Adelaide United swoop on Newcastle Jets’ goalie blunders to secure spot in FFA Cup semi-final
Adelaide United handed coach Gertjan Verbeek a dream result on his home debut, as striker Al-Hassan Toure pounced on a goalkeeping error to secure the Reds a spot in the semi-finals.
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Adelaide United handed its new coach Gertjan Verbeek a dream result on his home debut, as striker Al-Hassan Toure proves to be the Dutchman’s uncut gem for the new season.
The Reds marched towards their fourth FFA Cup semi-final in convincing but unpolished fashion.
A 1-0 win over a Newcastle Jets that played for 79 minutes with 10 men at Hindmarsh Stadium on Tuesday night was deserved, but Verbeek at times appeared to be annoyed.
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Adelaide did get some help for the win, however.
A goalkeeping howler in the 11th minute saw the Jets reduced to 10 men and another uncharacteristic blunder from the back-up gloveman enabled teenage sensation Toure to score his fourth FFA Cup goal in three starts.
The 19-year-old was totally switched on in the 42nd minute when reserve keeper Glen Moss failed to handle what appeared to be a routine 15m low shot from Ryan Kitto.
As the ball rolled between Moss’s legs, Toure was the first to react to poke the ball home.
However, the Jets troubles began long before that error when starting gloveman Lewis Italiano misjudged a looping Riley McGree ball and was expelled.
He appeared to foul Nikola Mileusnic outside the box as the ball was drifting wide to the winger a minute after ex-Gawler Eagles junior Riley McGree spurned at shot when he was in the clear six metres from goal.
SA referee Daniel Elder immediately reached for his pocket to issue Italiano a red card which forced Jets coach Ernie Merrick to sacrifice attacker Nick Fitzgerald for Moss.
The ex-All Whites international’s first touch was a brilliant fingertip save from Nathan Konstandopoulos’s 20m free kick as Reds took total control. Konstandopoulos then missed the target from eight metres after a clever ball from Ben Halloran split the Jets defence open.
Making his official SA game debut, Verbeek opted to keep Norwegian striker Kristian Opseth on the bench after he was cleared just 17 days ago from his Turkish club.
Ex-Croydon Kings striker Toure, 19, led the front line brilliantly after scoring three goals in two previous FFA Cup appearances, one in a 5-2 win over Melbourne Knights and two against Olympic of Brisbane in a 3-2 win — both away.
Toure’s strength and speed was causing Jets all sorts of bother and it nearly paid off on the half-hour when Mileusnic was on the end of an attack before driving a 15m shot which cannoned off the upright.
Konstandopoulos then resumed his battle with Moss but the New Zealander again claimed a moral victory when he turned another one of the midfielder’s shots around the post in the 33rd minute.
The Jets were dealt another massive blow three minutes after the break when star Irish international and Norwich City legendary midfielder Wes Hoolahan was forced off the park with a leg injury after fouling Kitto.
The quality of the contest then started suffering as mistakes dominated pre-season legs but it was always Adelaide looking to score a second goal as McGree watched another free shot detour for a corner on the hour.
Adelaide’s most recent visa signing Opseth then made his official debut in the 77th minute replacing Toure.
FFA CUP
Adelaide United 1 (Al-Hassan Toure 42m) Newcastle Jets 0 at Hindmarsh Stadium — Referee: Daniel Elder. Crowd: 4807.
Originally published as Adelaide United swoop on Newcastle Jets’ goalie blunders to secure spot in FFA Cup semi-final
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