Adelaide United 1-4 Melbourne Victory
By Kieran Yap 10/3/24
Above: Emily Gielnik (Right), Beattie Goad and Lia Privitelli. Photo: Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory have lifted the Pride Cup, scored four times and given winger Ava Briedis a happy birthday with a solid win away to Adelaide United.
Paige Zois once again started in midfield, partnering Alex Chidiac and Sarah D’Appolonia. Rachel Lowe, Beattie Goad and Emily Gielnik made up a fluid front three.
Adelaide United’s bench contained a multitude of attacking options, with Emily Condon due to make her 100th appearance in the A-League Women off the bench. Isabel Hodgson continued to start as the centre forward, with Chelsie Dawber and Maleri Mullan joining her in attack.
It was a fairly even, and at times combative opening to the match. Hodgson charged into the area with intent, but was intercepted by Jamilla Rankin when a goal looked likely. Victory were the ones to open the scoring, and it was through the combination of Emily Gielnik and Paige Zois.
Gielnik is a tall player, but not known for her headed goals. However, the corner from Zois was curled in that the international striker needed only to flick it toward goal to bring up her first of the evening. It was a difficult ball to defend, and an easy one to finish. The perfect delivery from the Australian Under 23 international.
Adelaide came agonizingly close to levelling the scores, but Chelsie Dawbers effort some how bounced away off the underside off the woodwork. Victory were far more clinical, and a little bit lucky up the other end.
Rachel Lowe slipped a pass into the path of Gielnik and although the Victory striker was in an offside position, the ball had bounced off Maruschka Waldus’s foot and Gielnik was able to curl it beyond Annalee Grove for her second.
Confusion reigned as the broadcast was unable to determine if the goal had stood. The vision had cut away as play was restarted and it was unclear whether it was a free kick or kickoff. After a few minutes, the scoreboard on the screen reflected Victory’s 2-0 lead.
Gielnik added a third in the second half after being tee’d up by Lia Prvitelli for a tap in, and could have had four if not for some desperate defending from Nanako Sasaki.
Courtney Newbon pulled off a top drawer save to deny Emily Hodgson from distance, but Isabel Hodgson was able to turn and finish skilfully to bring The Reds back into the game.
The final goal would come from the same source as the first. Another Zois set piece was turned in with the feintest of touches. This time it was Kayla Morrison who flicked on a free kick from deep. Victory ended the game with less shots on goal, less possession, but with four goals to one and with another win as they edge toward peak form with good timing.
Adelaide United played well enough to get a result, but were horribly unlucky at either end of the pitch. Morrison was in strong form and denied some good chances in typically desperate fashion, and had Dawbers effort bounced one way instead of the other or had Lowe’s pass not touched a defenders foot, things might have turned out very differently.
Victory took their chances, Adelaide did not, and with both sides improving in form lately this was a game to see where each team was standing as finals approach.
Right now, with 13 goals in three games Melbourne Victory are looking like a team in form, and have the depth on the bench to both rest players and change games.
With the likes of Elise Kellond-Knight, Alana Murphy and Jessika Nash all unavailable and Kurea Okino used in this match, Victory are starting to look like things are falling together at the right time of the season.
Lineups:
Adelaide United 4-5-1: Grove, Tolland, Tonkin, Waldus, E Hodgson, Dawber, Holtz, Sasaki, Hoolmes, Mullan, I Hodgson. Substitutes: Jancevski, Condon, Bowler, Blake, Jenkins
Scorers: I Hodgson 72’
Melbourne Victory 4-3-3: Newbon, Checker, Hansen, Morrison, Rankin, D’Appolonia, Chidiac, Zois, Goad, Lowe, Gielnik. Substitutes: Briedis, Privitelli, Okino, Curtis, Candy.
Scorers: Gielnik, 9’ 32’ 67’ Morrison 82’
Referee: Isabella Libri
Attendance TBC
impetusfootball.org 