Melbourne Heart FC has suffered its second defeat in succession after falling to the high flying Adelaide United 2-0 at AAMI Park tonight.
Melbourne Heart FC has suffered its second defeat in succession after falling to the high flying Adelaide United 2-0 at AAMI Park tonight.
Despite controlling the bulk of the possession, Heart was made to rue its profligacy in front of goal as Adelaide scored goals either side of half time to claim its first win in Melbourne since 2006.
Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said he was disappointed with his side-s inability to break down the United defence.
“It was quite frustrating as we never seemed to be in the game. We had to create and try to break through, but we didn-t really achieve that in the first half,” he said.
“In the second half, we managed to start better, creating more pressure in their half. We had a few chances through Gerald (Sibon) and Alex (Terra) but it was too little to break them down.”
After a blistering start, Adelaide found itself in the lead after five minutes, as towering central defender Cornthwaite headed home at the back post after a curling corner from Cassio.
And the side almost went 2-0 up soon after, with a Travis Dodd cross narrowly evading the head of Iain Fyfe as a goal beckoned.
While Heart managed to wrest its way back into the contest, with Sibon looking ominous in his playmaker role, the side struggled to penetrate the Adelaide rearguard.
United meanwhile appeared dangerous on the break, as Marcos Flores- flair-filled football came to the fore, linking well with striker Sergio van Dijk.
Heart nearly snatched a response two minutes after the break, but Sibon was only able to head wide after a stellar cross from Rutger Worm.
As Josip Skoko pulled the strings in the midfield, Heart reasserted control of the contest, pressuring down the flanks in an attempt to unlock the United defence.
John Aloisi was denied on 50 minutes when he drove a shot straight into Eugene Galekovic, while Sibon twice cam close from the dead ball situation, driving low into the Adelaide ‘keeper before hitting the post with a curling effort.
But United put the game beyond doubt in the 74th minute as Flores prodded home from point blank range after Heart failed to clear Iain Ramsay-s audacious chip over Clint Bolton.
Melbourne Heart FC 0
Adelaide United 2 (Cornthwaite 5-, Flores 74-)
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Crowd: 6538
