Marcus Gomes suffered a surprise first E-League loss while Sydney FC were left as the competition’s only unbeaten team following a top-of-the-table clash with Central Coast Mariners.
Marcus Gomes suffered a surprise first E-League loss while Sydney FC were left as the competition’s only unbeaten team following a top-of-the-table clash with Central Coast Mariners.
History was also made in Round 6 as the competition’s first two aggregate draws illustrated the evenness of the gameplay.
Catch up with that and more in our review of Thursday night’s action.
Melbourne Victory 6-6 Perth Glory
- Having looked out of the tie after the first leg, Mouad Zwed delivered a rousing comeback to secure Melbourne Victory’s first point of the season.
PS4: Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed 2-4 Peter ‘saisanas’ Saisanas
Peter Saisanas bounced back from last week’s disappointing defeat to register a classy 4-2 over Zwed on PS4.
A quickfire trio of goals kicked off by Diego Castro midway through the first half saw Saisanas leading it 2-1 at the interval.
Two further strikes improved Perth’s buffer, although Zwed snatched one back late to hint at a fighting chance of aggregate success.
Xbox: Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed 4-2 David ‘HighFly357’ Cook
Victory competitor Zwed produced a stunning reversal on Xbox to earn a share of the aggregate spoils in a 4-2 second-leg win over David Cook.
Zwed, filling in for the unavailable Mitch Austin, incredibly scored three first-half goals on his non-proferred console to take an overall lead.
He would have had all three points in the bag if not for a crucial late recovery from Cook, who was forced to twice equalise on aggregate in what finished as the E-League’s first draw over two legs.
Wellington Phoenix 6-6 Brisbane Roar
- Like London buses, a second draw immediately followed the first as Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar couldn’t be split.
PS4: Christian ‘Fweshest’ Bartolilo 3-3 Dino ‘ol_Mate_’ Flocco
Christian Bartolilo fought back late to deny Dino Flocco in an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Bartolilo had taken an early lead, before the match flipped in a matter of moments as the Wellington player first missed a gilt-edged chance and then conceded an equaliser.
That set the stage for Flocco to take the lead, but Bartolilo fought back to score either side of a Roar third for a share of the spoils.
Xbox: Justin ‘Justmanutd12’ Josevski 2-2 James ‘Cripsy’ Williams
Justin Josevski came back from the dead to salvage a vital 2-2 draw with James Williams on Xbox.
Cripsy was charging toward what appeared certain victory when he opened up a two-goal lead with clinical bottom-corner finishes.
However, a tidy pair of combination moves from Josevski either side of the break extracted a smash-and-grab first competition point for Phoenix.
Adelaide United 6-4 Newcastle Jets
- Adelaide United rose to fourth on the ladder courtesy of Jamie O’Doherty’s decisive Xbox victory.
PS4: Zachary ‘vDreamz-Shooter’ May-Burgess 3-3 Bohdan ‘BLfifa’ Ling
A never-say-die Bohdan Ling refused to be undeterred in holding Zachary May-Burgess to a 3-3 draw.
The pair traded goals early as Ling twice pegged back the Adelaide competitor, who eventually manufactured a third to lead at the break.
Yet, to May-Burgess’ frustration, Ling struck a third equaliser inside the final 10 minutes to keep the tie even heading into the second leg.
Xbox: Jamie ‘FUTWIZ Jamie’ O’Doherty 3-1 Dane ‘Bossierhickory8’ Crow
Jamie O’Doherty scored two late goals to see off the challenge of Dane Crow 3-1 and give Adelaide their third win in six.
Having seen Crow cancel out his spot-kick opener, O’Doherty responded in style to regain his advantage with a well-taken shot on the turn in the 80th minute.
And he added a third in stoppage time to ice what could be a key result in the Reds’ season.
Central Coast Mariners 3-4 Sydney FC
- Sydney FC are the only team to boast a perfect record in the E-League after opening up a three-point lead to second-placed Central Coast Mariners.
PS4: Kiran ‘KyrenFIFA’ Gupta 1-2 Mark ‘xMarkoHD’ Brijeski
Mark Brijeski made a massive statement with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over fellow heavyweight Kiran Gupta.
Billed as one of the most important matches of the season to date, Gupta appeared set to destroy Brijeski’s perfect record by taking an early lead.
Brijeski rose to the challenge though and eventually broke through to square the ledger shortly after half-time.
And the comeback was complete when he headed the winner with 15 minutes to play, leaving Gupta with back-to-back losses.
Xbox: Matthew ‘StrawHat Camels’ Camilleri 2-2 Samer ‘Samer96_’ Elbadar
Matthew Camilleri nabbed a tidy 2-2 draw against Samer Elbadar but it wasn’t enough to deny Sydney FC all three points.
Elbadar only needed to avoid defeat to secure his side an outright victory and he got the job done, twice splitting the Mariners’ defence for his two goals.
The man known as Camels reeled him in on both occasions to continue a promising individual campaign, albeit without an overall result this time around.
Melbourne City 1-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
- A surprise defeat for Marcus Gomes did not stop Melbourne City from registering a fourth win of the campaign.
PS4: Josh ‘joshingwood’ Wood 2-0 Rick ‘RDBOULETTT’ Tran
Josh Wood’s impressive possession game proved too much for the in-form Rick Tran as City took a 2-0 lead in the first leg against Wanderers.
There was to be no repeat of Tran’s big win over Peter Saisanas from last week as Wood scored at either end of the match, the second a flowing passing move to cap off the victory in stoppage time.
Xbox: Marcus ‘SoccerStar00777’ Gomes 0-1 Joseph ‘OhNoAGoat’ Nassar
Joseph Nassar’s undefeated streak accounted for Marcus Gomes in a confidence-boosting 1-0 win for Western Sydney’s star performer.
A tight affair was decided by Nassar’s quick exchange of passes and low driven finish in the 88th minute.
However, Gomes knew a single goal loss would still be enough for City to come away with three points and he held on to preserve Wood’s earlier work.
