Melbourne Victory scored its second bucketful of goals in as many weeks, blowing away champions Newcastle Jets 5-0 at Docklands Stadium on Friday night, after putting four past Wellington the previous round. Melbourne has set out its intention of another sparkling season to match its championship year after the disappointment of the last campaign.
Carlos Hernandez opened the scoring for Victory five minutes from the interval, running onto a ball from Archie Thompson. Thompson himself got the second, in first-half added time, after a dreadful blunder from Jets goalkeeper Ante Covic gifted possession to Victory, leaving himself hopelessly exposed.
Archie Thompson had found himself on the park earlier than expected, replacing defender Michael Thwaite midway through the half. Thwaite had given the first signs of injury inside ten minutes, going to the bench, then subsequently receiving treatment to his lower leg off the field for a lengthy period. After the Victory brains trust had determined Thwaite could no longer continue, the Olyroo came on, and the Victory defence and midfield was re-organised to take account of the replacement of a defender with the Olyroo striker.
Danny Allsopp stepped up with a double inside three minutes to make it four with still half-an-hour to go. In the first, he benefited from a run by Archie Thompson which left him with a tap-in at the far post from one metre. In the second, he broke through a square Jets defence on a Fabiano nod-on to shoot past Covic.
If that hadn't demoralised Newcastle sufficiently, Grant Brebner got a fifth in added time, his first touch after coming on thirty seconds earlier as a replacement for Hernandez. Brebner scored from 18 metres through a forest of legs as Covic failed to clear with a corner.
"What was most impressive was the fluid attacking football in the front third," - said beaming Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick. "Especially after we had to restructure after Thwaitey had to go off with a rolled ankle early on".
"It was some of the best football we've played in a long while," he said!
"It was pretty poor," said Jets' coach Gary van Egmond after the game! "In the first half there (were) glimpses of opportunities that we had created. But the goal at the end of the half was a real killer".
"More of the goals were by our mistakes, and once (Melbourne) got their confidence, they started to play some really good football," he said.
"We lacked a bit of leadership tonight. We've got a couple of weeks to get things right".
"I was disappointed with players not going with runners, with people diving in when they needed to stay on their feet, and people not being close enough when balls were being switched," said van Egmond. "Our standard has to lift".
Until that five-minute period at the end of the first half, it would have been difficult to have predicted a victor such was the evenness of play and the open nature of the contest. Both sides had crafted credible opportunities requiring Covic and his Victory opposite number Michael Theoklitos to make critical saves. Covic was perhaps the more fortunate, as he was able to block a goal-bound Andy Vargas header with his feet mid-way through the half.
James Holland went wide shortly after when in a profitable position, taking advantage of a rebound from Kevin Muscat who had sought to block a shot from farther out by Adam d'Apuzzo.
At the other end, it took the combined efforts of Covic and Benjamin Kantarovski to thwart Allsopp, released on a pass from Hernandez. Covic made the block, but the ball continued its path to goal, scrambled clear at the last by a grateful D'Apuzzo.
A double block from Tarik Elrich and Kantarovski was needed to keep Fabiano out just minutes later, as the signs pointed to the Newcastle defence creaking such was the constant pressure being exerted.
But Newcastle created one of the better opportunities of the half when Jin-Hyung Song - who was in excellent form early, but faded as the game went on played, in a cross which was allowed to run by Muscat to where Matt Thompson lay in wait. Theoklitos was down quickly to smother, with Matthew Kemp caught on the wrong side to do other than make his presence felt.
When the inevitable goal finally arrived, it was by a move of such speed it left the Newcastle players chasing shadows. Victory's Costa Rican duo had exchanged passes mid-pitch, and Kemp as well as Billy Celeski got involved, keeping the ball in quick motion. It was then played to Archie Thompson who had found space 25 metres out. Thompson instantly found Hernandez who had burst through inside and to the forward edge of the penalty-area. His first-time shot went unstoppably past Covic and into the net.
After an assured defensive display, Jets unbelievably then ceded possession twice in as many minutes as the half-time whistle beckoned. North sought to clear a ball under pressure from Celeski only to see it go directly to Fabiano. Fortunately for Jets, Fabiano's shot went over the bar from a promising position.
But from the resultant goal-kick, Jets repeated the carelessness, this time when Covic gave away possession to Fabiano in his botched attempt to find North. Perhaps wary from his last profligacy, the big Brazilian laid the ball off to Archie Thompson who gleefully shot low past the despairing dive of Covic, in his vain attempt to make amends. As Thompson wheeled away to the acclaim of his team-mates and the vast majority in the stadium, Covic stood angry-faced, covering his head with both arms.
What had been a balanced first period now saw the balance tip heavily in Victory's favour.
Two goals in three minutes from Allsopp on the hour confirmed it would be Victory's night.
The first came after a run down the right by Archie Thompson as North again gave away possession deep in his own half. Thompson hared away up the wing now behind the defence and squared to an unmarked Allsopp at the far-post, one metre out. It will probably prove the burly striker?s easiest conversion of the season.
Allsopp had to work harder for his second and the game-killing fourth. Theoklitos had played a long clearance forward and Fabiano was able to outjump Kantarovski and nod it on and into space. Allsopp ran behind a static defence to collect it. Only Covic stood in the way, and Allsopp was able to find the net low at the left post beyond Covic's dive.
Brebner's goal seconds before the final whistle just added salt into Newcastle's open wounds. He had only just left the bench, and could scarcely have contemplated having even a touch, such was the short time remaining, far less scoring a game-ending goal. Covic failed to adequately punch a ball as a corner came in, able to direct it only to the edge of the 18-yard area. Brebner ran in unattended, and swept his shot low into the net by the post.
The final whistle, when it came seconds later, was not soon enough for Newcastle.