Melbourne Victory confirmed its place in the A-League Grand Final with a four-nil demolition of Adelaide United at Docklands Stadium before a bumper crowd on a warm Melbourne St Valentine's Day evening. The result on the night means won the two-legged semi-final six-nil on aggregate, and sends a clear message to any rivals that it will be a force to be reckoned with in the championship game at that same venue in a fortnight.
But it was Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar who will capture the headlines following his post-match comments in which he described his team's performance as a "disgrace" and "all about politics".
In contrast, Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick was beaming when making his after-match comments. "We knew we had the game won at half-time," he said. "But we felt it was very important to keep our standards up, and we didn't want to concede a goal."
"It was great to see not only that fantastic attacking play, but I thought the boys at the back did their utmost to make sure we didn't concede."
"I would say that was one of the best performances Melbourne Victory has ever put on."
Archie Thompson made Adelaide's deficit three in aggregate with Victory's first goal of the game after ten minutes. Man-of-the-Match Carlos Hernandez, made it four with the second just after the first-half's midway point. Whatever hopes had flickered in Adelaide hearts at kick-off had surely faded with that goal.
Danny Allsopp put the stadium into party mode a minute before the interval with the game's third after Hernandez had once again split a square Adelaide defence. It could have been even more by then, Tom Pondeljak having missed from a good position following another piece of Hernandez wizardry in combination with the hard-working Billy Celeski, as the overwhelmed Adelaide defence chased shadows.
Tom Pondeljak volleyed home three minutes after the re-start from Hernandez' cross which completely cut out any ability of Adelaide to intercede.
Adelaide finished the game with just ten on the park after Cassio had earnt his second caution of the game nine minutes from time, but the game's fate was determined well before his petulant walk of the pitch, during which he made an obscene gesture to the crowd which will surely draw the attention of the authorities in the next days, and into the tunnel.
Adelaide needed to win by two to get itself back into the game, and score three at least for a win. But it was Melbourne which began the stronger, and gave the visitors so little time in possession, it was not possible for Adelaide to build a platform. Indeed, it was Melbourne which took a firm hold on the game from the start.
Ten minutes after the start, Thompson put Melbourne ahead when Hernandez sent a perfectly-weighted through ball which split the Adelaide defence allowing Thompson a clear path on goal. Hernandez had, in turn, been provided the ball by a clever pass inside from Matthew Kemp on the left touch-line. Thompson's opener came just seconds after his striking partner Danny Allsopp had set him free and Thompson had skipped this way and that with the ball at his feet, mesmerising defender Robert Cornthwaite, but insufficiently so to allow Thompson to create a better shooting angle.
Hernandez was showing no signs of his inter-continental football journey, and was setting up Victory moves at will. It was fitting he himself benefited from his own endeavours with Victory's second of the night, and the goal which effectively confirmed Melbourne's Grand Final place.
The Costa Rican exchanged passes on the right with Tom Pondeljak, himself having a fine recent run of form, and allowing Hernandez to play the ball wide to the overlapping Nick Ward. Ward took the ball near the goal-line before cutting it back to Hernandez now free and inside the penalty-area. Hernandez took a touch to set up his shot, then sent a powerful drive wide of the hopelessly exposed Eugene Galekovic.
Galekovic had not put a foot wrong in either this or the first-leg, but had now been beaten four times by the rampant Victory strike-force. It was to be more before the end of the game, but none could be put down to any error of the league's goalkeeper of the year.
Adelaide might have scored on the half-hour when Cristiano met a well-directed cross from Scott Jamieson when Adelaide put together an effective move from a central position, but headed narrowly over. It was the visitors' only dangerous moment of the half, and testament to Melbourne's grip on the contest.
But all the initiative came from Melbourne, and directed mainly by Hernandez. The Central American import had looked sluggish early in the season, and - to be fair - would even now not claim to be Melbourne's fleetest of foot. But his touch, vision, and composure is currently unsurpassed in this league.
It was through Hernandez that Melbourne's next two goals were created, and within minutes of each other in game-time, although separated by the half-time interval.
Allsopp had benefited from a beautifully-weighted through-ball from Hernandez which had carved up Adelaide's back four and gave Allsopp unimpeded access to the net.
Then Hernandez received a pass from Pondeljak mid-pitch, making his way into the inside-right channel from where he chipped a cross into space at the far post only Pondeljak could attack. The well-travelled midfielder volleyed into the net from close-range.
Merrick withdrew Hernandez just before the hour, but the Costa Rican's game-winning influence was apparent to all even before then. There was little need to keep Hernandez on the pitch a minute longer.
Michael Theoklitos made two excellent saves, the first midway through the second half after a shot from the edge of the penalty-area by Cassio had been deflected at the six-yard line by Kevin Muscat required him to make a last-second reflex save to push the ball wide for a corner.
The second was equally as good. Adelaide substitute Rostyn Griffiths had been introduced at half-time for the ineffective Lucas Pantelis. Ten minutes from time he'd made a run from the half-way line and exchanged a pass to run clear along the right wing before crossing centrally to Cristiano. Cristiano's header was on target, and required a diving save by Theoklitos to deflect the ball around the post for a corner.
Hernadez' Costa Rican team-mate, Jose Luis Lopez, had a late chance to extend the margin of Melbourne's win, his shot from an acute angle on the end of a floated free-kick on the left from Matthew Kemp only just passing the outside of the far-post with Galekovic again exposed.
If the extent of Melbourne's win was a surprise, but the shock was to be provided by Vidmar's stunning after-match comments.
Aurelio Vidmar's post-match comments, after the 2nd leg of the Major Semi-Final (14/02/3009):
"It was a disgrace, an absolute disgrace."
"We owe the world an apology. A performance like that was a disgrace."
When asked for the reasons behind the poor display, Vidmar replied:
"Politics. That's what I put it down to. There's too many people in this club with hidden agendas. That's the problem. That 4-0 result tonight was politics."
"Because of a piss-ant town, this club will never win anything, until you get rid of that crap."
When asked by an Adelaide media representative who he was talking about, Vidmar responded:
"You should know. You can name them. You know, OK? Everyone's involved mate. Everyone. This is a disgrace, and you know, because you're involved as well."
"Things change very quickly in football clubs, very quickly, you've been around football clubs for a while you'd understand. (If) someone's not happy with something, they'll do whatever they can to fracture it. That's what they do. Whether it's jealousy or whatever it is, whether it's ego, it certainly smacks of all that at our club at this point of time."
"It's not about (the players) not trying, it's the underlying things that are happening around the club at this point of time (which) has an effect on everyone."
"I'm not going to name names. Everyone's involved, so anyone involved with the club is involved (in this) very heavily."
When asked about his future at the club he said:
"I couldn't give a damn to be honest. (I) could not give a damn. As I said, this club will never win anything until it gets rid of it."
When asked if he was being undermined, Vidmar thought for a moment and replied:
"I don't know. (I) don't think so."
When asked if he can you deal with it within the group, Vidmar said:
"(I'm) going to have to. We've got a very big week coming up, (a) very very big week, and it's going to start on Monday."
When asked if he still wanted to be the coach, Vidmar said:
"I want to be the coach yes. But you need to work in a happy environment and this was a very happy place, until a few weeks ago."
When asked what had changed, Vidmar responded:
"I don't know, maybe the smoke from the Melbourne fires come to Adelaide, with all due respect. It's just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."
After an attempt to ask captain Travis Dodd, sitting silently alongside Vidmar, a question, Vidmar intervened: "No don't ask the players, please. Don't ask the players about it."
When asked if it was something not so much involving the players, but at board or management level, Vidmar answered:
"The whole lot mate. The whole lot."
Asked if he thought the players been distracted by off-field politics, Vidmar said:
"With a performance like that, you can't tell me that we've forgotten how to play football overnight. You cannot forget to play football overnight. That tells you your mind is not fresh, there's a lot of shit in your mind, that's what it is. You can't play football. You can't do anything."
Asked if it was something that's been brewing for a few weeks, Vidmar said:
"Yes it has. (In the) last couple of weeks exactly."
Asked if it was being generated by players leaving the club, Vidmar replied:
"(It's coming from) the whole club. You can box them in whatever little parcels you like. Put them in your little parcels, which you will do, OK? Everyone's involved."
Asked if that including himself, Vidmar said:
"Including me, yes."
Asked why he can't you stop the fracturing, Vidmar replied:
"You can't win in politics mate. You can't win in politics."
Asked if he felt he was losing this (political) game, Vidmar said:
"We lost 4-0, and that's all because of politics mate, I'm telling you."
As Adelaide now has a Preliminary Final to play next week in it's last chance this campaign, Vidmar was asked how he expects he will be able to pick the team up for next week's game, Vidmar replied:
"Well, it's going to be difficult, but there needs to be a massive heart-to-heart (on) Monday morning. A massive one. I want people out there who are actually going to play football and not worry about anything else. (I) need people around the club who are thinking of the right things, football. Nothing else. Nothing else."
"I'll be taking charge of the playing group, that's it."
"You've either got balls or you don't have balls. So (on) Monday we'll see who has them and who hasn't. And then we need to come out on Saturday and show that we got them. And that's it."
Vidmar then thanked the attending media and concluded his appearance by departing the room.
During the exchanges, Vidmar was clearly upset, but deliberate in his comments, and in control of his responses. His tone was firm, but measured.
An official Adelaide United FC media release was issued overnight:
VIDMAR ISSUES APOLOGY
Adelaide United FC Coach Aurelio Vidmar has released an apology regarding comments he made at the post match media conference following the Melbourne Victory match.
"In tonight's press conference immediately after our Melbourne Victory match, I regrettably said some things in the heat of the moment.
I would like to apologise to the city and people of Adelaide for the discouraging comments I made. I grew up in Adelaide and I love the city and people. We have fantastic fans and support for the club and my comments were out of order for a club and city I care so much about.
I encourage all of our fantastic supporters to stick with us as we take on Queensland Roar in next Saturday's Preliminary Final and we'll do our best to get to the Grand Final in a fortnight against Melbourne, and hope to make the whole of South Australia and city of Adelaide proud of what we are trying to achieve for this great club."
A further insight to the goings on at Adelaide is provided by the Roundball Analyst when he posits the following events as likely causes for Aurelio's frustrations: