Melbourne City have secured their place in the finals after a standout performance by Marcus Younis, who led the reigning champions to a thrilling 3-2 victory against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
Younis not only ensured City’s 12th straight finals appearance but also affirmed his reputation as the most in-form player in the Isuzu UTE A-League, netting two goals within five minutes in the second half. His first goal levelled the match, cancelling out Justin Vidic’s opener in the 44th minute.
Mehden Memeti added a third for City in the 80th minute, sealing the win, while Youstin Salas made a strong case for goal of the season with a stunning volley during stoppage time.
This victory lifts City to third place on the ladder, nearly finalising the line-up for the top six. Macarthur is now the only team with a chance of sneaking in, provided Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, or Adelaide fail to earn any more points, while the Bulls would need to make up a significant goal difference.
Despite early opportunities for Brisbane’s Vidic and Sam Klein, City created the first significant chance in the 12th minute, as Roar goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis made an errant pass that reached Andreas Kuen, whose shot was saved.
City began to dominate the match during the middle of the first half, with Younis showing why he’s the league’s standout player.
The 20-year-old played a pivotal role in three crucial chances for City as they approached the half-hour mark, even finding the net at one point.
Younis capitalised on a corner, forcing a save from Bouzanis, and shortly after, he delivered a hard challenge on Klein, which allowed Kavian Rahmani to send a thunderous long-range effort crashing into the crossbar seconds later.
Younis believed he had scored from the resulting corner, but his header was ruled out for a foul on Bouzanis.
He then slipped past Brisbane’s defence after receiving a quality ball from Kuen, yet Bouzanis thwarted his effort from just inside the box.
At that moment, Younis seemed likely to turn the game in City’s favour, but it was the Roar who struck first, unexpectedly taking the lead two minutes before halftime.
The goal originated from Vidic, but it was initiated by Bouzanis’s long ball targeting the fierce 21-year-old.
Henry Hore pounced on the loose ball and passed it to Georgios Vrakas, whose shot deflected off Harrison Shillington, falling perfectly for Vidic, who coolly volleyed it past Pat Beach to give the Roar a surprising 1-0 lead at the break.
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Vidic was active again at the start of the second half with a couple of chances, but Younis quickly regained control.
He earned a penalty after being clumsily challenged by Noah Maieroni, then confidently converted the spot kick, wrong-footing Bouzanis.
Just five minutes later, Younis put City ahead, as Kuen’s quick throw-in set up Medin Memeti, whose shot was saved at the near post.
Unluckily for Bouzanis, the ball bounced perfectly for Younis, who struck it back past him on the volley.
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If Younis’s goal deflated the Roar, Memeti’s strike 15 minutes later seemed to finish the job, as he expertly converted a pinpoint ball from Elbasan Rashani.
However, Brisbane clawed their way back into the contest during stoppage time, courtesy of a sensational individual effort from Salas, who seized upon a tackle and unleashed a thunderous volley that left Patrick Beach with no chance.
Klein came agonisingly close to equalising just a minute later, his well-placed turn and shot grazing past the post, but City managed to hold on to secure their finals place.
City will be vying for a home final next Sunday as they take on Adelaide United at AAMI Park, while Brisbane will aim to finish with pride in their match against Perth Glory at HBF Park on Anzac Day.
ALEX TOBIN MEDAL VOTES:
3. Marcus Younis
2. German Ferreyra
1. Samuel Souprayen
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Compiled by SportArena.au
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