A-League: Riley McGree scores brace as Adelaide United beat Newcastle Jets
There was no hangover from the Reds’ FFA Cup final win midweek, with a Riley McGree double earning Adelaide their first A-League win of the season.
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Adelaide United boss Gertjan Verbeek’s tactical genius got his side out of a first half bind after the Reds appeared to be on a crash course with a third consecutive A-League defeat.
An FFA Cup final winning hangover could have been thrown up as a legitimate excuse until Verbeek changed the narrative when Jets were leading 1-0 at the break.
Verbeek was ruthless, hooking left back Ryan Kitto for Michael Maria and Kristian Opseth for Nikola Mileusnic in two moves which reshaped the clash.
Wednesday‘s hero Al Hassan Toure moved to central striker after he started on the left wing.
Mileusnic came in for Opseth and moved to the flank after it appeared that Verbeek’s first half formation was playing into the hands of Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Park.
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Adelaide was understandably not as sharp as Wednesday night’s emphatic 4-0 final win in front of almost 15,000 fans at Hindmarsh as Verbeek made two changes to the starting 11.
The half time break gave Verbeek time to rethink has strategy before the Reds walked away with a timely 2-1 away win to get their new A-League campaign running after losing its opening two games on the trot.
One move which did work from the off was Verbeek handing South Australian star signing James Troisi a debut.
Troisi was brilliant.
“It’s fantastic to be back on the pitch I haven’t played since May,’’ Troisi said.
“A tough 90 minutes, in tough conditions and it’s been a tough week but I’m extremely positive and happy that we’ve got the win.
“It was pretty open in the first half there was a lot of space he (Verbeek) tweaked a few things at half time and we were more compact, better quality on the ball and we had some good chances.”
However the Reds were dealt a first half blow.
Jets’ Panamanian 2018 FIFA World Cup striker Abdiel Arroyo scored a memorable maiden A-League goal but one which the Reds could have avoided with better defending.
Riley McGree then equalised four minutes after the break after an assist from Troisi.
He scored a go ahead goal directly from a corner just after the hour after using the swirling win to deceive Jets keeper Glen Moss.
Just seconds earlier McGree tested Moss with the same party trick which the former All Whites keeper turned away from goal.
However it was the Panamanian who put the Reds on first half notice.
The 25-year-old was clever when he chested a long throw from right back Matthew Millar into the air to give the striker enough time to swivel before a 7m volleying whizzed past Reds gloveman Paul Izzo in the 37th minute.
It was the highlight of a lethargic first half from both sides as the 31C heat, strong winds and slow pitch due to it being freshly laid sapped energy.
Troisi, playing his first official match since May when he was still a Melbourne Victory attacker, brought the Reds back to life when he spotted a free McGree inside the box with a cut back after a clever Ben Halloran lay off.
McGree made no mistake to level the score against his ex club after Adelaide struggled for first half cohesion.
With the Jets getting joy early from former Adelaide defender Johnny Koutroumbis with his wide runs, Jason Hoffman and Millar on the opposite flank, Troisi injecting composure into the centre of the pitch saw the Reds try to unleash Toure and Halloran to gain penetration.
Adelaide opened the second half keen to take the upper hand after Jets had five shots on target compared to Adelaide’s one in the opening 45 minutes.
Izzo was then under pressure in the 48th minute from a Matthew Ridenton free kick before McGree’s second goal of the campaign.
However Izzo sent a scare into camp when his skull collided with defender Michael Marrone’s hip before the shot stopper received treatment and was given the all clear to continue in the 57th minute.
Troisi then again became the provider with a cut back but Mileusnic’s 12m shot was deflected for a corner before McGree scored a second Reds goal.
The goal lifted the Reds as the Jets were forced to take chances leaving the home side exposed in transition.
Halloran had a chance to a third in the 64th minute when Ryan Strain stole the ball from Koutroumbis but he fired his shot over the bar from 15m.
Troisi had Moss at full stretch in the 67th minute but his shot was just wide of the target.
Toure ended his shift for Konstandopoulos 10 minutes from time as the youngster appeared to cramp just before exiting the pitch.
A-LEAGUE ROUND 3
NEWCASTLE JETS 1 (Abdiel Arroyo 37m)
ADELAIDE UNITED 2 (Riley McGree 49m, 61m) at McDonald Jones Stadium
Jets (4-2-3-1): Moss, Millar, Boogaard (c), Topor-Stanley, Koutroumbis; Ugarkovic (Thurgate 68m), Ridenton; Hoffman (M Petratos 82m), K. Petratos, Fitzgerald (Kantarovski 68m); Arroyo.
Adelaide (4-2-3-1): Izzo; Strain, Marrone, Jakobsen (c), Kitto (Maria 46m); Troisi, D’Arrigo; McGree Halloran, Toure (Konstandopoulos 80m); Opseth (Mileusnic 46m).
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Yellow cards: Jets: — Boogaard 87m
Adelaide: — Troisi 27m, D’Arrigo 47m, Jakobsen 79m
Red cards: —