Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United have been forced to share the points in a sweaty 1-1 draw at AAMI Park.
Keegan Jelacic opened the scoring for the Victory in the 26th minute after a typically classy set up from the ageless Juan Mata, before Yaya Dukuly belted home a stunning equaliser just eight minutes later.
The result puts Adelaide up to third on the Isuzue UTE A-League table, however Sydney can leapfrog them again on Sunday when they play Wellington Phoenix at home.
It also continues a recent run of good form for the Reds, who have been defeated just once — by league leaders Newcastle United — in their last eight matches.
The draw is also characteristic of Melbourne Victory’s season; despite sitting fifth on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, they are yet to win consecutive games since the turn of the year.
The Victory had the first shot in anger of the night in the eighth minute, with Charles Nduka deftly holding the ball up before laying off to Denis Genreau to crack the ball over the bar from the edge of the area.
Jordi Valadon was the first player to really threaten the goal just before the quarter hour mark, lasering a shot toward the bottom corner that Reds keeper Joshua Smits had to fingertip out for a corner.
Jelacic’s 26th minute goal then lit the touch paper for the game, with Juan Mata’s customarily brilliant ball cutting Panagiotis Kikianis out the play and setting the 23-year-old free.
Jelacic charged into the area, sold some candy to Kikianis who was attempting to recover, and toed his finish underneath the onrushing Smits.
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The goal lifted the intensity of the game up a notch, with Adelaide responding with their first two shots of the game, the second of which brought an equalising goal for Dukuly.
Ryan Kitto’s smart ball played in Jonny Yull, who cracked a first time effort at Victory goalkeeper Jack Warshawsky.
He could only save the ball across to the other side of the area, where Dukuly arrived and thundered the rebound back past the Victory custodian.
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Both teams then traded attempts, with Jelacic first unable to hit the target after breezing past Alagich into the area, and then Mata setting up Nishan Velupillay whose attempt to curl the ball past Smits didn’t have enough power.
Between those efforts Smits had to pull himself out of trouble after gifting the ball to Mata from a goal kick, the Spaniard then set up Nduka but the Dutch keeper was able to scramble enough to snuff out the chance.
It was the Reds who finished the half stronger however, with Warshawski forced into a brilliant reaction save with his feet when Kikianis poked Juan Muniz’s free kick at goal from point blank range in the 43rd minute.
The Victory keeper was in action again just a minute later, palming Alagich’s effort over the bar shortly before the teams went in for half time.
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Luka Jovanovic had the best chance to win the match in the 62nd minute, hitting the post when it would almost would have been easier to score.
The Olyroos striker was played in by a brilliant ball from Ryan White that cut out Victory’s entire defence, and when he pushed the ball past Warshawsky a goal looked certainty for the Reds.
However Jovanovic — who has never scored against the Victory — somehow hit the upright from point blank range.
Melbourne Victory had the better chances from there — even after taking off Nduka, Jelacic and Mata just after the hour mark — with Nikos Vergos and Matt Grimaldi peppering Smits’s goal in the last half hour.
Both teams had chances in stoppage time — White’s thumping effort from distance was straight at Warshawsky, and Reso Piscopo had his effort blocked — but a point apiece was the final tally.
Melbourne Victory have another derby on their horizon next week when they take on Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium in the season’s third Big Blue, while Adelaide host Wellington Phoenix at Coopers Stadium.
ALEX TOBIN MEDAL VOTES:
3. Yaya Dukuly
2. Ryan White
1. Keegan Jelacic
