Melbourne City took another positive step towards the 2026/27 A-League season on Friday night, recording a 2-0 win over Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve.
Andrew Nabbout opened the scoring in the first half before Liam Bonetig doubled the advantage shortly after the break, with Aurelio Vidmar’s side producing a composed performance with the new campaign now just weeks away.
It was another valuable hitout for City, with several new arrivals continuing to build minutes and plenty of encouraging combinations beginning to take shape across the pitch.
Team News
Vidmar named a strong starting XI, with new signings Awer Mabil, Emiliano Marcondes and Matheus Rossetto all included from the opening whistle.
Nathaniel Atkinson captained the side in the absence of Aziz Behich, who was away on international duty, while Besian Kutleshi was also unavailable with the Joeys. Max Caputo missed the fixture with a minor niggle.
Starting XI: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON (C), 2. Harrison DELBRIDGE, 4. Liam BONETIG, 22. Peter ANTONIOU, 5. Matheus ROSSETTO, 21. Alessandro LOPANE, 10. Emiliano MARCONDES, 23. Medin MEMETI, 11. Awer MABIL, 15. Andrew NABBOUT.
Substitutes: 1. Macklin FREKE (GK), 19. Quinn MACNICOL, 20. Ben MAZZEO, 24. Kavian RAHMANI, 34. Jayden NECOVSKI, 36. Mathew BAKER, 38. Beckham BAKER, 41. Lawrence WONG, 77. Takeshi KANAMORI.
What happened?
There was plenty of intensity in the opening exchanges, with both sides looking to make their mark early.
City quickly settled into possession and began to find some rhythm in the final third, with Awer Mabil and Alessandro Lopane combining well on a couple of occasions throughout the opening 10 minutes.
Mabil had City’s first clear sight at goal in the 14th minute, working into a dangerous area before Oakleigh’s defence scrambled well to deflect his effort behind for a corner.
A slick move just minutes later saw Lopane fire narrowly wide, with City beginning to take control of the contest.
The breakthrough soon followed.
After a throw-in deep in the attacking half, City worked the ball neatly around the edge of the box. The initial strike was blocked, but the deflection fell perfectly for Nabbout, who lashed home from close range to give us a deserved 1-0 lead.
Oakleigh almost responded immediately from the restart, creating a golden chance of its own, only for Nieuwenhuizen to produce an excellent point-blank save to deny a header from close range.
City remained composed after that scare and continued to look the more dangerous side for much of the opening half.
Lopane grew increasingly influential in midfield as the half wore on, while Delbridge was commanding at the back, repeatedly winning his aerial battles and helping City control Oakleigh’s attacking threat.
One of City’s best passages of the half came down the right, where Atkinson and Lopane combined nicely before the latter forced a sharp save from the Oakleigh goalkeeper.
The half-time whistle arrived with City still holding a deserved one-goal advantage.
Vidmar made one change at the break, with Mathew Baker replacing Antoniou at left-back.
It didn’t take long for the substitute to make an impact.
After City won an early set-piece, Mabil’s original delivery was recycled to the opposite side of the box. Baker swung a dangerous ball back into the area, where Bonetig was quickest to react, lifting a smart finish beyond the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
City almost had a third midway through the second half when Delbridge met a Mabil corner beautifully, directing his header towards goal, only for the Oakleigh goalkeeper to do enough to keep it out.
Kavian Rahmani replaced Rossetto soon after as City continued to manage minutes, with further changes arriving in the 75th minute when Ben Mazzeo, Takeshi Kanamori and Lawrence Wong were introduced.
As the second half wore on, City’s attacking combinations continued to look sharp, with Mabil at the heart of plenty of the most dangerous moments.
The closing stages saw City continue to create chances, with Memeti, Kanamori and Mazzeo all getting looks at goal as Vidmar’s side pushed to add further gloss to the scoreline.
There would be no third, but City saw out the contest professionally to secure a 2-0 win and another strong pre-season performance.
What’s next?
Preparations continue for Vidmar’s squad, with the 2026/27 season now just three weeks away.
City will open the new campaign away to Auckland FC on Saturday 17 October, before returning to AAMI Park a fortnight later for our first home game of the season against Sydney FC on Halloween.
Click here to grab tickets for our home opener, or become a City Member today and make sure you don’t miss a moment of the new season.
