On the restart of the horrific scenes from December 17, 2022, Melbourne City looked to try to finish the job they had started. Prior to a violent pitch invasion, Melbourne City midfielder Aiden O’Neill had put his side ahead 1-0.
It had been a calamity of issues throughout the week for Melbourne City head coach Rado Vidosic, who only found out that his captain Scott Jamieson, was allowed to participate in the fixture after confusion due to his red card he received against Newcastle Jets on the Sunday prior.
Preparing for a 60-minute football game is something that is practically unheard of for a professional football coach and Vidosic was glad that he hopefully can put it behind him.
“It was absolutely the most bizarre [game he has been involved in]. We just couldn’t believe it. But I think after the game against the Jets, we started really thinking hard. We really don’t need this. I’m glad it’s over. So we’ll put this to bed,” Vidosic said.
On the other side of Melbourne, Tony Popovic had issues of his own having to make multiple changes from the lineup that started the derby prior to the pitch invasion.
Popovic was without his star midfielder Jake Brimmer, who suffered a torn meniscus against Adelaide United in February. He was also without striker Nick D’agostino, who was sold to Viking FK in the Norwegian first-division during the January transfer window.
And the fresh faces brought into the lineup were not enough to conquer the uphill battle they faced. Despite the result, Popovic was proud of how his team went out and tried to get something from the match.
“We needed to score first and or keep them at zero on the night. We made a mistake with a pass and they punished us, that’s what they do very well,” Popovic said.
“I’m pleased with the effort, I’m pleased with the commitment, the desire, the chances created. We played a good football match against a very good team. But it’s a shame that overall, we took nothing from the game, I thought we deserved something from this.”
O’Neill was the one to put the dagger through Victory’s chances of getting a result after an intelligent piece of defensive pressure, which saw him win the ball high up the pitch, which he then capped off with a thunderous strike to beat Paul Izzo between the sticks. That goal gave O’Neill his brace 110 days after scoring his first goal of the match.
Nishan Velupillay was able to get a conciliation goal in the 90th minute, but ultimately it was too little too late for Melbourne Victory.
It has been a season to forget for Melbourne Victory, especially when many pundits have picked them to go far in the competition. But the Melbourne Victory camp still believe that they can turn the season around and are hopeful they can sneak into the finals.
“We made some inroads last year after coming off the back of a couple of poor seasons. But this year, it’s been tough, we’re still fighting through this year and we still believe that we can still make this a good season,” Popovic said.
“So at the moment, the focus is clearly just on what’s at hand and the next game in front of us. Then of course at the end of the season we need to review everything and assess the whole season and make sure that next year can be a great year for the club.”
With Adelaide United breathing down Melbourne City’s neck, Vidosic and company will be thankful that they have won one of their two games in hand. Melbourne City midfielder Valon Berisha speaking to Channel 10 reporters after the game said that the players feel confident that they can wrap up the premiership.
“We know who is the best team on the pitch. When we do what we have to do, and we stick to the plan, we are the better team every game,” Berisha said.
Melbourne City will now be looking ahead to their next match against Wellington Phoenix.
Feature Image Credit: Melbourne City FC
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