Melbourne City suffered a disappointing defeat on Sunday evening at AAMI Park, with Adelaide United striking twice late to take all three points.
Marcus Younis’ early opener had us in front for much of the contest, but a late double to Luka Jovanovic saw the visitors snatch victory, with the result confirming a sixth-place finish and a trip to Auckland in Week 1 of the Finals.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar was forced into two changes to his starting XI, with both Andrew Nabbout and Kavian Rahmani ruled out due to injury concerns.
Their absence opened the door for Emin Durakovic and Max Caputo to come into the side, with Durakovic making his first start since January.
There was also a welcome return on the bench, with Takeshi Kanamori included for the first time since his knee injury, while Besian Kutleshi and Lawrence Wong were also named among the substitutes.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 30. Andreas KUEN, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC, 28. Marcus YOUNIS, 11. Elbasan RASHANI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (GK), 2. Harrison DELBRIDGE, 7. Mathew LECKIE, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 35. Medin MEMETI, 41. Lawrence WONG, 44. Besian KUTLESHI.
What happened?
The visitors threatened early, with Adelaide hitting the post inside the opening five minutes after City were caught in possession at the back, firing a serious warning shot.
Despite Adelaide settling well into the contest, it was City who struck first in the 17th minute through Marcus Younis. Harry Shillington found him in space inside the box, and after taking a couple of composed touches to steady himself, Younis unleashed a powerful strike across goal and into the top corner to give us the lead.
Buoyed by the opener, Younis almost produced a moment of magic just minutes later, attempting a scissor kick that flew narrowly wide of the post.
City were forced into a change late in the half, with Samuel Souprayen departing through injury and Harrison Delbridge introduced in his place. Elbasan Rashani then went close in stoppage time, dragging a shot just wide after finding space on the break, as we took a narrow lead into the interval despite Adelaide creating a number of chances of their own.
The second half saw the visitors push hard for an equaliser, and City were required to defend resolutely. Delbridge made an immediate impact, producing a crucial last-ditch block just before the hour mark to deny what looked a certain goal.
Vidmar turned to his bench shortly after, with Mathew Leckie and Besian Kutleshi introduced as we looked to regain control. Aziz Behich then delivered a dangerous cross to the back post for Younis, but he was unable to guide his effort on target, before the skipper himself saw a driven attempt blocked moments later.
Further changes followed with Lawrence Wong and Medin Memeti entering the contest, and City looked to have opportunities to seal the result. Rashani came closest, racing through on goal after a well-weighted lofted pass, but Adelaide recovered in time to clear the danger.
The game turned in the final 15 minutes, with Adelaide finding their equaliser in the 79th minute through Jovanovic, who finished from close range after a sustained attacking spell.
Tempers flared deep into stoppage time following a foul on Younis, resulting in a heated confrontation involving players from both sides, with multiple cautions issued.
When play eventually resumed, City were unable to make the most of the resulting set piece, and Adelaide capitalised moments later with a swift counter-attack. Jovanovic again found himself in the right place to finish, striking in the 98th minute to complete a dramatic turnaround.
What’s next?
There will be little time to dwell on the result, with a huge Elimination Final awaiting next weekend. We’ll travel to face Auckland FC across the ditch on Saturday, with a 3:00pm (AEST) kick-off, as we look to keep our season alive.
