Melbourne City endured a disappointing night in Adelaide on Friday, falling 4-1 to the Reds after a flat performance that never truly reached the levels shown before the international break.
Takeshi Kanamori delivered City’s lone highlight with a spectacular first-half strike – his first goal for the Club – but quickfire goals on either side of the break ultimately sealed a tough result for the travelling City side.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar made three changes to the team that defeated Melbourne Victory before the break.
Andrew Nabbout returned to the starting XI for the first time in 382 days – a significant milestone, both his first start since an ACL injury and his 100th appearance for the Club.
Captain Aziz Behich also returned from a hamstring issue, replacing the unavailable Nathaniel Atkinson, while Liam Bonetig came in for Kai Trewin following the latter’s heavy international minutes. Despite flying in on matchday morning, Patrick Beach retained his place in goal after making his Socceroos debut last week.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 44. Besian KUTLESHI, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 4. Liam BONETIG, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 30. Andreas KUEN, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 20. Ben MAZZEO, 35. Medin MEMETI, 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 37. Peter ANTONIOU, 38. Beckham BAKER, 53. Angus MACKINTOSH.
What happened?
City began well, moving the ball sharply and forcing early territory, but it was Adelaide who struck first. A loose back-pass invited pressure in the 12th minute, allowing Ethan Alagich to pounce and open the scoring. Minutes later, Luka Jovanovic doubled the lead with a tidy finish from the edge of the area.
City saw more of the ball as the half progressed without creating clear chances, though Besian Kutleshi impressed with a composed first 45, and Kavian Rahmani provided steady support in midfield.
The match sparked into life when Adelaide were reduced to 10 men just after the half-hour: Dylan Pierias dismissed for kicking out at Andreas Kuen. From the resulting free-kick, Behich’s delivery ricocheted into the path of Kanamori, who unleashed a brilliant left-foot strike into the top corner to bring City back into the contest.
Just before the break, Behich went close again as City pushed to capitalise on the momentum, but the equaliser never came.
City started the second half brightly and spent long stretches camped in Adelaide’s half, consistently working the ball into advanced areas while the hosts sat deeper and deeper. Despite the territorial dominance, clear openings proved hard to find, with most attacks ending in half-chances or blocked entries into the box.
As City pushed numbers forward in search of an equaliser, the game opened up late. Adelaide took advantage with two goals in the final 15 minutes from Ryan White and Jay Barnett to seal all three points.
What’s next?
City won’t have long to dwell on the result. Attention now shifts quickly to continental action, with Johor Darul Ta’zim visiting Melbourne on Tuesday night in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Vidmar’s side will be looking to immediately respond as we hunt a third win in a row in Asia – click here to get your tickets.
