Despite looking the more likely across the 90 minutes, Melbourne City was forced to settle for a share of the points on Saturday evening, playing out a 0–0 draw with the Central Coast Mariners in warm conditions in Gosford.
Taking to the pitch for the third time in eight days – and in a third different state – Aurelio Vidmar’s side produced a disciplined and composed performance, controlled large stretches of the contest, and created the better chances throughout, but ultimately couldn’t find the decisive breakthrough.
Team News
Vidmar again rotated his squad following another tight turnaround, making three changes to the XI that defeated Johor Darul Ta’zim midweek.
Besian Kutleshi and Andrew Nabbout both returned to the starting side, while the night marked an important milestone for Samuel Souprayen, who was handed his first minutes since suffering a hamstring injury just over a month ago.
The French defender slotted straight back into the heart of defence alongside Germán Ferreyra, with City lining up otherwise unchanged structurally.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 44. Besian KUTLESHI, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 27. Kai TREWIN, 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 4. Liam BONETIG, 30. Andreas KUEN, 35. Medin MEMETI, 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 37. Peter ANTONIOU, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC.
What happened?
City began the match more slowly than in recent fixtures, where rapid early goals had been a trademark. The opening 20 minutes unfolded as a cagey feeling-out period, with neither side able to generate much fluency in possession under the warm Gosford sun.
Souprayen wasted no time reasserting himself, winning a series of aerial duels and providing a calming presence in his first appearance back from injury. Alongside Ferreyra, City’s central defensive pairing displayed composure and authority throughout the half.
City’s first major opening arrived in the 24th minute following a lovely passage of team play. Andrew Nabbout’s sweeping switch of play sparked the move, with Kavian Rahmani eventually slipping the ball inside to Takeshi Kanamori. The Japanese attacker turned sharply and fired, only for a last-ditch Mariners block to deny the opener.
From the resulting corner, Aziz Behich delivered a teasing ball to the back post that Souprayen was inches away from turning goalward despite close attention from a defender. Kanamori went even closer shortly before the break, his low effort through traffic expertly saved by Andrew Redmayne.
The hosts had the ball in the net in the 41st minute through Sabit Ngor, but the flag was immediately raised for a clear offside. City entered the break as the more controlled and dangerous of the two sides, though a scoreless half-time result felt fair given the lack of clear-cut chances.
City emerged strongly after the interval. Nabbout won an early free-kick in a dangerous area, leading to a well-worked set piece that saw Kutleshi’s strike blocked on the edge of the box. Moments later, Zane Schreiber’s deflected effort forced Redmayne into another save as City’s pressure grew.
Vidmar made a triple change on the hour, introducing Andreas Kuen, Medin Memeti and Emin Durakovic, with Nabbout shifting centrally and Kanamori moving wider. The impact was immediate: Memeti won a corner within seconds, while Durakovic nearly picked out Ferreyra from a rehearsed routine shortly after.
City controlled possession and field position for long stretches – holding a 6–0 corner advantage at one point – but still couldn’t force the decisive moment. A sharp counter in the 68th minute teed up Memeti, but Redmayne again denied the best of City’s chances.
The Mariners threatened late, earning their first corners of the match in the 85th minute, but Patrick Beach stood tall at his near post to snuff out danger. A fortunate deflection almost fell perfectly for Nabbout at the other end, but the forward was offside as he slammed home the bouncing ball.
City finished with a commanding 14–3 shot count and the bulk of possession, but the points were ultimately shared in a match where the visitors looked the more likely but couldn’t land the decisive blow.
What’s next?
City remains on the road next weekend, travelling to Newcastle for another 5pm Saturday kick-off against the Jets.
Following that fixture, Vidmar’s side will head directly to South Korea for a crucial AFC Champions League Elite clash with FC Seoul, before returning home for the second Melbourne Derby of the season. Click here to secure your Derby tickets!
