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Ahead of a top-of-the-table blockbuster against Auckland on Wednesday night, Adelaide United have proved they’ve got what every other club craves – home advantage.
Just when the A-League Men needed a shot in the arm, Adelaide United’s 3-2 win over their oldest foes Melbourne Victory delivered it in spades.
The Original Rivalry remains one of the highlight fixtures in the league, and it lived up to its reputation once again in front of 14,131 fans who produced a ferocious atmosphere at a sold-out Coopers Stadium.
It didn’t get off to the best of starts for the Reds as the seemingly ageless Bruno Fornaroli found Ryan Teague with a superb through ball, which the one-time Sydney FC man duly slammed past Adelaide’s stand-in keeper, Ethan Cox.
And the complexion of the game might have looked very different had Cox not managed to repel a skidding low drive from Daniel Arzani soon after.
Instead, it was Stefan Mauk who drew the Reds level when he lashed home a superb ball over the top from Panagiotis Kikianis.
The 19-year-old defender signed an unprecedented five-year contract with the Reds over the off-season, and you can see why he’s so highly rated given not just his defensive capabilities, but also his passing range and vision.
I’m not sure the same could be said about Roderick Miranda.
The visiting captain often seems to be at the heart of Victory’s defensive woes, and when he failed to cut out a curling Dylan Pierias cross with a sliding challenge, his defensive partner Brendan Hamill only succeeded in smashing his attempted clearance straight into the Brazilian – with the ricochet cannoning into the back of the net.
It was a cruel blow for a Victory side that went toe to toe with the Reds throughout the first half – roared on by a massive contingent of travelling Victory fans behind the goal.
And those who made the trip to the City of Churches were rewarded when another Brazilian in Clarismario Santos headed home a pinpoint Daniel Arzani cross midway through the second half.
Yet these Reds are made of stern stuff, and barely two minutes later substitute Yaya Dukuly cut the ball back from the byline for Ethan Alagich to sidefoot home – despite the best efforts of Kasey Bos on the goal line.
Alagich’s father Richie is a legend of South Australian football, having played more than a hundred games for West Adelaide in the old National Soccer League before becoming a key player for the earliest incarnation of Adelaide United.
And with the Reds having moved to the top of the table, they’ll want to stay there when they welcome second-placed Auckland FC to Coopers Stadium on Wednesday night.
The latter eased to a 3-0 win over a tired Melbourne City at Mount Smart Stadium, thanks to a first-half goal blitz kicked off by Uruguayan import Guillermo May’s goal of the season contender.
The bigger story was in Sydney, where Ruben Zadkovich’s under-fire Brisbane Roar pulled off the upset of the round by securing their first win of the season with a 4-3 victory over a stunned Sydney FC.
The visitors were cruising when they raced into a deserved 4-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining, but a couple of late goals from substitutes Tiago Quintal and Jordan Courtney-Perkins had the Roar faithful nervously eyeing the clock.
In truth, Zadkovich’s team were much the better outfit and it’s hard not to wonder why they haven’t played like that more often this season.
However, Ufuk Talay’s team are making a habit of following statement wins with dismal defeats – and they’re irritating their fans off the pitch as well.
Where once The Cove welcomed the Sky Blues onto the field with their familiar rendition of ‘We Are Sydney,’ these days the club drowns out the efforts of home fans by blasting Phil Collins ‘In The Air Tonight’ as the players walk out.
Barely 10,500 fans turned up on Saturday.
If the administrators who run Sydney FC can’t figure out what football fans want some 20 seasons into the A-League, they should pick up the phone and ask Adelaide United.