Jed Drew stakes Socceroos claim in Macarthur’s win over Newcastle
Macarthur forward Jed Drew has staked his claim for a place in the next Socceroos squad after scoring in the Bulls’ win over Newcastle as national team boss Tony Popovic watched on.
A-League
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Macarthur forward Jed Drew continued to push himself into Socceroos calculations, getting on the scoresheet in the Bulls 3-1 win over Newcastle.
The 21-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season in the come-from-behind victory with Socceroos coach Tony Popovic watching on from the stands.
Drew puts the Bulls in front in the 59th minute after pouncing on a rebound after Bernardo’s initial shot was saved by Jets goalkeeper Ryan Scott.
Newcastle had led in the 18th minute after Ben Gibson cleverly put a brilliant chipped pass from Clayton Taylor through the legs of an onrushing Filip Kurto.
Valere Germain restored parity just five minutes later with the easiest of tap-ins, unmarked inside the six-yard box, after Ivan Vujica played the ball across goal and the Jets unable to intercept.
Bernardo capped off the result with a powerful finish at the near post past Kurto in the first minute of second half injury time after brilliantly playing a one-two with Daniel Da Silva.
It was his first goal since March last year.
The result saw the Bulls climb to fourth on the table while the Jets remain 10th.
The Socceroos will face crunch World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and China in March.
Glory break horror run behind young gun’s first goal
Perth Glory secured its first win of the A-League Men’s season after a 1-0 win over Auckland FC on Saturday night.
Jaylan Pearman, 18, scored his first goal for the West Australian side in stunning fashion as the Glory ended a club record seven straight losses at home.
The teenager brilliantly struck the ball into the top right corner first time to give his side the lead in the 29th minute.
Perth thought they had opened the scoring through Jarrod Carluccio inside the opening 10 minutes only for Trent Ostler to have been ruled offside in the build-up after a VAR review.
“He is just a great kid,” Glory coach David Zdrilic said of Pearman after the game.
“So whenever he is ready to go, no pressure. Just come in and enjoy it really. He has really taken those words. He has very good feet. It was the strength… in training he was getting knocked off the ball a but he’s got a lot stronger.
“You can see now, that’s a very physical team Auckland and he was winning a lot of balls, so winning balls and holding it up. Then his finishing, left and right football is just phenomenal. He has scored many goals like that.”
Auckland’s woes were compounded in injury time when debutant Adama Coulibaly was sent off.
Sensational Segecic helps Sydney extend unbeaten run
- Steven Russo
A whirlwind hat-trick to replacement winger Adrian Segecic has helped Sydney FC extend their unbeaten run to five straight games with a 4-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium.
Needing a win to break into the top six, Sydney looked to be heading for a draw after Patrick Klimala’s 12th-minute strike was cancelled out by a flukey equaliser from Harrison Steele in the 40th minute. Step up Segecic, who scored three times in 18 minutes to lift Sydney into fifth place on the A-League Men’s ladder.
The 20-year-old’s first goal came in the 72nd minute after he calmly tucked away a delicate through ball from Anthony Ceceras. 11 minutes later he and fellow replacement Patrick Wood forced an error from Brian Kaltak to set up his second before he put the final nail in the Mariners’ coffin with a splendid strike from right on the edge of the box.
It was the 20-year-old’s first senior hat-trick and with Socceroos coach Tony Popovic watching on in the stands, it was the ideal evening to accomplish the feat.
Defensive Reinforcements Needed
Despite the win, Sydney’s defensive woes were again on display against the Mariners. While the Central Coast’s goal may have come off a lucky deflection, it was ultimately set up by the backline’s inability to deal with a shot from Alfie McCalmont. After McCalmont pulled the trigger, indifferent defending from the Sky Blues saw the ball pinball around the box, before Steele’s speculative shot deflected off Klimala’s head and into the net. If Sydney coach Ufuk Talay is serious about challenging for the title, he must look to recruit defenders during the transfer window. This is even more vital when you consider that injured centre-back Alexandar Popovich’s loan deal is due to expire this month, meaning he may return to Korean side Gwangju FC.
Grey Prospects for Redmayne
Harrison Devenish-Meares looks to have replaced former Socceroos hero Andrew Redmayne as Sydney’s first-choice goalkeeper. Devenish-Meares, 28, may have been sent off in his debut league match against the Mariners back on December 12, but since returning from suspension, he has managed to keep Redmayne out of the starting side. The former Rockdale Ilinden star made a series of impressive saves against the Mariners on Saturday, and the ‘Grey Wiggle’ certainly has a big challenge on his hands if he wishes to reclaim his crown as the Sky Blues’ number-one shot-stopper.
Injury hit City heap further pain on winless Brisbane
Ronny Lerner
A Ben Mazzeo header has helped injury-ravaged Melbourne City to once again shrug off their personnel crisis and provisionally snatch top spot on the A-League Men ladder after beating last-placed Brisbane 1-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday evening.
Melbourne will remain in first place this weekend if Auckland fail to defeat Perth on Saturday night.
Mazzeo scored in the 65th minute when his looping header from 10 yards floated home after he linked up with Zane Schreiber’s corner. Making the goal even more impressive was the fact that Mazzeo was jumping away from goal and still managed to generate enough power and accuracy with the side of his head.
Aurelio Vidmar’s men headed into the game without first-choice stars Mathew Leckie (hamstring), Marco Tilio (hamstring), Andrew Nabbout (knee), Yonatan Cohen (knee), Andreas Kuen (hamstring), Max Caputo (syndesmosis/fibula) and Jimmy Jeggo (Achilles).
Their starting XI featured seven players aged 23 or younger, including three teenagers, and City’s bench also contained four teens, but they didn’t let any of that affect them as they extended their unbeaten run to seven matches, which now includes three consecutive wins.
Meanwhile, winless Brisbane’s fifth loss in a row has ensured their competition record worst-ever start to a season has stretched into a 12th match, with just two points to their credit. Their 15-game winless streak, which dates back to 2023-24, is also an all-time low for the club.
CITY MORE THREATENING
Melbourne enjoyed the run of play for most of the game and finished with far more shots on goal (14-4), shots on target (7-3), corners (5-1) and touches in opposition box (24-10).
The hosts almost took the lead in the second minute in spectacular fashion when Kavian Rahmani’s corner from the left almost swung back all the way inside the far post after clearing Brisbane goalkeeper Macklin Freke who got his lines all wrong. But luckily for the Roar, it zipped just past the upright.
Mazzeo’s bullet cross from the byline 11 minutes later found Medin Memeti eight yards out, but the latter couldn’t control his shot on goal and it went wide of the left upright when it should’ve really been a goal.
In the 24th minute, Nathaniel Atkinson’s attempt from 15 yards out was stopped by Freke, albeit after bobbling the ball dangerously, but he grabbed control of it just before Memeti arrived on the scene.
City picked up where they left off in the second half and in the 48th minute, Atkinson’s floating cross connected with Memeti whose attempt from 12 yards out was saved acrobatically by Freke diving to his left.
UNLUCKY UGARKOVIC
Three minutes later, Steven Ugarkovic’s long-range attempt from 20 yards out whizzed just over the crossbar and shortly after, Zane Schreiber’s corner again found Ugarkovic whose first-time volley from 17 yards careered just over the bar as well.
Ugarkovic tested out Freke again in the 64th minute when his bullet from 18 yards out on the right elicited another athletic one-handed save from the Roar custodian, and seven minutes later, Aziz Behich’s beautiful cross connected with Ugarkovic whose header from close range was denied again by Freke diving back and to his left.
FEW ROAR MOMENTS
The Roar’s best opportunity came in the third minute when Florin Berenguer’s header inside the six-yard box from a corner was on target, but was cleared on the goal line by Atkinson.
Captain Jay O’Shea unloaded a menacing attempt from 19 yards out in the 75th minute which required City goalkeeper Patrick Beach’s best efforts to stop it and in the second minute of added time, substitute Pearson Kasawaya’s threatening long-range shot from the left travelled just past the right post.
Adelaide continue rare feat following Phoenix howler
- Val Migliaccio
Wellington Phoenix gloveman Josh Oluwayemi’s howler saw Adelaide United’s Luka Jovanovic profit to score the winning goal at Sky Stadium on Saturday.
Oluwayemi, 23, an English-born former Tottenham Hotspurs youth academy product, spilt what appeared to be a harmless cross 15 minutes before time.
Substitute Jovanovic pounced to steer the ball into an empty net.
Jovanovic, introduced off the bench in the 66th minute for Archie Goodwin, scored his fourth goal of the season to gift Adelaide a 2-1 away win.
Adelaide which has a perfect away season record with six wins from six on the road, played its usual relentless high press in the opening minutes which spooked the home side.
Phoenix succumbed to an own goal when Matt Sheridan turned the ball into his own net from a Zach Clough cross that was aimed for the six-yard box in the seventh minute.
Clough should have made it 2-0 when he was gifted a stray pass from Isaac Hughes on the edge of the box, but the Englishman’s effort was comfortably saved by Oluwayemi nine minutes before the break.
Phoenix equalised in the 50th minute with a timely header from Corban Piper who took advantage of some average defending on the edge of the six-yard box following ex-Gamba Osaka midfielder Hideki Ishige’s corner.
RECORD BROKEN
Adelaide boss Carl Veart saw his side break a Reds record when Adelaide claimed its sixth win from six away matches.
Veart, 54, the club’s longest-serving coach, was part of the Reds side in the first A-League season in 2005.
Adelaide claimed the inaugural Premier’s Plate in 2006 with Veart scoring seven times to help the club lift its first major trophy.
Interim skipper Stefan Mauk was ecstatic after the clash claiming he didn’t know his side had claimed a new club record.
“We’re happy after we spent five days in Wellington and earned six points in two away games,’’ Mauk told Paramount +.
“I think normally we’re really strong on the road but this season we’re really good on the road.
“I think we’re trying to be stronger defensively and we have to keep it up.
“Now we’ve got two home games against Victory and Auckland.
“The next two games will really set up our season if we get some strong results.”
GOLDEN OLDIE
Javi Lopez, 38, started his first match of the season after earning just 16 minutes of game time in the opening round.
The seasoned former Espanyol veteran was solid apart from rusty opening minutes at left-back while filling the vacancy of skipper Ryan Kitto.
Lopez used his experience to draw fouls from anxious Phoenix forwards and added much-needed composure to the Reds defence.
Kitto returned to Adelaide after the win over Macarthur on Monday night, due to the imminent birth of his child.
A-League
Western United snatch all-time thriller
- Ronny Lerner
Just seven days after beating Perth Glory with a pair of stoppage-time goals, late show specialists Western United have done it again to gazump local rivals Melbourne Victory 4-3 in one of the games of the A-League Men season at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Victory headed into added time with a 3-2 lead and looked set to farewell Jason Geria in style as he departs for the J.League.
But United were given an extra five minutes to play with, and that was more than enough for them to serve as party poopers after falling behind no fewer than three times.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Angus Thurgate’s corner found Noah Botic who leapt highest into the air and headed it home into the far side netting from four yards out to make it 3-3.
And three minutes later, the visitors completed the great escape as Riku Danzaki bamboozled Kasey Bos on the right before crossing it and finding Hiroshi Ibusuki who drilled it from six yards out for his brace to deliver Western all three points in astonishing fashion.
94:27 on the clock. 3-3 the score. @wufcofficial have come back from behind three times. Surely it can’t get better? ð—˜ð—»ð˜ð—²ð—¿ ð—›ð—¶ð—¿ð—¼ð˜€ð—µð—¶ ð—œð—¯ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜‚ð—¸ð—¶ 😱🔥
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) January 10, 2025
Western’s star Japanese striker came up clutch to seal one of the A-Leagues all-time comeback wins ðŸ‘
Hiro by… pic.twitter.com/mPWGflxU0F
SEESAWING CONTEST
Victory went 1-0 up in the ninth minute when Jordi Valadon’s magnificent through ball found Brendan Hamill who didn’t have to break stride and, under pressure from Tomoki Imai and Luke Vickery, his shot at the near post eluded United goalkeeper Matthew Sutton who really should’ve done better.
The hosts gave up their lead just eight minutes later when Vickery’s beautiful long pass found Ben Garuccio whose cross from the right found Ibusuki and the Japanese forward slipped past a flat-footed Hamill to send it home from four yards out.
But Melbourne re-took the lead in the 39th minute when Bruno Fornaroli, after bursting down the left, sent a well-weighted pass to Daniel Arzani who zoomed past Tate Russell on the right and teed it up for Fornaroli who had Sutton beaten all ends up and nestled it into the unguarded goal with ease from point-blank range.
It was a moment of redemption for Arzani who burnt Fornaroli in an almost identical situation only three minutes earlier. After accepting a pinpoint pass from Zinedine Machach, Arzani only had Sutton to beat, but from seven yards out on an angle, he cannoned it straight into the United goalkeeper, leaving Fornaroli furious all by himself given he didn’t receive a cross just a few yards out with the open goal at his mercy.
90:37: 3-2 down âž¡ï¸ 94:27: ðŸ’-👠ð–ðˆððð„ð‘ð’ 😱😱 How on earth did @wufcofficial pull this off?!
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) January 10, 2025
Sit back and enjoy one of the all-time great A-Leagues escapes, courtesy of Noah Botic and Hiroshi Ibsuki 👇
We’ve seen it, but we still can’t believe it! pic.twitter.com/FkwaUAkDpl
VICTORY DENIED GOAL
Victory thought they went 3-1 up in the 59th minute when Arzani’s delicate cross found Reno Piscopo at the back post and the latter toe-poked it home, but it was scrubbed out for a foul on Fornaroli because he pulled Russell to the ground as the ball was in the air.
United made the most of their reprieve 10 minutes later when Abel Walatee levelled things up 2-2 as he made no mistake from 12 yards out after accepting a cutback from Vickery who went on an enterprising run down the right.
Santos thought he delivered Victory the win in the 79th minute when drilled it home from the corner of the six-yard box after accepting a cool pass from Machach who danced around Dylan Leonard and put it on a platter for the Brazilian.
But it wasn’t to be as United’s incredible never-say-die attitude saw them produce another sensational win.
UNITED RESPOND
It was a game of two halves. Victory dominated the opening period, smashing United for shots on goal (13-3), shots on target (4-1) and touches in opposition box (17-8), but it all flipped after the break as the rejuvenated Western thumped the hosts in those stats 15-6, 6-2 and 27-12 respectively in the second half.
United have now moved into the top four, having won five of their last six games, while the result extended Victory’s winless run to five matches as their interim coach Arthur Diles continues to search for his first win in charge. Victory could’ve moved to second spot on the ladder, but now they’re at risk of dropping to eighth spot by Tuesday night.
Originally published as Jed Drew stakes Socceroos claim in Macarthur’s win over Newcastle
City won’t relax against poor Roar
Melbourne City won’t take A-League battlers Brisbane Roar lightly at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Socceroo wanted, Bulls star in demand
With the transfer window about to open, a host of A-League clubs are ready to welcome and farewell playing talent.