Adelaide United secured a second-place finish in the Isuzu UTE A-League regular season, thanks to a dramatic 98th-minute strike from Luka Jovanovic, leading them to a 2-1 victory over Melbourne City at AAMI Park.
As they prepare to face each other again in the first week of the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series, Jovanovic’s impressive brace from the bench propelled Airton Andrioli’s team above Auckland FC, clinching the coveted second position on the table.
This result means the Reds will enjoy a week off before confronting the victor of the highest-seeded Elimination Final, and they have also secured a lucrative berth in the elite playoffs of the AFC Champions League for the upcoming season.
In contrast, Melbourne City will now gear up for an Elimination Final clash against Auckland FC at Go Media Stadium during the first week of the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series.
Harry Crawford nearly gave Adelaide a sensational start at AAMI Park, capitalising on a mistake from Samuel Souprayen just five minutes in. However, his shot struck the post, providing a significant reprieve for the home team.
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Despite the early warning, City took control in the 17th minute, with the in-form Marcus Younis unleashing a stunning strike into the far top corner from the edge of the box to put the home side ahead 1-0.
Confident from his recent performances, Younis then attempted an ambitious scissor kick from within the six-yard box, which struck the side netting.
Aurelio Vidmar’s squad faced a setback just before halftime as seasoned defender Souprayen limped off and was substituted by Harrison Delbridge.
A largely quiet figure throughout the match, Brazilian talent Anselmo de Moraes came close to equalising for Adelaide in the 59th minute, but his close-range header was expertly tipped over for a corner by Delbridge’s solid defending.
Reds and Socceroos supporters were thrilled to see Craig Goodwin return from a groin injury in the 77th minute, and he made an instant impact.
Within a minute of coming on, Goodwin reacted to a knockdown from Pangiotis Kikianis inside the City box with a shot that, although poorly struck, fortuitously fell to an unmarked Luka Jovanovic, who slotted home from close range.
As the match seemed destined to end in a draw, a late foul by Jay Barnett on Younis ignited a fracas on the sidelines, resulting in multiple yellow cards being handed out, including one to Jovanovic, which would ultimately be significant.
Following a late City free kick, Adelaide launched an attack in what was meant to be four additional minutes, and when substitute Ryan White found Jovanovic in the penalty area, the young forward deftly poked the ball into the net, clinching victory for Adelaide and a share of the Golden Boot for the season.
Sadly for Jovanovic, he’ll be sidelined for the first leg of Adelaide United’s semi-final clash after being issued a second yellow card for removing his shirt during the celebrations.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
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