A-League, round 27, news and scores: Central Coast and Macarthur play out 2-2 draw as injury spoils clash
Central Coast Mariners defender Trent Sainsbury faces a nervous wait after going down with a knee-injury in the last moments of the contest against Macarthur. The club provides the latest.
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It went from ecstasy to agony all in one night for former Socceroo and Central Coast defender Trent Sainsbury.
In the first half he celebrated his first goal for the club in 12 years, and first in his current stint with the Mariners, as Central Coast secured a 2-2 draw with Macarthur at Gosford.
By the end of the game his future in the game was under threat with a serious injury.
Sainsbury suffered a knee injury in the final moments of the contest against the Bulls, forced off the ground with trainers by his side.
All signs point to an ACL injury which if confirmed would rule him out for the next 12 months and could end a decorated career.
“It didn’t look good,” Mariners coach Mark Jackson told Paramount Plus.
“He felt something go in his achilles.
“Until we get that diagnosed we’ll hold fire (on confirming an ACL)
“To see that happen at the end was devastating.”
Central Coast, keen to make amends after losing 6-0 to rivals Newcastle last week, took the early lead with Sainsbury scoring from a set piece in the 15th minute.
Macarthur responded to level the scores seven minutes later with Kevin Boli equalising before the Mariners responded to take a 2-1 half time lead.
17-year-old Arthur Oliveira De Lima scored his second goal of the season.
Macarthur would level the match at 2-2, four minutes after the break, with Harry Sawyer scoring to give the Bulls a chance in the final 40 minutes to score a winner to keep their finals hopes alive.
But despite both teams having chances no one could one to secure the three points.
Macarthur now sits four points from the top-six with two matches remaining but an Adelaide win on Tuesday against Brisbane would almost certainly end any chance of finals for the Bulls.
The Mariners remain in 10th with the draw and will be hoping for good news during the week on Sainsbury.
Sydney FC comes back to remain in finals hunt
Sydney FC’s hopes of playing finals football remain on track after a memorable comeback at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Trailing 2-0 after just 22 minutes, the Sky Blues fought back to beat Newcastle 3-2 thanks to goals from Douglas Costa, Adrian Segecic and Jaiden Kucharski.
The win moved Sydney back into the top six after the Ufuk Talay-coached team had dropped to seventh following Adelaide United’s 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix on Friday night.
Adelaide can again grab sixth spot by beating Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday.
However, the Sky Blues’ destiny remains in their own hands. If they win their remaining two games of the regular season – tough away matches against Western United and Melbourne City – Talay’s men will qualify for the finals series.
It’s an achievement that would be considered the minimum requirement for a star-studded Sydney outfit whose dreams of AFC Champions League Two glory were dashed less than a week ago at the semi-final stage by Singapore club Lion City Sailors.
“(The win) was very important for us because it was a really tough game,” Sydney’s Brazilian star Costa told Paramount Plus.
“We now have to look forward and think about the two games (that are left), just keep working hard and try to win every game.
“We are trying to push ourselves to give the club the best opportunity to win a trophy.”
Sydney’s win on Sunday also ended the Jets’ slim hopes of finishing in the top six.
However, the Jets made the Sky Blues work for their win, stunning the hosts with a quick start that had them leading 2-0 at the midway point of the first-half courtesy of goals from Lachlan Rose and Japanese winger Kota Mizunuma.
Shocked into action, the hosts sliced Newcastle’s lead in half in the 36th minute with a superb left-footed strike from their talisman Costa.
The visitors had an opportunity to restore their two goal-advantage five minutes into the second-half, but Clayton Taylor’s strike cannoned into the woodwork.
The Sky Blues made the most of their fortune, with Adrian Segecic equalising in the 55th minute with a fine left-footed effort that hit the inside of the post on its way to the back of the net.
Kucharski then made the most of his rare start, scoring the winner in the 83rd minute with an angled shot that was too good for Jets keeper Ryan Scott.
Melbourne City fight back to secure valuable draw
Auckland FC will have to wait another at least another week to be confirmed as A-League premiers after second-placed Melbourne City fought back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night.
City remain a mathematical chance to finish on top, being six points behind Auckland – who had earlier beaten Melbourne Victory 2-0 – with two rounds to go.
However, with the Kiwi outfit having an 11-goal advantage in terms of for and against, City are rank outsiders to clinch the Premier’s Plate.
If not for an 86th-minute penalty from City defender Kai Trewin after Wanderers defender Anthony Pantazopoulos fouled substitute Medin Memeti, Auckland would already be celebrating a premiership win.
There was to be further drama, with Wanderers believing they had won the game in stoppage-time with a header from substitute Marcus Antonsson.
However, Pantazopoulos was ruled off-side, denying Western Sydney what would have been a winning goal in front of a vocal crowd at CommBank Stadium.
With the draw, City moved to 44 points, three ahead of third-placed Western United, with the Wanderers a point further back in fourth spot.
The Victory are in fifth place on 39 points, with Adelaide United currently sixth on 36, two points ahead of Sydney FC, who are in action on Sunday against Newcastle at Allianz Stadium.
With the Black Knights ineligible to compete in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite competition – the lucrative honour for premiers of the A-League – due to being based in New Zealand, the club that finishes second on the ladder will be the A-League’s representative in the 2025-26 edition of Asian football’s top competition.
City star Marco Tilio said his side was in a “good place”.
“Hopefully we continue that way in the next two rounds heading into finals,” Tilio told Network 10.
“We’re putting our best foot forward, so we’re really happy.”
Wanderers captain and goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas was called into action early on Saturday night with two saves in the first six minutes to deny City pair Max Caputo and Aziz Behich.
The saves were to prove crucial with Western Sydney going ahead in the ninth minute through star attacker Nicolas Milanovic.
Showing strength and skill to get the better of City captain and Socceroos left-back Behich, Milanovic worked into his way into the penalty area before placing his left-footed strike into the corner of the net to score his 12th goal of the season.
Milanovic was at it again four minutes later, again getting the better of Behich, as well as Trewin, before playing a pass that Trewin turned into his own net to double Western Sydney’s lead.
Socceroos forward Brandon Borrello should have further increased the Wanderers’ advantage soon after but failed to direct a header from close range on target.
While Borello fluffed his header, Trewin didn’t in the 36th minute, nodding home a comer from Tilio to slice Western Sydney’s lead in half.
Trewin’s contribution wasn’t over, with his late penalty ensuring the points were shared.
Wanderers star Milanovic felt the result was “fair”
“All credit to Melbourne City. It was a good game,” he said.
“It isn’t the worst result, but for us it feels like a loss. That’s just how we see it.”
Auckland one step closer to historic first A-League Premier’s Plate
by Thomas Smith
Auckland FC have taken a huge – and potentially defining – leap toward winning the A-League Premiers Plate courtesy of success away to top-six pushing Melbourne Victory.
The Black Knight’s seventh away triumph of 2024/25, which takes them onto 50 points, will clinch the regular season honours in their maiden season if Melbourne City lose at Western Sydney Wanderers later on Saturday night.
Louis Verstraete’s 53rd-minute strike, his second of the campaign, which scuttled into the corner from the edge of the penalty box, opened up a cagey affair at AAMI Park, where the opening period, in particular, was representative of a contest that had ramifications for both teams.
Victory could have given real security to their top-six place, instead, it was Steve Corica’s visitors who held their nerve.
They first applied some gas to net through their Belgian midfielder early in the second half before displaying the defensive robustness that has been the hallmark of a hugely impressive introduction to the competition.
Then, on the back of goalkeeper Alex Paulsen producing a stunning save to keep out Nikos Vergos’s downward header, Auckland released the growing pressure by scoring on the break when Verstraete turned provider to supply Guillermo May with an open goal.
Correct call before VAR confirmation
Verstraete’s accuracy was matched by that of the assistant referee, who correctly determined there had been no illegal intervention to Auckland’s first blow. Logan Rogerson appeared both off-side and interfering with the view of goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, but a straying Kasey Bos ensured the celebrations of the travelling active support were uninterrupted
Victory alludes Melbourne on nervy night
Diles’ side looked, the tireless efforts of an unfortunate Nishan Velupillay aside, unlike breaking through Auckland’s steely resistance that squeezed out a league-best 11th clean sheet. And the harder Victory pushed to overturn a one-goal deficit, the greater this scramble defence facing them became ahead of May profiting from the home team’s defensive misgivings to put the champagne on ice.
Auckland can set record straight and enter finals flying
The Black Knight’s copybook has been blotted just twice in their impressive inaugural season, but the opponents in these two defeats await in the closing rounds.
Basement dwellers Perth Glory, narrow winners in the reverse fixture, travel to Go Media Stadium next up before Western United, who won 0-4 across the Tasman Sea, host Auckland on the final weekend and could still be in contention for the highly-prized AFC Champions League Elite place.
Dinner could have sweet ending for Corica and Auckland
“I think we’ll have we’ll go back and have dinner at the hotel, and we’ll probably all watch it together, I think, on a big screen,” Auckland coach Steve Corica said in the immediate aftermath of the win.
“So you know, the first thing was, obviously, taking care of business with us, first and foremost. And now, now we’re hoping for the Wanderers to beat Melbourne City. So don’t think I would have ever said that, but it has happened.”
Goodwin stunner keeps Adelaide Utd’s slim finals hopes alive
by Val Migliaccio
Archie Goodwin’s last-minute goal gave departing Adelaide United coach Carl Veart a small chance of having a respectful home game send-off during the finals series.
That’s if the Reds make the A-League’s elite top six with two league games to play after ending an eight-game winless streak.
Goodwin’s strike from a Dylan Pierias assist saw Adelaide beat Wellington Phoenix 3-2 at Coopers Stadium on Good Friday.
“I knew the chance would come and I’m so happy I got there,’’ Goodwin told Paramount +.
“It’s been eight games without a win, and two more games to go, and two more wins to go, we’re relieved with this result.”
Goodwin’s 13th goal of the season saw Adelaide dislodge Sydney from sixth place after the Reds appeared to be on their way to dropping more vital points at home after taking the lead.
Phoenix was in all sorts of bother after just 12 minutes when Adelaide’s Panagiotis Kikinianis and Stefan Mauk scored relatively easily from headers.
Phoenix’s defending was woeful from a Zach Clough corner, which saw Kikianis nod the ball home unmarked in the eighth minute.
Four minutes later, Phoenix’s defending was comical as Yaya Dukuly danced inside the box before Ethan Alagich provided an unchallenged assist for Mauk’s headed goal.
Mauk had a chance to make it 3-0 in the 20th minute when his 10m effort crashed off the upright.
The miss almost proved costly, as it was Adelaide’s turn to show why they have the second-worst defensive record in the A-League this season.
Adelaide skipper Ryan Kitto had his pocket picked by midfielder Hideki Ishige before the Japanese created a perfect assist for Kosta Barbarouses, who made no mistake in the 31st minute.
Isaac Hughes made it 2-2 just four minutes later when a harmless-looking long throw was poorly cleared before Adelaide’s shambolic defending was again on display.
EASTER CHOCOLATES
Mauk and Phoenix’s Tim Payne were lucky to stay on the park after a heated melee saw several players lose their cool just before the halftime break.
Despite boots and arms flying, referee Tim Danaskos, who brandished cautions to the pair, wasn’t summoned by VAR to take another look at the ill-disciplined incident.
VEART’S FINAL FAREWELL?
Adelaide United need the gods to be on their side to have any hope of seeing Veart again on the bench at Hindmarsh during finals time.
Veart was again made to watch – perhaps in agony – his side collapse after holding what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 lead until the 31st minute.
The affable boss has done a remarkable job on a shoestring budget since taking the helm in July 2020 at the height of COVID-19.
Since Veart has been installed in the hot seat, Adelaide has reportedly earned about $8.3 million in transfer sales according to transfermerkt.com
Former Adelaide gloveman Joe Gauci was the club’s record transfer sale when he signed for England’s Aston Villa for $2.67 million.
ISA STAYING OR GOING?
Isaias featured off the bench in the 79th minute to break Adelaide’s games’ record, his 286th appearance, beating club legend Eugene Galekovic’s previous record.
The long-serving Spaniard’s contract is up at the end of the season.
LONG LIVE THE CHIEFY
The Phoenix offered very little resistance in the opening minutes of the clash.
Given the visitor’s season was over before landing in Adelaide, Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano aka Chiefy deserved better from this side after copping two goals in the space of 12 minutes.
Wellington managed to fight back to tie the clash at 2-2, only to lose at the death.
Italiano led Phoenix to a semi-final berth last season as a rookie boss.
Italiano’s two-year contract is up at the end of the season.
ROAR ENDS 13-MONTH DROUGHT
by Thomas Smith
Brisbane Roar’s first A-League home win in 13 months has put Western United’s Premiership prospects out of their control.
Defeat at Suncorp Stadium, a second successive loss for John Aloisi’s men, saw them pass up the opportunity to both close the gap on league leaders Auckland FC to one point and leapfrog Melbourne City, who visit Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers respectively on Saturday evening.
Victory for the former would end Western’s hopes of taking top spot, whilst a City triumph would leave them five points short of the coveted AFC Champions League Elite qualification place available for the highest-placed Australian finisher.
Sam Klein’s second-minute strike and Florin Berenguer’s stroked finish midway through the opening 45 ripped up the form card as Brisbane, previously winless on their own patch, pulled clear of an opponent boasting the best away record this term.
Despite Hiroshi Ibusuki halving the arrears in the final regulation minute of the first half, a scoreless second period lifted Brisbane off the bottom on an impactful night at either end of the ladder.
BRISBANE COME ROARING OUT THE BLOCKS
The hosts made a flying start thanks to their quickest goal of the season – breaking the deadlock after just one minute and 35 seconds.
Jacob Brazete’s snake hips had Tate Russell caught on his heels and some studs stuck in the turf before the attacker’s accurate pull-back was converted by 21-year-old Klein, whose third counter in five outings – planted from 12 yards – beat Matt Sutton for pace.
He was fetching the ball out of his net again in the 24th minute when Berenguer collected a deflected backpass ahead of composing himself for what proved to be the winner.
300 NOT OUT FOR JACK HINGERT ON WINNING OCCASION
An A-League icon and Brisbane legend made a club record 273rd A-League appearance on the occasion of his 300th game in the competition, the 13th player to reach the milestone.
Before kick-off, Jack Hingert, accompanied by his young son Billy, lined up alongside his teammates before being called forward to receive a framed shirt commemorating the landmark, with his wife Symmie being invited onto the field for a photo opportunity.
Captain Jay O’Shea, after their winless home stretch ended at 12 matches, commented on Hingert’s achievement: “He deserves all the plaudits that he gets. We dug deep for him tonight.”
On the theme of records, at the second-half’s midpoint, teammate Ben Halloran replaced Berenguer to become a double centurion.
THINGS THREATEN TO GO SOUTH FOR WESTERN
There is little to be gleaned from their trip to Queensland, where Ibusuki’s smart movement and finish, taking his tally into double figures, was as good as it got.
And whilst wins for the teams in first and second would be a worst-case scenario weekend for Western United, the reverse – successes for Victory and Wanderers – would drag them down to fifth, complicating the path to championship glory.
Originally published as A-League, round 27, news and scores: Central Coast and Macarthur play out 2-2 draw as injury spoils clash
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