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| A-LEAGUE |
| The season opened with a replay of last season's grand final, but with both sides being short of players compared to last year's decider there was little of the attacking flair. Instead it was a tough, defensive struggle for much of the game; especially in the first half when few chances presented themselves. Newcastle came out the stronger in the second half, pressing the Mariners' goal but Danny Vukovic, soon to serve a long suspension, was magnificent. And when, against the run of play, pounced on a cross from Ahmed Elrich and headed home the first score of the game with just 3 minutes to go, the Mariners looked home. But, as the clock ticked into injury time, Brad Porter brought Tarek Elrich down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Joel Griffiths made no mistake in slotting home the equaliser and 1-1 was how it finished. The match was also notable in that not a single yellow or red card was issued. Newcastle Jets 1 (J Griffiths 90pen) Central Coast Mariners 1 (M Simon 87) Yellow Cards - Nil. Referee - M Breeze. Crowd - 16,079 at Energy Australia Stadium. A depleted Sydney side, with injuries and Olympics call-ups taking many of their first side out, held out Melbourne Victory, their bogey side for a 0-0 draw at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Victory started impressively, and Ney Fabiano went close to putting them in front after just 5 minutes but Clint Bolton did well to make the save. More chances were created, but none were taken. Sydney FC lifted in the second half, and on the hour mark debutant Shannon Cole had a golden opportunity to give Sydney the lead; but the shot agonisingly hit the goalpost. The Victory had a late chance to steal the game, but Carlos Hernandez's free kick was saved by Bolton. Sadly but predictably, the main reaction to this game was the unsavoury actions of supporters, with fights breaking out at the Captain Cook Hotel and again during the game - the latest in a series of incidents that have adversely affected Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory matches. Sydney FC 0 Melbourne Victory 0 Tellow Cards : Sydney - J Timpano 24, T McFlynn 44, S Colossimo 88. Melbourne - R Vargas 31, M Thwaite 59, J Lopez 68. Referee - M Shield. Crowd - 16,227 at Sydney Football Stadium. |
| ROUND 2 FIXTURES Friday 22nd August Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets (Members Equity Stadium, 9:00pm) Saturday 23rd August Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC (Bluetongue Stadium, 7:00pm) Sunday 17th August Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory (Westpac Stadium, 3:00pm) Queensland Roar v Adelaide United (Suncorp Stadium, 5:00pm) ROUND 3 FIXTURES Friday 29th August Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets (Telstra Dome, 8:00pm) Saturday 30th August Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix (Hindmarsh Stadium, 7:00pm) Sunday 31st August Sydney FC v Perth Glory (Sydney Football Stadium, 3:00pm) Queensland Roar v Central Coast Mariners (Suncorp Stadium, 5:00pm) All times shown are Sydney time |
| Queensland Roar have never won in New Zealand, and that record was maintained when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium. Few chances were created in the first half, and the scoreboard operator had no work to do in the first half. But within a minute of the restart, Sergio van Dijk delivered a pinpoint cross to Charlie Miller in the box. Miller gained possession and shot to open the scoring. But the lead was to be short-lived, as within 7 minutes the Phoenix had got it back. Shane Smeltz followed the ball downfield, weaving his way around the Roar defence before a long-range strike went into the corner of the net and sent the crowd into raptures. The Roar tried hard to find a winner, but despite a few half-chances coming up there was no way through the Phoenix defence. 1-1 was how it finished. Wellington Phoenix 1 (S Smeltz 53) Queensland Roar 1 (C Miller 46) Yellow Cards : Phoenix - K Dodd 52, Daniel 55, L Bertos 56. Roar - D Dodd 65, M Zullo 79, M McKay 90. Referee - B Williams. Crowd - 10,516 at Westpac Stadium. Adelaide moved to the top of the A-League table, the only side to win a match in the opening round of the season, when they took out a 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Hindmarsh. Shortly before half-time, Cristiano set up Travis Dodd, who worked his way around the Glory defence before shooting from the edge of the box past the desperate dive of Glory keeper Frank Duric into the corner of the net. 1-0 to the Reds at half-time, and the Glory went to work to peg back the deficit. A series of corners and a glut of possession resulted in the first 15 minutes after the break, but the equaliser remained elusive. After the hour mark, Adelaide began to regain the initiative, starving the Glory of possession and maintaining the status quo scoreline for the remainder of the match. Adelaide United 1 (T Dodd 42) Perth Glory 0 Yellow Cards : Adelaide - A Costanzo 26, S Jamieson 43, P Reid 53, T Dodd 90. Perth - D Tarka 35, A Pellegrino 40, D Djulbic 49, N Topor-Stanley 72. Referee - P Green. Crowd - 10,510 at Hindmarsh stadium. |