FOOTBALL
A strong finish and late goal by the Central Coast Mariners to force a 1 – 1 draw against Melbourne Victory has kept the Mariners faint chances of an A-League finals berth alive.
A brief let-up in the Coast relentless rain over recent week allowed a playable surface at Central Coast Stadium for a double-header on Wednesday night (March 9) beginning with the Mariners match.
A strong start for the hosts had all the signs of their recent high pass and possession play, but once more it yielded few shots on goal and a low percentage on target.
By the end of the first third of play, Victory began showing their confidence with the ball, consistently finding inroads to goal.
Multiple saves by Mariners keeper, Mark Birighitti, maintained the status quo until the persistence of Nicholas D’Agostino led the Victory striker into a strong position behind the defense.
A simple pass brought the game’s opener, 0 – 1 to the visitors, a score that remained at half time.
The second half was a difficult struggle for the Mariners, faced with the undesirable prospect of losing touch with the top six in this season’s chase for the finals.
In the 80th minute, the long searched for opportunity for an equaliser came for Marcos Urena from Nisbet’s finely curved cross into point blank range in front of Victory goalkeeper, Ivan Kelava.
The rare chance was squandered by the veteran striker with a wayward header.
But four minutes later, a similar cross from Kye Rowles again found Urena, who this time opted to head the ball to teammates directly in front of goal, first hitting against Jason Cummings’ chest before falling behind Nicolai Muller.
The fresh off the bench German confused the Victory defense with a deft spin to reposition himself above the ball, then a quick first touch strike powered it across goal and deep into the net.
With enlivened hopes, the Mariners searched for the go-ahead goal.
In the end, both teams had to settle for a single point draw, one that has boosted the Mariners up from the bottom of the table into eighth place and two wins outside the top six.
“We made a big mistake in the first half to give the lead away,” Muller said at the close of play.
“Then it’s hard against a really good team to come back and I think a point is okay for us.
“Our goal (was) to get the three points but you have to look at the game, and I think it’s a good strong side (we’re) against and in the end a point is good.”
With the upcoming weekend to be spent resting and training, the Mariners look to their next fixture against Perth Glory, to be played away on Perth Oval, Tuesday, March 15.
Haakon Barry.