Melbourne Victory

The question that was on the minds of Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory was this: would they ever score in, let alone win, a contest?

Melbourne went 270 minutes without a goal, with the only player bothering to make an effort being goalkeeper Ante Covic.

Marco Rojas, a young winger on the Victory, departed from the Wellington Phoenix at the end of last season, marking a bittersweet homecoming at Westpac Stadium.

"No, I don't think I'd celebrate (a goal). The Yellow Fever mean a lot to me so I'll respect them," Rojas told Guy Hand of AAP. "The scholarship the Yellow Fever gave me to start my career I'm very thankful for. I have no hard feelings at all, but I'm not sure what to expect."

Former Victory starter Nick Ward understands the pressure that Melbourne are in at the moment.

"When I was at the Victory we'd sit down as a group every year and go through our goals and expectations," Ward told Sam Worthington of Stuff.co.nz. "They were always to win the championship and make finals so there's a lot of pressure on them. Especially this year with the players they've brought in, Kewell, and you look at the crowds they're bringing in as well.

"It's got to be playing on their mind, that they haven't been scoring goals, and there'll be a lot of pressure on them, the coaching staff and the players."

Lawrence THomas got Melbourne on the board in the 42nd minute and Carlos Hernandez put the game out of reach on a penalty in the 68th minute.

Dani Sanchez salvaged some sort of pride for the Phoenix in the 71st minute but it wasn't enough as the Melbourne Victory secured their first victory of the season, 2-1, over a Wellington side that played down to 10 men.

Melbourne's next opponent is against defending A-League champions Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:45 p.m. AEST.

Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory were back in action this weekend to renew the Melbourne Derby with rivals Melbourne Heart at Etihad Stadium.

Victory came into the contest with a 0-1-1 record (one point) and came into the contest scoreless in 180 minutes of action. The pressure was on for Durakovic to deliver.

"I've got a fantastic headache," Durakovic told Soccerway. "We've got a big squad and we've got a very experienced squad and some really good youngsters coming through. But it will take time for the team shape and the team structure that I want to mould, it will take time."

"But once we start firing you will see a different Melbourne Victory team."

Who would be the one that would successfully pull the trigger first? Harry Kewell would be the first option, but his finishing has been rusty the last two weeks. Same thing for Archie Thompson and Carlos Hernandez.

In short, someone had to step up for Victory. As for Heart (0-2-0, zero points), the cellar dwellers had their own issues in terms of producing.

"It's an important game," Heart manager John van 't Schip told Ray Gatt of The Australian. "There's more pressure on the game than maybe we expected.

"We have to focus on what we have to do, because it doesn't help to think of all other kinds of things."

The rivalry between Victory and Heart was perpetuated by the actions of current Victory assistant manager Kevin Muscat for a rough challenge on Adrian Zahra in their last Derby match. Zahra never recovered from the injury, which caused Muscat to be banned eight matches and consequently into retirement.

The Heart manager, however, issued a very stern warning regarding the incident.

"You are not going to win with bringing that into the game," van 't Schip said. "It's a new team, a new season and we just have to focus on the things that we have to do tomorrow."

A scoreless first half that saw both sides gain a bevy of looks but a lack of finishing to show for it gave way to more of the same in the second half. The end result was a scoreless draw, and under 40,000 fans at Etihad were not amused, to say the least.

In short, this was not the Melbourne Derby, but rather the Melbourne Pillow Fight. Ghastly football. Appalling finishing. And the only flashes of brilliance came from the goalkeepers: Victory's Ante Covic and Heart's Clint Bolton.

270 minutes without a goal. Can Melbourne Victory break their duck before a possible change in leadership takes place?

Kickoff between the Melbourne Victory and wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. AEST.

Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory continued in their 2011-12 Hyundai A-League campaign when they took on interstate rivals, Adelaide United, at Hindmarsh Stadium.

An important question that needed to be answered was who would start up top: Danny Allsopp or Carlos Hernandez, whose return to the team came as a surprise.

In the end, the Victory manager elected to go for Hernandez against the Reds.

"Carlos comes in as a surprise because he's returned early from Costa Rica, but I expect Carlos to start," Durakovic told David Davutovic of the Melbourne Herald Sun. "He trained really well."

Adelaide manager Rini Coolen was well aware of Kewell's ability on the ball, as seen in a 1-1 draw at Hindmarsh weeks earlier in a preseason friendly.

"Harry Kewell is not only in one position. He swaps during the game. We have to take care of him. He will definitely not be a free player," Coolen told Michael Lynch of the Age. "If you play against the system they play, him or [Carlos] Hernandez in the No. 10 position, you have to be very careful in transition moments, because a player like Harry is very dangerous."

Adelaide and Melbourne have had a strong rivalry with each other, dating back to a couple of Grand Finals, which saw the Victory get the better of the Reds to the tune of 6-0 and 1-0, respectively.

It has been a one-sided rivalry, with Melbourne owning a 14-5-3 record. But history would not be on the Victory's side on Friday.

Early in the first half, Melbourne had a bevy of looks but could not capitalize. The same thing could be said of Adelaide, who were unable to finish their opportunities. At the end of the first half, there was no score.

In the 52nd minute, Sergio Van Dijk took advantage of a Melbourne miscue in the back to give Adelaide United a 1-0 lead. The Victory's Adrian Leijer was sent off in the 55th minute after earning a second yellow.

Kewell himself would be cautioned for a challenge in the 82nd minute. That essentially summed up what has been two straight weeks of subpar football from Victory, who dropped their first match of the season, 1-0 to Adelaide, who are now 0-1-1.

The question now is whether or not Kewell is worth his weight in gold. The supporting cast has proven to be the weakest link for Melbourne because of their lack of ability to create a string of passes, the ability to defend and the ability to finish the sequences they generate.

The attention from the local should no longer focus on Kewell, but rather on the entire team's performance. With Melbourne Heart up next on the schedule, it will take a team effort for the Victory to finally get their act together.

Kickoff between the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:45 p.m. AEST.

Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory FC began a long and arduous 2011-12 Hyundai A-League campaign at Etihad Stadium against Sydney FC. The preparations were in place at the training grounds.

Match referee Peter Green was already under scrutiny from the Melbourne manager, who implored for protection of international marquee player Harry Kewell as well as Sydney's counterpart Brett Emerton.

"Special players need special attention because the last thing you want is for them to get hurt on the pitch," Durakovic told David Davutoovic of the Melbourne Herald Sun. "You'll always have guys who have got that special quality, get that more attention from opposition players as opposed to just marking. These guys are superstars and they really need to be protected. We're all about playing good football so hopefully there's nothing untoward."

As a result of Kewell and Emerton entering the A-League, membership in all of the 10 clubs have been on the up-and-up. The news cameras have been swirling around both Emerton and Kewell, and the local media in Australia's two largest markets have proceeded to hype up the match.

From the Age to the Back Page Lead, every corner of the country had the Oct. 8 contest in their crosshairs.

Defensively, Sydney FC were led by Dutchman Pascal Bosschart, Jamie Coyen and Michael Beauchamp. They had a tough assignment on their hands in stopping weapons not named Kewell.

Those weapons: Archie Thompson. Jean Carlos Solorzano. Danny Allsopp. Carlos Hernandez and Marco Rojas.

Still, Sydney were unfazed by the stars Victory placed on the table.

“I came home to play for Sydney FC to put something back into the game but also to win something,” Emerton told reporters on Tuesday. “We start the season full of hope and hopefully after last year we can get some good results and win the Championship.”

Sydney FC were getting some good looks early on, but Danny Allsopp responded with a volley in the fourth minute to test Sydney goalkeeper Liam Reddy. Allsopp had another chance on the transition a minute later but only managed a mishit.

Scott Jamieson had a great chance to get a look in the 13th minute but sailed it wide right for Sydney. Kewell's first legit chance came in the 19th minute, but his shot went wide left from the Archie Thompson delivery.

Jamieson tried to find Mark Bridge in the 23rd minute, but only found the arms of Victory netminder Ante Covic. Melbourne's Matthew Foschini was cautioned in the 28th minute for a harsh challenge on Shannon Cole.
 Bridge nearly capitalized on the rebound, forcing a corner that was collected by Covic.

Covic was at it again on a 34th minute penalty save on Emerton. The penalty attempt came after Fabio was cautioned a challenge inside the box.

Thompson tried his luck in the 37th minute, but his shot sailed horribly wide right of the far post.

Sydney FC were dominating possession late in the first half, forcing the Victory to get physical defensively. Reddy made a point-blank save on Kewell in the 45th minute, forcing a corner that was collected by the Sydney goalkeeper. Jamieson was cautioned in the second minute of first half stoppage time for a handball.

This was a half for the netminders, as both teams ended scoreless.

In the second half, a Kewell corner in the 46th minute was cleared. A few minutes later, Sydney captain Terry McFlynn's attempt went high and left in the 50th minute of play.

Kewell's next attempt in the 56th minute was collected point-blank by Reddy. Archie Thompson was injured in the 60th minute but was able to get back into action a few minutes later. Michael Beauchamp was cautioned for the challenge.

In the 66th minute, another shot from Kewell just went over the top right corner. Thompson nearly got another chance to go in another minute  later but just sent it wide right.

In the 74th minute, Bridge was sent off for throwing an elbow on Roddy Vargas, triggering a wave of scuffles between both sides. Kewell tries his luck in the 76th minute but it was cleared. The ensuing corner didn't have much in it.

Allsopp had his next chance in the 78th minute but Reddy was there to make another save. Jean Carlos Solorzano has a chance in the 87th minute, but Reddy made another stop. Nick Carle was cautioned for delaying a restart in the 90th minute.

Solorzano had another chance in the second minute of stoppage time but skied his attempt from close distance. The match would end in a scoreless draw.

Up next for Melbourne Victory is a match with Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. AEST/Oct. 13 at 1:30 a.m. PT/4:30 a.m. ET.

Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory had a rushed preseason which began on July 13 against Scottish Premier League powerhouse Celtic FC. The result was a 1-0 defeat.

On July 26, Melbourne began a series of matches against Victorian Premier League and Victorian State League opponents. Their first match came against the Port Melbourne Sharks of Victorian State League Division 1.

Goals from Danny Allsopp in the 15th minute and Leigh Broxham in the 35th minute paced Melbourne to a 2-0 victory over Port Melbourne. Port Melbourne finished the 2011 season with a record of 13-5-4 (44 points).

On Aug, 3, the Victory took on VPL side Dandenong Thunder and were shut out 1-0. Dandenong finished the 2011 VPL season with a record of 12-5-7 (41 points).

Melbourne proceeded to go on a two-game losing streak when they faced another VPL outfit in Bentleigh Greens. In spite of a brace from Carlos Hernandez, the Victory lost 3-2 to a Bentleigh side that finished their VPL campaign with a record of 10-6-8 (36 points).

Determined to break their slump, Melbourne took on the Springvale White Eagles on Aug. 24 and roasted them to the tune of 5-1.

Goals from Juan Carlos Solorzano, Hernandez and Allsopp accompanied a brace by Archie Thompson. Springvale finished their VPL season with a record of 3-6-15 (15 points).

After dropping a 1-0 decision to Gold Coast United on Sept. 4, Victory rebounded with a 2-0 result over defending A-League Premiers/Champions Brisbane Roar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkncdGSjkt8

Hernandez scored in the 39th minute, while Allsopp put the game out of reach in the 50th minute of play.

Melbourne wrapped up their preseason on Sept. 23 against Adelaide United. This would be the first match that would feature Harry Kewell in the lineup. Melbourne and Adelaide played to a 1-1 draw.

"I was very happy with his performance, absolutely over the moon," Durakovic told Steve Larkin of the Sydney Morning Herald. "There were about 10,000 supporters out there that would have been really pleased to see Harry. The performance that he did for 45 minutes was phenomenal—his touches, his running, his ball passing ... I'm very happy with his performance."

Hernandez scored late for the Victory in the 87th minute after Adelaide's Andwele Slory gave the home side a lead in the 40th minute of play. Kewell was substituted at halftime.

Indeed, the addition of Harry Kewell has been a boon to the Melbourne Victory, but it has stoked their jealousy of Football Federation Australia, who believe that Kewell's sponsorship deals may have crossed the lines in terms of their own.

At the same time, the possibility of a Harry Kewell vs. Brett Emerton showdown is in doubt when Melbourne take on Sydney FC on Saturday, Oct. 8, due to international action going on prior to and after the match.

"Obviously, the situation is out of my hands, but I'd love to play if I'm able to," Emerton told Christian Micolussi of The Daily Telegraph. "I'd love to be part of it, there's no doubt there will be a fantastic crowd, and it would be great for the A-League.

"Hopefully we can make it happen, and it should be a good spectacle for the whole of Australia."

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. AEST/12:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. ET.

This is a new feature to the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report that will highlight the 2011-12 season for the Melbourne Victory Football Club of the Hyundai A-League.

Melbourne. Simply put, this is a city that is built on sport and greatness.

Founded in 1835, it is the home of numerous sporting events—from matches in the Australian Football League held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to tennis at the Australian Open, to auto racing at the Australian Grand Prix of Formula One fame and horse racing at Flemington Racecourse, the home of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's richest horse race.

Melbourne is also home to a couple of teams that compete in the young Hyundai A-League. There's Melbourne Heart, a second-year club looking to attach itself as a community-first, grassroots-laden club after a decent inaugural campaign.

Then there is the club that really defines soccer in Melbourne, more so than Victorian Premier League powerhouse South Melbourne.

That club: Melbourne Victory FC.

Established in 2004, the Victory are one of Australia's most accomplished clubs alongside interstate rivals Sydney FC. In their seven years of existence, the Victory are sowing the seeds of a new sporting tradition that involves a round ball and is played by millions around the world.

Great clubs have to take steps backwards in order to go forwards. Before the 2005-06 season, the Victory had acquired foundation players Kevin Muscat, Danny Allsopp, Archie Thompson, Michael Theoklitos and current captain Adrian Leijer and were considered a legit contender for Hyundai A-League silverware.

That turned out to be rendered false, as the Victory were eliminated in the semifinals of the preseason Challenge Cup and finished seventh in the overall standings with a record of 7-5-9 (26 points). Despite the result, the Victory recorded a number of notable victories, including a 3-0 shutout of the New Zealand Knights and a 5-0 hammering of Sydney FC.

The 2006-07 season would see Melbourne Victory garner their first pieces of silverware.

With the additions of Brazilian international Fred, Scotsman Grant Brebner, Rodrigo Vargas and Adrian Caceres, Victory shook off defeats against Adelaide and the Central Coast Mariners in the preseason Cup to roll to a 14-3-4 record (45 points), which included a 3-1 victory against Adelaide in Round 15 at Hindmarsh Stadium.

In the major semifinal, Melbourne Victory defeated Adelaide United on aggregate 2-1 but would face them again in the Grand Final.

Victory posted the most lopsided result in the club's history: a 6-0 annihilation of their South Australian rivals before a crowd of 55,436 at Docklands Stadium. Thompson—known for setting a world-record 13 goals against American Samoa in 2001—set a record for most goals in a Grand Final with five.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubLNF9L983o

Melbourne Victory thus became the first-ever club to secure a Premiership/Championship double in the A-League.

The 2007-08 season was another disappointment for the Victory, who finished dead last in the preseason Challenge Cup and fifth place in the A-League. In spite of a dismal 6-9-6 record (27 points), the Victory posted impressive results over the Mariners and Wellington Phoenix late in the A-League season and finished second in their AFC Champions League group with a 2-1-3 record (seven points).

The 2008-09 season will go down as the Victory's most defining season, as they became the first and only club to have secured a possible treble in the A-League's young history.

In the preseason Challenge Cup, the Victory scored a 2-1 win over Adelaide, a 1-0 shutout win over Perth Glory, a 1-0 shutout of the Newcastle Jets and a 8-7 penalty shootout decision over the Phoenix in the final at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand.

League play saw the Victory garner a 12-2-7 record. Though they were even on points, with 38, as well as goal differential, with 12, the Victory won the Premiership Plate on superior goals scored (39 to 31).

After defeating Adelaide United 6-0 on aggregate in the major semifinal, Melbourne faced the Reds again in the grand final at Docklands. Both sides were forced to play down to 10 men in a brutal, physical grand final, but a goal from former Central Coast Mariner Tom Pondeljak at the hour mark completed the treble for the Victory in their 1-0 win over Adelaide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojl87SYEOks

In the 2009-10 season, Melbourne came close to defending their Premiership Plate, but a 2-0 defeat to rivals Sydney FC started a slide against their New South Wales rivals that would not end until Round 11 of the following season..

A 4-3 defeat on aggregate in the major semifinal was compounded further by a 4-2 defeat on penalties in the grand final after a 1-1 draw.

Adding insult to futility was an unacceptable performance in the 2010 AFC Champions League, which saw the Victory finish dead last with a lamentable 1-1-4 record (four points).

The 2010-11 season would be Ernie Merrick's last season at the helm for the Victory. The arrival of an inter-city rival club in Melbourne Heart meant that the situation would get out of hand for players like Kevin Muscat, whose career would forever be tainted by a rough tackle on the Heart's Adrian Zahra in Round 26 at the newly constructed AAMI Park. Muscat, a longtime captain of the club, would announce his retirement at the end of the season.

Melbourne did finish the season with a 11-10-9 record and qualified for the playoffs, but a 1-0 defeat to Gold Coast United in the playoffs saw Merrick sacked and replaced by current manager Mehmet Durakovic, formerly the manager of the Victory Youth.

It was the first of new changes that would dominate the leadup to the 2011-12 season for the Melbourne Victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njvVzS0deTc

Anthony Di Pietro replaced Geoff Lord as Chairman of the club, Francis Awaritefe replaced Gary Cole as Director of Football, and the biggest signing in A-League history would take place soon afterwards.

On Aug, 20, Melbourne Victory signed midfielder Harry Kewell to a three-year contract. Kewell is one of the most notable players in Australian football history, with a career that has seen him compete for Leeds United, Liverpool and Galatasaray. A member of the Socceroos since 1996, Kewell has recorded 16 goals in 54 appearances for the green and gold.

With the arrival of Kewell, the possibilities are plenty for Melbourne Victory, a club that has seen highs and lows but has endured to become a Hyundai A-League club built on tradition and success.

Keep it right here on the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of Melbourne Victory's 2011-12 Hyundai A-League season.

This just annoys me. And I do not say this in defense of the man, but I say this out of frustration and utter disgust.

All this talk about Kevin Muscat's harsh challenge on Adrian Zahra last weekend has gotten off the deep end. Everyone loves to demonize someone just for the sake of doing it.

It's akin to the authorities of Judea wanting to crucify Jesus of Nazareth for subverting the people to his teachings.

Muscat, the now-disgraced Melbourne Victory captain whose career is coming to a close, faces a similar condemnation, a modern-day crucifixion.

The FFA Disciplinary Committee is considering a lengthier ban for his actions on the young Melbourne Heart player.

And thus, I ask the question: Can we all just, for once, calm down and leave Muscat alone?

He will face his punishment, it's going to be a lengthy ban, end of story, done. No need to rub it in with all these doomsday accusations and similar trash that makes me, as a writer, laugh and gag.

Just like many who have seen this on YouTube, among other place, it was a simple challenge for the ball; it's not as if Muscat was trying to land a roundhouse kick at the back of Zahra's head.

He only got the man, and not the ball, and he paid the price with the red card.

And I have seen Melbourne Victory supporters also condemn this act. They must keep in mind that Muscat helped the Big V earn some silverware, something their rivals have yet to do.

Those in the Victory camp decrying this should not take Muscat's contributions to the club's success for granted.

As for Zahra, I think it is better for him to go through these knocks now, so that when he recovers, he will come back stronger than ever to help his club.

And I actually think these types of acts are good for the development of the first inter-city rivalry in the Hyundai A-League because it adds flavor to the derby between these two sides. It adds passion and energy, and a thirst for payback.

Melburnians—no, AUSTRALIANS need to be thankful for stuff like this because it adds fuel to these rivalries. You gotta give Musky credit for adding fuel to this rivalry because it needs it.

Who would want to see a derby that does not have anything controversial to add intensity and intrigue?

In conclusion, Kevin Muscat is one of the most aggressive tacklers Australia has ever produced. But it would be wise for everybody to leave this footballer alone for once.

After all, his career is coming to a close, and my guess is that we most likely will not see somebody that has contributed his share to the game of Australia—good and bad—ever again.

Be thankful that he added spice to the Melbourne Derby, put the positives from his career in perspective, and leave the man alone. You only make it difficult for yourselves if you don't.

The story circulating like buzzards in the southern skies above AAMI Park has been the talk of the town for some time.

Melbourne Storm, who have been dominant during the last few seasons in the National Rugby League, are in a state of transition after word sprung that they went over the salary cap.

The Storm won't be playing for points this season, but then again, here in the States the best teams in the NFL only play for wins, losses and draws.

But the impact has been intense. The likes of the Victorian Fraud Squad & the Australian Securities and Investments Commission are on it like an Easter Rabbitoh from South Sydney.

Sponsors have been lost. Community respect has been compromised and companies in Victoria and elsewhere have been torched by this.

The Melbourne Rebels are vehemently calling out the ringmaster, Mr. Brian Waldron, for potentially tainting their reputation even before the 2011 Super 15 season starts. TAB, Australia's main betting market, will be dishing out wooden spoon payouts by the forkful—up to $500,000.

But most importantly, a good deal of the fans have been lost. Fans who would have otherwise packed AAMI Park for matches have instead opted for packing the Storm's Guernseys into a heap of rage outside the Carlton team headquarters.

The AFL will go on its merry way, with or without the scandal. After all, the Melbourne Demons use AAMI Park for training and as its administrative headquarters.

Could it be possible that Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart, two clubs competing in the Hyundai A-League, can both benefit from receiving alienated supporters of the Storm? Could this be a blessing in disguise?

It's an interesting question I bring to the table because both teams are on the outside looking in. These soon-to-be-Swan Street rivals are observing the proceedings, engaged in their own schadenfreude.

Sure, the Melbourne Victory have their own dilemma with scheduling and squeezing in match after match, but at least they aren't going over the salary cap.

As for Melbourne Heart, no need to worry; they have yet to debut in the A-League. Easier for them. Both teams have their own bastions of followers: Blue And White Brigade for victory, Yarrasiders for Heart. And on top of that...both teams are playing for points. Unlike the Storm.

Let me bring up this scenario, then: Suppose I am a Storm fan (in real life, I AM a Storm fan through thick and thin), and I decide, "I have had it with the Storm. All this water-cooler conversation of the rot and the News Corp. media circus that follows is making me sick."

And I have options.

I can pick a team that I follow in the AFL, and go to their matches. That's the easy way out. I can also stick with the Storm to the end, and risk watching the end of the world as I know it.

Or I can choose between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart and order a club membership for either side. Heck, there is a sporting event called the World Cup that is going on, and Australia are in it!

My esteemed opinion on the Storm scandal is that it will be a blessing for Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart in that there will be new fans joining the ranks.

Those who otherwise would have been loyal to the Storm will find that there are alternatives. There are two quality football teams who play by the rules—albeit a different code—and are transparent in their actions.

Besides, it's better than watching a team rack up the wins in the NRL, but get no points for their efforts, while the buzzards of shame and desperation continue to lazily circle around the AAMI Park big top.

Sydney FC comfortably defeated an insipid Melbourne Victory 3-0 on Friday night, retaining top spot ahead of Perth Glory and stretching their lead over the defending champions to five points, who now lie in third place.

The game was billed as the season’s first block buster and a crowd of 30,000 took their seats at Etihad Stadium to witness the clash between two of the A-League’s powerhouses.

Victory started unchanged from last week’s win 2-1 home win against Brisbane Roar, while Sydney FC made one change enforced through injury, with Sebastian Ryall moving into central defence and Shannon Cole slotting in at right back.

The game started at a crisp pace, with both sides closing the ball down well and neither side able to retain possession for long periods.

The first real chance came in the second minute, when the ball broke to Carlos Hernandez on the edge of the Sydney box. The Costa Rican international (left out of the squad for this week’s World Cup qualifiers) fed in Ney Fabiano on the left, but Fabiano shot well wide from an increasingly tight angle.

After escaping some early Victory pressure unscathed, Sydney came into their own, retaining possession and gaining the upper hand in the process. Moving the ball faster than their opponents, Sydney began to make their numbers count against Melbourne’s exposed three-man defence.

The opening goal came in the 13th minute, as Simon Colossimo found the space on the left wing to send a dangerous, in swinging cross into the Victory area. Alex Brosque managed to get his head on the ball before any Victory defender and sent a looping header into the net to give Sydney the lead.

Minutes later and a series of neat passes saw Sydney advance into the Melbourne half. Badly undermanned in midfield, the Victory players could only watch as Terry McFlynn played an accurate ball forward to Mark Bridge.

Loose marking by Rodrigo Varkas provided the striker with the time and space to control the ball and he duly struck low to Glenn Moss’s left, putting Sydney 2-0 up.

The damage was well and truly done shortly afterwards as a good exchange of one touch passing on the right wing played in Karol Kisel, who reached the byline and sent a hopeful cross towards the centre of box. Mark Bridge reached the ball ahead of his marker once again to hit his second of the evening and Syndey’s third with a crisp half volley, effectively putting the game beyond Melbourne’s reach in the 20th minute.

With the visitors enjoying a comfortable lead so quickly in the game, a shell shocked Victory struggled to make any real impact in the first half. Ernie Merrick’s three-man defence continued to be exposed against Sydney pacy counter-attacks, while any rare forays forward for Victory ended in disappointment, with Archie Thompson in particularly squandering both shots and crossing opportunities.

Key midfielder Carlos Hernandez was equally disappointing, failing to find any of the ball and looking decidedly off the quick pace set by Sydney.

The second half saw little improvement for the Victory, with Sydney justifiably content to keep numbers behind the ball and frustrate the majority of Victory attacks.

Matthew Kemp offered some rare moments of promise on the right flank before being replaced by Evan Berger on 64 minutes. Berger proved a willing replacement but found little assistance from his lacklustre team mates.

Melbourne’s best spell of the game came in the last 20 minutes, with Sydney finally allowing their hosts to gain a share of possession. A sequence of one-two passes between Hernadez and Thompson in the 69th minute led to the latter breaking into the box and shooting over. Shortly after Thompson again threatened the Sydney goal but shot well wide.

Melbourne’s late pressure was largely wasted in a series of ineffectual free kicks and stifled advances. An 84th minute corner summed up Melbourne’s efforts going forward, when Vargas found himself unmarked and somehow contrived to head well wide from 6 yards out.

Sydney will be delighted with this heavy defeat of the defending champions on home soil, silencing the biggest crowd of the season and making a statement of intent to the rest of the league.

Ernie Merrick and the Victory players would want to put this down as a freak performance, the victims of a nightmare five-minute period that left them buried before the game really began.

Merrick may well need to reevaluate his defensive set up if he hopes to challenge effectively this season and will ask for much more desire and urgency from his players when they face Newcastle away next weekend.

Melbourne Victory completed a clean sweep of Australia’s domestic titles last Saturday with a narrow 1-0 win over Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

The Victory’s second championship follows on from their success in the Pre-Season Challenge Cup last August and the Premiership title earned by finishing first in the 21-game regular season standings.

A near-capacity crowd of 53,273 inside Melbourne’s Telstra Dome saw Tom Pondeljak score the only goal of a tense game on 60 minutes.

The defeat was harsh on the unfancied visitors—resoundingly written off after being thrashed 6-0 on aggregate by Melbourne in an earlier playoff round—especially given their dogged perseverance with 10 men for the majority of the match.

Only eight minutes had elapsed when Cristiano contested an aerial challenge with Melbourne centre back Rodrigo Vargas.

Both men seemed firmly focused on the ball as they collided innocuously before Vargas tumbled to the ground with blood streaming from a cut above his right ear.

Referee Matthew Breeze briefly delayed to consult with his assistant before producing a red card for Adelaide’s stunned Brazilian striker.

Replays showed the clash to be purely accidental, but the cosmetic damage suffered by the unfortunate Vargas—not to mention the vociferously animated remonstrations of Victory captain Kevin Muscat—undoubtedly influenced the officials’ decision.

Adelaide made a positive start despite having to return to a venue which holds so many recent traumatic experiences for them.

Four teams qualify for the A-League postseason, with the league’s top two sides meeting in a two-legged Major Final to decide who will host the Grand Final. That meant a tie between these two southern rivals after Melbourne clinched the regular season title on goal difference from Adelaide.

Goals from Costa Rican international Carlos Hernandez and former Manchester City striker Danny Allsopp gave Victory an assured 2-0 win at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium on February 7.

The rout was sealed seven days later with a 4-0 win at the Telstra Dome, giving an aggregate score which evoked memories of the 2007 Grand Final in Melbourne when Archie Thompson slayed Adelaide with five goals in a humiliating 6-0 rout.

The Reds enjoyed a successful run to the Asian Champions League final last November—an achievement which saw them participate in the following month’s Club World Cup—but further glory looked unattainable in the aftermath of their insipid Major Final second leg defeat.

Manager Aurelio Vidmar launched an impassioned, if misplaced, rant in the direction of everyone bar himself or his players in the aftermath of the defeat, saying: “Politics, that’s what I put it down to. There are too many people in this club with hidden agendas.

“Whether you are involved directly or indirectly you have an effect. Because of a piss-ant town, this club will never win anything until you get rid of that crap.”

He could easily have pointed the finger at any number of his listless defenders, particularly the calamitous Macedonian Saša Ognenovski, or his diffident midfielders.

After two days of apologising and patching up his differences with the club’s directors, Vidmar turned his attention towards earning a shot at redemption by seeing off Queensland Roar—winners of the Minor Final between the league’s third and fourth placed teams.

A stunning strike by Fabian Barbiero was enough to ensure Adelaide’s daunting return to the Telstra Dome.

Despite the pre-match obituaries—further compelled by the early dismissal—Vidmar’s men showed formidable resolve and stifled Melbourne’s dangerous attacking trio of Thompson, Allsopp, and chief orchestrator Hernandez.

Indeed, Adelaide had two excellent chances to take the lead shortly after the interval, but they were denied by Victory goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos.

Firstly, the impressive former Bolton Wanderers trainee Scott Jamieson contrived to hit Theoklitos from six yards out with an empty net gaping.

Soon afterwards captain Travis Dodd dribbled past three Melbourne defenders before steering a tame finish straight at the goalkeeper.

Adelaide were made to pay for those misses on the hour mark as Pondeljak curled his right-foot shot beyond the despairing dive of Eugene Galeković.

After putting up such stout resilience, it was a rather simple and unexpected goal for Adelaide’s defence to concede.

A late flurry of desperate attacking by the visitors proved fruitless, and so the curtain fell on the fledgling A-League’s fourth campaign with Melbourne deservedly taking the honours.

At least Adelaide can hold their heads high once again after pushing their rivals all the way.