The Red & Black had to recover from an early setback and did so right on half-time, with Nicolas Milanović levelling from a Dylan Scicluna assist to send the visitors in at 1-1. However, Andrew Nabbout restored the hosts’ lead just after the hour mark, and although City were reduced to ten men soon after, the Wanderers pressed hard for an equaliser without finding a way through against a side that held on.
- Final score: Melbourne City FC 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers FC at AAMI Park
- Milanović equalised on 45 minutes, finishing off a Scicluna assist
- The Wanderers had 68.6% possession and 29 shots, with City reduced to ten men after Awer Mabil’s red card
- James Nieuwenhuizen made eight saves for City as the Red & Black kept pushing late on
First half
It was a difficult start for the Red & Black at AAMI Park, with Melbourne City striking in the 4th minute. Matheus Rossetto let fly from outside the box and found the high centre of the goal to put the hosts 1-0 up.
Lawrence Thomas was called upon to deny Awer Mabil from distance soon after, but the Wanderers settled quickly and began to take control of the ball. Angus Thurgate had a shot saved by James Nieuwenhuizen in the 11th minute from Jarrod Carluccio’s pass, and Panashe Madanha and Liam Gillion both saw efforts blocked as the visitors pressed.
The Red & Black kept building through the middle part of the half. Milanović tested Nieuwenhuizen from distance in the 22nd minute, Brandon Borrello headed into a block from a Thurgate cross, and Miguel Di Pizio and Dylan Scicluna both tried their luck from range around the half-hour mark.
City threatened only occasionally, with Thomas saving a close-range header from Andrew Nabbout in the 32nd minute. The Wanderers soon returned to the front foot, with Borrello and Madanha both denied by blocks as the pressure built before the break.
The reward arrived right on the stroke of half-time. Scicluna picked out Milanović, who curled a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner to make it 1-1 in the 45th minute, and the Red & Black went into the break level and full of momentum.
Second half
The Wanderers came out after the restart with intent, Di Pizio firing wide from the left side of the box after a fast break and Scicluna testing Nieuwenhuizen from distance in the 48th minute. Di Pizio and City’s Aziz Behich were both cautioned in the 49th minute as the contest quickly picked up in intensity.
Di Pizio then forced another save from Nieuwenhuizen, and Milanović curled a direct free kick narrowly to the right of the target as the Red & Black kept pressing. Melbourne City made their first change in the 56th minute, with Mathew Leckie replacing Rossetto.
However, the hosts struck in the 62nd minute when Nabbout finished from very close range into the bottom left corner, set up by Julio Cascante, to restore City’s lead at 2-1. Three minutes later Mabil was shown a red card for violent conduct, and City were down to ten men for the rest of the night.
The Wanderers responded by throwing numbers forward. Nieuwenhuizen kept out a Borrello header and a Milanović effort from inside the box in quick succession, Atiya Waraga came on for Scicluna in the 73rd minute to add fresh attacking energy, and Gillion, Milanović and Waraga all had shots blocked as the pressure mounted.
Ufuk Talay sent on Aydan Hammond and Hiroshi Ibusuki for Di Pizio and Gillion in the 83rd minute, and Hammond saw an effort saved from close range moments later before Leckie was booked for a foul. City picked up a further booking for Cascante deep into stoppage time, and although Borrello and Carluccio both threatened in the closing moments, Nieuwenhuizen and the City defence held firm and the Wanderers were unable to find the equaliser before the final whistle.
Full time
The numbers tell the story of a performance that deserved more than a 2-1 defeat at AAMI Park. The Wanderers finished with 68.6 per cent of possession and fired 29 shots to Melbourne City’s nine – the Red & Black’s highest tally in a single Ninja A-League match since the start of last season – with nine on target, while winning the corner count 12 to three and completing 529 accurate passes to the hosts’ 188. However, City were clinical with the few chances they created, and Nieuwenhuizen’s eight saves kept the visitors at bay even as the Wanderers pressed against ten men through the closing stages.
Still, there is plenty for the Wanderers to take from the contest. Milanović’s response on the stroke of half-time, on the night of his 100th appearance in the competition, showed the side’s character after an early setback, and Scicluna’s assist was his third of the season, more than any other Wanderers player. The head-to-head record remains finely balanced, with City having won 14 and the Wanderers 13 of the 37 previous meetings, with 10 draws. If the Red & Black can carry this level of control under Ufuk Talay into the coming weeks and find a little more finality in front of goal, the results will follow.
