Melbourne City made it back-to-back wins in the A-League Men on Saturday night, overcoming Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 in a hard-fought contest at AAMI Park.
Matheus Rossetto enjoyed a dream City debut, opening the scoring inside four minutes before the visitors hit back on the stroke of half-time.
Andrew Nabbout restored our advantage after the break, but a red card to Awer Mabil left Aurelio Vidmar’s side with plenty of defending to do across the final 25 minutes.
City stood firm though, producing a determined defensive display to ensure all three points stayed in Melbourne.
Team News
Vidmar made two changes to his starting XI from last weekend’s win, with two big-name internationals starting in midfield for the first time.
Brazilian Matheus Rossetto made his first appearance for the Club after overcoming a calf injury, while Dane Emiliano Marcondes earned his first start following a pair of impressive cameos off the bench.
Starting XI: 40. James NIEUWENHUIZEN (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 18. Julio CASCANTE, 2. Harrison DELBRIDGE, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 5. Matheus ROSSETTO, 24. Kavian RAHMANI, 10. Emiliano MARCONDES, 23. Medin MEMETI, 11. Awer MABIL, 15. Andrew NABBOUT.
Substitutes: 50. Jonty BENFIELD (GK), 4. Liam BONETIG, 7. Mathew LECKIE, 14. Besian KUTLESHI, 19. Quinn MACNICOL, 39. Roland BALLAH, 77. Takeshi KANAMORI.
What happened?
City couldn’t have asked for a much better start, taking the lead inside just four minutes through a memorable moment for our newest Brazilian.
Picking up possession outside the penalty area, Rossetto wasted little time making his mark in City colours, unleashing a brilliant right-footed strike into the back of the net.
It was a dream debut for the midfielder, and the perfect start for Vidmar’s side.
City continued to push forward in search of a second, with Awer Mabil testing Lawrence Thomas from distance before Kavian Rahmani headed over from a corner.
The Wanderers gradually worked their way into the contest, though, with James Nieuwenhuizen called upon to make several important saves as the visitors began to create chances.
At the other end, Nabbout went close to doubling our advantage in the 32nd minute, meeting a Mabil cross with a header that forced Thomas into a sharp save.
Unfortunately for City, the visitors found an equaliser just before the break.
Nicolas Milanović was picked out by Dylan Scicluna in the 45th minute, curling a classy left-footed effort into the top corner to send the teams into half-time locked at 1-1.
Western Sydney looked dangerous again after the restart, but City continued to create opportunities of our own as both sides searched for a second.
Mathew Leckie was introduced for Rossetto in the 56th minute, before the breakthrough arrived six minutes later.
And it was a goal that might have looked familiar to City fans.
Nathaniel Atkinson launched a long throw into the penalty area, where Julio Cascante rose to flick the ball on for Nabbout to finish from close range and restore City’s advantage.
It was almost a carbon copy of the build-up to Marcondes’ goal against Sydney FC last weekend, with Atkinson and Cascante again combining to devastating effect.
For Nabbout, it was his second goal of the season, and suddenly City had one hand on another three points.
But the contest was about to take another twist.
Just three minutes later, Mabil was shown a red card, leaving City to navigate the final 25 minutes and stoppage time with 10 men.
Vidmar responded with a series of changes, introducing Besian Kutleshi before later turning to Quinn MacNicol, Liam Bonetig and Takeshi Kanamori as City looked to protect our slender advantage.
And there was certainly plenty of work to do.
The Wanderers threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but Nieuwenhuizen was outstanding between the sticks.
Our young goalkeeper produced crucial saves to deny Brandon Borrello and Milanović before coming up big again in the 85th minute, keeping out Aydan Hammond’s effort from close range.
With City defending deep, the backline continued to put bodies on the line, blocking numerous attempts as the visitors searched desperately for a way through.
Kanamori almost provided some late breathing room at the other end, forcing Thomas into a save in the 89th minute.
But ultimately, another goal wasn’t needed.
City held firm through the closing stages, with Nieuwenhuizen finishing the evening with eight saves as Vidmar’s side secured a memorable victory built on determination and resilience.
What’s next?
It’s now time for a short break for our City boys, with the international window immediately followed by a bye.
City will next be in action on Friday 27 November, when we travel to face Macarthur FC as we look to build on our back-to-back victories.
