United’s Unbeaten Run Ends, as Home Concern Continues

The question was simple on Friday Night, could Adelaide, when the pressure is on at home, win, and put themselves up in shining lights as contenders, rather than pretenders?

Adelaide were disappointing on Friday night, as they once again struggled at home.  As was the case across the last two home games, they had a lead, and once again, they would cough up three points.  

Tonight’s opponent, Western Sydney, needed little opportunity to welcome themselves to Coopers.  They forced Adelaide to sit back, while their pressure made the Reds’ players second guess themselves. Over the course of the first 20 minutes, a series of ferocious Wanderers attacks drove at the Reds defence, causing all kinds of concern. 

It was no surprise, considering the Wanderers were in better touch heading into the game.  Since the last time these two sides had played in Round Three, Western Sydney have dropped just four points, and even by Carl Veart’s admission, had an “upturn in form.”

Veart is renowned for his ability to manage the youth, and it was that youth that repaid him in kind tonight. 

With Adelaide up against it for the first half an hour, Stefan Mauk’s ball to Ben Folami opened the Sydney defence.  The former Victory playmaker found Ethan Alagich, who’s shot the near post saw the son of a gun score his first ever A-League goal. 

The shot gave Wanderers keeper, Lawrence Thomas, no chance.  As the sellout Hindmarsh crowd erupted in euphoria. 

Just two minutes later, Zach Clough’s cross from the Holden Street side of the ground saw another goal added from Archie Goodwin.  Goodwin barely moved as the swinging football hit his head and with Thomas rooted to the spot, the ball fired into the corner. 

Even though it took Adelaide nearly the entire first half, they had the Western Sydney Wanderers on the ropes.

Alen Stajcic had youth of his own to turn to, and who better then Nicolas Milanovic.  It was the 23-year-old’s cross that gave Marcus Antonsson his half chance. Antonsson was standing on the penalty spot as the cross came in, and the Swedish striker was able to get his head to the ball.  

As the shot flew past James Delianov, just over 13 thousand people had the same thought; here we go again.

Four minutes after half time, Jack Clisby’s corner created chaos in the box.  It was the Adelaide boy in enemy colours, Brandon Barello, who was quickest to react.  He drove the ball past Delianov, as Adelaide’s home curse continued. 

As marquee signing, Juan Mata, came onto the ground for the Western Sydney Wanderers, it became clear that the visitors had the better of the game. Outside of the 20 minutes at the end of the first half, when Adelaide scored both its goals, Alen Stajcic’s men annihilated the Adelaide team.

It slowly became clear over the course of the night that only one team would win. With nine minutes to go, Western Sydney broke quickly from defence, Dylan Scicluna’s scintillating pass gave Bozhidar Kraev a chance.  From the top of the 18-yard line, Kreav’s left footed shot beat Delianov, and gave Alen Stajcic’s men a much deserved 3-2 lead. 

Adelaide had failed to rise to the challenge in front of a sell out crowd, and as its unbeaten run ends, they had put themselves into the bracket of pretenders, rather than contenders.   

“I suppose the first half I thought we were quite good,” Veart began.

“Conceding one at half time, it took the wind out of our sails.   In the second half we just didn’t really get going at all.  It looked like we didn’t know how to play football.”

A heated end to the game saw Alen Stajcic sent off, while both sets of players made sure their feelings were known in the closing stages.

“I was animated because one of my players [Dylan Scicluna] was injured and everyone was crowded around him,” Stajcic said.  

Some of their, (Adelaide United’s) staff were calling him a cheat.”

“One of my players could be out for a long time and I got sent off for being to close to the pitch.  They said that I was in their technical area, but I was just there trying to see the condition of my player.”   

With home form the major concern for Carl Veart, his team are not back at Hindmarsh until the 18th of December for the Original Rivalry. 

With the reds flawless on the road, there is a plethora of opportunities for the Reds to return to their best against Macarthur, (6th of January) in Campbelltown, before a trip to Wellington, (11th of January) to face the Phoenix.