 19.00 local time kick-off ( 10.00 UK ) was a cool 15 degrees. After a day of showers, it was dry for the game.
The match was shown live on TNT Sports in the UK, and was also streamed by Bet365.com, who made Western United 6/4 favourites, with Adelaide at 16/5 and the draw 7/5.
Adelaide made two changes from the side that lost at home to Macarthur, with Ben Warland and Giuseppe Boavilina coming into the defence at the expense of Harry van der Saag and ex-Espanyol Spanish defender Javi Lopez. Ten of their matchday squad featured in the opening day victory over the Central Coast Mariners.
Western United made just the one change to the line-up that started against the Mariners with Kane Vidmar, son of Aussie legend of Tony Vidmar and who was born in Cardiff when his father was with Cardiff City, out injured, and Japanese defender Tomoko Imai returning to the side after a two match ban. Three players remained from the Western United games previously covered in these diaries, Garuccio, Lachlan Wales and Steven Lustica.
Western United were in their usual green and black striped shirts with black shorts, whilst Adelaide were in a change kit of all white with blue trims and numbers rather than their first choice red kit.
Match Report
The visitors started strongly and Donachie felt forced to haul down Irankunda just outside the penalty area after the youngster had got past him, and was shown an early yellow card. Ex-Bolton and Nottingham Forest English midfielder Zach Clough’s free-kick reached Boavilina at the back post but his header went wide from 6 yards. Team-mate Ibusuki looked to have got in his way to prevent a clean header.
After barely being in the game in the opening 10 minutes, Western United Garuccio’s left-footed snap-shot forced a smart save by Delianov at his near post, pushing the ball away for a corner.
Irankunda continued to look lively and beat Garuccio to get into the area, but his cross was at the goalkeeper at his near post, who made an easy catch.
The home side came close to opening the scoring in the 16th minute when a good move released Matthew Grimaldi on the right and his pull-back found Danzaki, who dropped a shoulder to skip past Boavilina, but his left footed effort from just inside the area crashed back from the bar.
However, the first goal of the game arrived three minutes later from a goal-keeping howler. Delianov attempted to play a pass out of his area to Alagich but it went straight to Grimaldi, who had an easy finish to put the ball into the virtually empty net from the edge of the area, past a defender desperately trying to get across to cover. 1-0 after 18 minutes.
The Reds tried to immediately hit back and Ibusuki’s effort after a through ball from Alagich was blocked by Donachie for a corner. The set-piece was unconvincingly cleared by the home defence but only as far as Irankunda, now lurking on the left-hand side of the pitch, who brushed past Kaddour, leaving the full-back on the deck, and his pull back reached Alagich. The shot hit the chest of Grimaldi and went off for a corner. Kaddour though had been seriously injured and had to leave the pitch to be replaced by O’Toole.
After 28 minutes, Pasquali sent a glorious cross-field pass to Wales, who got to the by-line, but his low cross was intercepted by Ansell to prevent a tap-in for Ruhs. At the other end, Irankunda again beat his marker but there was no end product, and a poor pass was cleared.
Two minutes later, Ibusuki twisted and turned to try and create some space but his left footed shot as he appeared to lose his footing went straight at Heward-Belle, who made a routine save.
Adelaide continued to press and Ibusuki should have done better beyond the far post, but his header from a corner went well wide from a good position.
A minute later a Boavilina needed to produce a good sliding interception to a through ball from Ruhs to deny Wales an opportunity. However, Western unveiled a training ground move, as the ball to towards the near post enabled Danzaki to make a cute back-heel for Donachie to lash home the bouncing ball from 10 yards. 2-0 with 34 minutes played and Adelaide’s play-off hopes were hanging by a thread.
Adelaide were wobbling, and Kitto had to hack clear from inside his 6 yard box after Wales had burst into the area and played a square ball across the face of the goa,l but they looked to have found a way back into the game a couple of minutes later when Irankunda ran onto chip into the Western area and managed to scoop it back across goal before it went out of play. Ibusuki though headed over from around 8 yards but keeper Heward-Belle had flattened Irankunda in his attempt to reach the ball, and the referee awarded a penalty. Ibusuki was getting ready to take the spot kick when the referee was sent to look at the pitchside monitor, and then reversed his decision. The TV commentators were perplexed, and it could only be that it was thought Irankunda had run into the goalkeeper rather than the other way around. It all seemed strange, and not a clear and obvious error.
Bouyed by the reprieve, Western United were soon down the other end and Garuccio’s chip to the far post gave Wales the opportunity to volley from the angle of the 6 yard box, but the effort was pushed away by Delianov, partially redeeming himself for his earlier error.
The game was drifting towards the interval, but in added on time, Irankunda beat Garuccio on the right wing but his low cross was missed by Ibusuki. It reached Clough beyond the back post, who shot first-time and the ball hit O’Toole and went over the bar for a corner. However, VAR again intervened and after the referee visited the monitor for the second time in the match, he awarded a penalty for handball. It looked very harsh, but with perhaps two wrongs making a right, Adelaide finally had a penalty. The unfortunate O’Toole was also shown a yellow card. Ibusuki sent Heward-Belle the wrong way with his spot-kick and the teams headed to the dressing rooms with the score 2-1 at half-time.
Western United started the second half well, first with Ruhs running from the half-way line into the area only to see his shot blocked when maybe the pass might have been the better option. Garuccio then did well to make space and cross but Wales and Danzaki got in each other’s way, and eventually a weak shot from Danzaki was blocked.
Adelaide though started to get a grip on the game. Clough squeezed between two defenders but his poke from the edge of the area lacked power and the Green and Blacks keeper make a straight-forward save. Alagich’s incisive pass put Ibusuki clear but his blast from a tight angle was saved at the expense of a corner. The set-piece was met by Warland 8 yards out, and his header hit the post and rolled along the goal-line. With the keeper stranded on the floor after diving, Ibusuki following up had probably the easiest goal of his career to finish into the empty net from around 10 inches for the equaliser. 2-2 after 57 minutes.
Adeliade were now rampant and superb defence splitting ball from Clough saw Ibusuki play a delicate lay-back to Mauk, but the first time left-footed shot on the run from 14 yards went inches wide.
Another goal felt inevitable, and Ibusuki slipped a pass to Irankunda, who took two touches to run away from Garuccio on a diagonal run across the area and then showed good composure to side-foot left footed into the opposite corner to give the visitors a come-back lead. 2-3 after 61 minutes.
Adelaide were searching for a fourth goal to clinch the points. Irankunda flashed a low ball across the 6 yard box with none of his team-mates anticipating a finish, and the same player wasted a free-kick in a dangerous position, the ball harmlessly sailing yards over the bar. Irankunda then ran past two would be tacklers to pass to Ibusuki, but the ex-Eupen man’s shot was partially blocked and rose for Heward-Belle to make an easy catch.
The home side managed to stem the tide as play became scrappy, and both sides had players booked for poor fouls. Western United fashioned a decent chance as Danzaki made a good run and played a reverse pass for the overlapping Garuccio, and his left-footed blast from the angle of 6 yard box was saved by keeper Delianov, although I am not too sure how much he knew about it !
With the game entering the final 10 minutes, Adelaide substitute Toure went down in the opposition area looking for a penalty, but the referee was having none of it. Toure then did much better, going on a weaving run, and after his first attempt was blocked by Donachie, he latched onto the rebound, but his second attempt flew across the face of the goal and narrowly wide of the far post.
Irankunda then showed some immaturity, kicking the ball away in frustration after bringing down Imai, giving the referee little choice other than to show him a yellow card.
A raft of substitutions by both sides threatened to disrupt the flow of the game, but Thurgate played a neat pass to give O’Toole the opportunity to run into space on the right wing, and his low cross went to Najdovski, whose effort was tipped over the bar by Delianov.
With 90 minutes on the clock Toure passed to Alagich, whose low left-footed drive from the edge of the area was kept out by a fine diving save by Heward Belle, palming the ball away for a corner, from which Toure’s acrobatic bicycle kick merely sent the ball into orbit and harmlessly off for a goal-kick.
Four minutes of added time were signalled, and it looked like Adelaide would be keeping their Final Series hopes alive. Garuccio had other ideas though and whipped in a cross from the left. Pasquali’s diving flicked header succeeded in diverting the ball to the unmarked O’Toole at the back post, who gleefully hammered the ball into the roof of the net from close range for the leveller. 3-3 after 94 minutes.
There was still time for substitute Halloran to blaze over the bar from a good position for Adelaide, then the referee blew for full-time to bring an entertaining game to its end, with the draw doing neither side any favours.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEIfQH_KAM
Western United : Heward-Belle – Kaddour ( O’Toole ), Donachie, Imai, Garuccio – Wales, Pasquali, Thurgate, Danzaki ( Walatee )– Grimaldi ( Najdovski ), Ruhs ( Lavale )
Adelaide United : Delianov – Warland, Boavilina, Ansell, Kitto – Irankunda, Issaias, Mauk ( Toure ), Alagich ( Jovanovic ), Clough ( Tunnicliffe ) – Ibusuki ( Halloran )
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