Melbourne City made it back-to-back home wins with another strong Isuzu UTE A-League performance on Tuesday night, defeating Central Coast Mariners 2-1 at AAMI Park.
City looked on track for a second consecutive clean sheet before a late consolation goal to the visitors in the dying moments, but strikes from Andreas Kuen and Andrew Nabbout proved enough to secure a valuable three points in the race for Finals football.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar made three changes to his starting XI that secured victory at the weekend, with two of those forced through the absences of Ryan Teague (soreness) and Marcus Younis (suspension).
Harrison Delbridge, Zane Schreiber and Kavian Rahmani were all recalled to the starting side, while Daniel Arzani shifted out to the wing to accommodate the changes. Patrick Beach remained sidelined with a quad injury but is expected to be in contention to return this weekend.
Starting XI: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 2. Harrison DELBRIDGE, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 30. Andreas KUEN, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 14. Daniel ARZANI, 11. Elbasan RASHANI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 60. Lachie CHARLES (GK), 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 20. Ben MAZZEO, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 35. Medin MEMETI, 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC.
What happened?
It was a relatively cagey opening to proceedings before City began to find our rhythm, asking a number of early questions of the Mariners defence.
The first major moment came at the other end in the 10th minute, with James Nieuwenhuizen alert off his line to smother an attempt from Arthur De Lima after the attacker broke in behind.
City responded well and began to create chances of our own, going close in the 18th minute through a scrappy sequence in the box. Daniel Arzani delivered a dangerous ball that Kavian Rahmani couldn’t quite direct goalward, before Max Caputo’s follow-up effort was inadvertently blocked by a teammate.
Arzani was a constant threat throughout the first half, repeatedly finding space down the right wing and stretching the Mariners defence. That attacking intent paid off in the 22nd minute when City broke the deadlock.
Zane Schreiber found Andreas Kuen in space, and the Austrian midfielder drove forward before unleashing a strike from the edge of the box. A slight deflection off a defender proved decisive, beating Andrew Redmayne and finding the back of the net.
City nearly doubled our lead moments later, with Rahmani again involved in the build-up before Arzani met his cross at the back post, only to direct his effort straight at the goalkeeper. Arzani continued to look lively and came close again shortly after, firing narrowly wide as City finished the half strongly with a deserved lead.
The visitors began the second half with renewed intent, enjoying a spell of possession that forced us onto the back foot. However, we remained composed defensively, with Delbridge particularly impressive in dealing with aerial threats and making a crucial block just past the hour mark.
As the game opened up, both sides found more space in attack. City created the better chances, with Aziz Behich and Arzani both forcing saves from Redmayne as we pushed for a second goal to put the result beyond doubt.
That second goal arrived in the 67th minute and came via an immediate impact from the bench. Introduced just moments earlier, Andrew Nabbout made his presence felt as City carved open the Mariners defence.
Rahmani slipped a clever pass through to Arzani, who showed great composure to draw defenders before laying the ball off perfectly for Nabbout, who rifled his finish into the top corner for his first goal of 2026.
City looked in control from that point, managing the game well and limiting the visitors to few clear-cut opportunities. However, there was a late twist in stoppage time when a defensive lapse allowed Ali Auglah to pull one back for the Mariners, denying City a clean sheet.
Despite the late setback, we saw out the remaining moments to secure an important victory and continue our strong run of form at home.
What’s next?
Another short turnaround awaits, as we return to AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon to face Wellington Phoenix.
With momentum building at a crucial stage of the season, we’ll be aiming to make it three wins in a row in front of a home crowd.
Don’t miss it – secure your tickets and be there to support the boys.
