Round 20 had at least three goals scored in five of the six games and one goalless draw between Perth Glory and Sydney FC, which was far from dull.
There were two derbies, one between Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix and the other between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, which showcased the attacking football in the A-League, with 11 goals in the two games.
A new era of the UEFA Champions League is here, only on Stan Sport.
Macarthur FC were the team with bye.
Let’s take a look at who made the difference for each team.
Newcastle Jets
Lachlan Rose played a part in the opening goal with a pass to Lachlan Bayliss who provided the assist for Kota Mizunuma who broke the deadlock in the 21st minute. The second goal was scored partly due to Rose creating chaos, which was well taken by Eli Adams.
The 25-year-old sprinted to win the ball back off Roar defender Hosine Bility in the 58th minute, which epitomised what he brings to the team; leadership and hunger.
The secret to the Jets good run of form was summed up by Rose: “We’re in a good space at this moment. Everyone in the group gets on really well.”
Brisbane Roar
Jay O’Shea gave the Roar a lifeline with a cracking goal just prior to half time from a free kick, which was sublime and gave his team some hope going into the break.
Auckland FC
Neyder Moreno scored the opening two goals of the game when the Kiwi Derby was in the balance within the space of five minutes, that gave Auckland FC a 2-0 lead. The Colombian’s two goals in the first half were clinical as there were plenty of bodies in the way.
Moreno scored his third goal, with the shot coming from outside the box, which put the game to bed, as it made it 4-1 in the 60th minute.
Wellington Phoenix
Chico Geraldes put in a good display, in his first game in the A-League; the Portuguese striker looked dangerous with a shot tipped over the bar by Alex Paulsen in the 58th minute. The No.9 appears to be a good prospect based on his first 90 minutes in the A-League.
Central Coast Mariners
Mikael Doka tried hard to keep the Mariners in the game; the Brazilian prevented a switch of play, which would’ve left Wanderers left-back Jack Clisby in acres of space in the 24th minute coming to fruition and a minute later Doka cut the ball back for Alou Kuol only for the ball to be cleared off the line.
Mikael Doka. (Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)
Western Sydney Wanderers
Anthony Pantazopoulos played a superb long ball, that left Mariners goalkeeper Adam Pavlesic in no man’s land and led to Zac Sapsford breaking the deadlock early in the game.
The Wanderers centre-back made a superb intervention in the 25th minute when the game was in the balance by clearing a shot from Kuol off the line.
Pantazopoulos was insightful: “We’ve been slowly building. I just go out there and have fun. The lads’ confidence is very high.”
Melbourne Victory
Ryan Teague showed that he warrants selection in the Socceroos squad; the Victory No.6 won the most duels of anyone on the pitch, with 13 and the most tackles, with four. Along with that, the 23-year-old created three chances and made 12 passes into the final third.
Melbourne City
Aziz Behich put in a good shift; his leadership and work rate shone through. The City captain won the penalty, which resulted in his team claiming a point with Kai Trewin scoring from the penalty spot making the score 2-2 in the 70th minute.
The Socceroo summed everything up well: “As a neutral it was a great to watch and these are the ones you want to be involved in. I want to leave everything out there.”
Perth Glory
Oliver Sail was in great form making an impressive save from a Joe Lolley shot, which was from distance in the 74th minute. The shot-stopper also made a fantastic double save from a shot outside the box Douglas Costa and Anas Ouahim with the follow up shot in the 84th minute.
Sydney FC
Harrison Devenish-Meares made five saves, that helped the Sky Blues keep a clean sheet; the 28-year-old was called into action in the opening minute of the game from a Nikola Mileusnic shot and another decent save from an Adam Taggart header in the 33rd minute.
Western United
Abel Walatee was outstanding; the 21-year-old won the most duels of any player in the match, with 11 and did well to keep the ball in from a switch of play by Matthew Grimaldi and play a first time pass to Ben Garuccio who provided the assist for Noah Botic, which broke the deadlock. He also had four shots on target in the first half.
Walatee made some interesting comments: “My confidence is just building and building. I try to enjoy every single time. I want to be someone who plays 90 minutes.”
Adelaide United
Ethan Cox may have made a mistake late, but the score line could’ve been much worse without him, as the Reds goalkeeper made eight saves.
