Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners played out a scoreless but highly entertaining game at Docklands Stadium, continuing Victory's winless start to the season, and allowing Mariners to retain its undefeated start.
Central Coast captain Tony Vidmar's added-time deliberate foul on Archie Thompson which led to Vidmar's dismissal was a key moment in the game. Thompson looked to be clear after he'd burst through the Mariners' back-line and was heading towards the penalty-area only for Vidmar to haul him back by the collar. Referee Mark Shield had no option but to send off Vidmar, but the action produced its own reward when Victory was unable to make the resultant free-kick count.
"I thought we had a scratchy start," said Victory coach Ernie Merrick after the game. "(But) we created a few chances. The longer the game went we got stronger. We had some really good chances that we couldn't put away. The points will come."
Mariners' coach Lawrie McKinna was similarly up-beat following the game. "Overall, coming down here (to Melbourne) with a full team and getting a draw, we'd be happy," he said. "But coming down with quite a few boys missing, (I'm) very happy."
The game opened brightly with chances at either end. Danny Allsopp was using his physical presence to good effect, and was set up by Adrian Caceres and Carlos Hernandez in the opening period. Mariners' forward pair of Sasho Petrovski and Adam Kwasnik too had early opportunities in a contest which was expansive from the first moments.
Petrovski did net the ball just after the quarter-hour but had moved fractionally offside before the cross was played and saw the flag raised to cancel it out. Petrovski's game ended prematurely after he picked up an ankle injury after landing badly.
"We're going to send him for X-rays as a precaution," said McKinna. "He rolled (his ankle). It was just one of those things."
Allsopp too was withdrawn late in the game and immediately taken to hospital complaining of breathing difficulties and severe side pain diagnosed by the Victory medical staff as a suspected broken rib.
"He got a knock in the first half which he carried, and he got another knock in the second half. (The rib) was looking like it was pushing into his lung," said Merrick. "It would take a lot to get him off the park."
These key players' departures were combined with the late withdrawal of Mariners' Nik Mrdja. The in-form striker reported on Friday suffering a knee injury McKinna suspected to have been suffered as a result of his Socceroos' camp duty the previous week.
Mile Jedinak almost turned in Adrian Caceres' cross to his own net midway through the half after Caceres had robbed a static Andre Gumprecht on the left and made good ground towards the bye-line. Caceres would also cease his involvement in the contest not long after as Merrick made a tactical change to counter Mariners' advantage up the wings and especially the left.
"We changed out structure," said Merrick. "We changed to two wing-backs, rather than a back four. That worked well for us."
"We (then) went with three out-and-out strikers, rather than two and a deep-lying midfielder," he said.
Kwasnik created the game's best chance just before the half-hour when he received a ball in from the left and lobbed Roddy Vargas who came out to challenge. Kwasnik then faced only goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos but his instant volley struck the top-edge of the bar as it narrowly whistled over.
And just before the interval, Kevin Muscat headed wide from a corner set-piece move launched by Matthew Kemp after a flowing move and shot from Hernandez had been turned wide.
Theoklitos came to Victory's aid ten minutes after the break when he was sharply down to deflect beyond the post a stinging shot from Jedinak who had shot low from distance. Allsopp and Mariners' goalkeeper Danny Vukovic reprised the action barely two minutes later at the other end after Allsopp had cut inside from the right before shooting.
It was the bar which prevented Kwasnik's free-kick giving Mariners the lead immediately afterwards as the game moved from end to end. Indeed, in the very next attack Vukovic had to be at his most alert to save from Thompson who had burst up the inside-left channel chasing a through-ball.
Hernandez had been replaced by Leandro Love on the hour and instantly gave Victory some speedier options on the ball. In the game's best combination he combined with Thompson up the left, sending the Socceroo clear and behind the Mariners' defence. Thompson's ball in was reached by Allsopp on the stretch marginally before Vukovic got there, but Allsopp's touch sent it agonisingly past the post.
Fittingly for the pattern of the game it was Mariners which next crafted a move of danger. Shrugging off the attentions of the combatitive Leigh Broxham up the right, Damien Brown and John Hutchinson exchanged passes setting Brown free up the left. Brown's sizzling cross flashed across goal to where Tom Pondeljak had sped. Pondeljak's touch needed a sharp reaction save from Theoklitos to keep the scoreboard unchanged.
"He struck it pretty early," said Theoklitos. "There were a few bodies in front, but fortunately for me I got a hand to it. I was pleased with that."
So many times last season a late goal would have broken the deadlock and provided Victory the three points which so far this year has eluded it, and the vociferous home support urged on its team an effort to will a repeat. Victory's continued pressure brought on a series of corners, but from none was the deadlock broken.
Vidmar's last-man foul when he brought down Thompson in added time as the speedster was about to run clear earnt the experienced defender the red card he surely knew he'd see, but was calculated also to earn Mariners the point which would result from preventing the goal.