Craig Goodwin brace strengthens case for Socceroos call-up in Adelaide United’s 3-0 demolition of Central Coast
CRAIG Goodwin followed up his stellar performance in Adelaide United’s historic FFA Cup victory with another two goals in the Reds’ demolition of Central Coast, strengthening his argument for a Socceroos call up.
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CRAIG Goodwin’s glorious form must surely have Socceroos coach Graham Arnold considering the South Australian as a serious option to replace injured Celtic attacker Daniel Arzani.
Goodwin put in another golden shift for Adelaide United on Sunday which Arnold cannot ignore after Arzani injured his knee during his Celtic debut last week.
Arnold announces his squad this week for two Socceroos friendlies against Lebanon and South Korea this month.
After the 26-year-old’s two goal heroics during Adelaide’s sizzling 2-1 FFA Cup final at Hindmarsh on Tuesday, Goodwin was yet again the key for Adelaide in a professional 3-0 win over Central Coast in Gosford.
“The other night Tuesday was fantastic to come away with the cup really, I think the really important thing is we came here and put in a reasonable display,’’ Goodwin told Fox Sports.
“Now we have to go way and improve on this and do better next week.
“We won the cup and we enjoyed the day after and two days after we went to training and the coach was saying you won it and enjoy it now we have to do well in the league now to improve.
“We want to do more and be in the finals at the end of the season and go one step further than we did last year.”
Goodwin scored two more goals and was credited with an assist again in front of the Socceroos boss at Central Coast Stadium after Arnold was in the Hindmarsh stands during Adelaide’s FFA Cup triumph.
The brace took Goodwin’s tally to seven goals in seven matches since returning from two seasons with Sparta Rotterdam.
He scored the opening goal with his head for a second consecutive A-League match with Adelaide now climbing to third place after three rounds.
Dane Ken Ilso started the counter attack which left the Mariners reeling before a trademark Goodwin free kick in the second half forced a howler from home gloveman Ben Kennedy.
Adelaide’s opening goal was the Reds at its classical counter attacking best.
Ilso stole the ball inside his own half, relayed the leather to winger Ben Halloran before striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos peeled wide on the right.
Returning from Young Socceroos duty in Indonesia which forced him to miss the cup final, Stamatelopoulos crossed a perfect ball for Goodwin before his goalbound header was deflected into the net from Mariners defender Kye Rowles in the ninth minute.
It was Goodwin’s second headed A-League goal after he scored with his tough skull in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh 10 days ago.
Goodwin last scored a rare headed goal in 2010 when he was making his way up the soccer pyramid for Raiders in SA’s premier league in 2010.
Stamatelopoulos made it 2-0 seven minutes later when Scott Galloway’s pass to Goodwin caught the Mariners’ kamikaze high defensive line out of synch.
Goodwin breezed past Rowles before firing in a perfect cross which the 19-year-old easily converted from 8m to record his second A-League goal since round 15 last season in a 1-1 draw with Western Sydney.
The goal instigated a reaction from the home side with striker Matt Simon missing the upright with a strong header but Adelaide weathered the storm to head into the break with a deserved 2-0 lead.
Goodwin added gloss to a magnificent week of football when he blasted a 25m free kick into the slippery hands of Kennedy to seal Adelaide’s first win of the new A-League season in the 57th minute.
A minute later Adelaide dodged a bullet.
The video assistant referee had a closer look at Simon’s goal-bound header crashing into the arm of Adelaide defender Jordan Elsey but referee Alex King didn’t want to see a replay and allowed play-on via a corner.
A-LEAGUE ROUND THREE
Central Coast 0 lost to Adelaide United 3 (Craig Goodwin 10m, 57m, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos 16m) at Central Coast Stadium — Referee: Alex King
Originally published as Craig Goodwin brace strengthens case for Socceroos call-up in Adelaide United’s 3-0 demolition of Central Coast