The Newsroom reviews the opening round of the 2016/17 A-League season.
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
The season kicked off with a 1-all draw in Brisbane on Friday night when Melbourne Victory faced Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. The match held extra significance for Brisbane Roar captain Matt McKay who made his 200th A-League appearance. In the beginning, Victory looking the more threatening of the two sides while Roar marquee man Brett Holman showed glimpses of his experience in a new-look Roar side. The most controversial moment of the match came in the 64th minute when Roar captain Matt McKay received a second yellow card and was sent off for a challenge on Fahid Ben Khallfahlah. Victory would take full advantage of their extra man in the 82nd minute when they were rewarded with a goal, courtesy of new signing Mitch Austin. It looked like Victory would take home the three points, until Brisbane Roar’s new signing Thomas Kristensen stepped up with a first time volley in the dying moments of the game to save the day for the home team.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
The Sydney Derby was played out in front of a record crowd of 61,880 at ANZ Stadium on Saturday. The Western Sydney Wanderers hosted Sydney FC who won 4-nil. Both sides started all guns blazing but it was Sydney FC who looked the better of the two sides. Numerous chances going forward and a solid defensive effort showed that the Sky Blues had an advantage over the Wanderers. In the 51st minute, the first goal came when Filip Holosko tapped in a cross from David Carney to put Sydney FC in the lead. Holosko was at hand again in the 55th minute when he assisted Sydney’s new marquee signing Bobo to stun the Wanderers. All hope was lost for Wanderers when in the 85th minute Wanderers defender Artiz Borda brought down Alex Brosque outside the box and was sent off. This set Sydney midfielder Brandon O’Neill up to strike his free-kick in the back of the net and wrap up the game with a third goal. Brosque turned Western Sydney Wanderers’ defeat into humiliation when he smashed the ball in at the 89th minute.
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Newcastle Jets played hosts to the current A-League champions Adelaide United as they looked to carry over their championship form with a 1-all draw. Newcastle’s new-look side were lively, pressing United in the opening stages of the game. It wasn’t long before they got on the scoresheet: former Fulham midfielder Wayne Brown put the Jets ahead in the 17th minute when his strike flew past Eugene Galekovic. A hapless mix-up between Jets keeper Jack Duncan and Daniel Mullen allowed Adelaide’s Jesse Makarounas to level the scores. – Ben Owusu
Other results:
Wellington Phoenix 0-1 Melbourne City
Perth Glory 3-3 Central Coast Mariners
Photo shows Sydney FC acknowledging their fans, from Sydney FC’s Twitter feed.
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