FOOTBALL
The Central Coast Mariners are growing more confident of reaching the A-League finals after defeating Adelaide United 3 – 0 at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday evening, March 26.
One month after losing to Adelaide away with a goal conceded in the game’s dying minutes, the blue and yellow have now completed an undefeated run through March with three wins and two draws.
Against Adelaide, early pressure from the hosts led to an early red card for the visitors’ goalkeeper, Joe Gauci.
In the 25th minute, Mariners keeper, Mark Birighitti launched the ball forward for Marcos Urena who was able to slip behind centre back, Lachlan Barr, and head the ball lightly around the advancing Gauci.
The Adelaide goalkeeper was left stranded outside the penalty area in his attempt to cut down Urena’s space and resorted to blocking the striker with his body.
Referee, Alireza Faghani’s initial yellow card was upgraded to red on the end of a VAR check, cleaving the visitors with 10 men and ompelling the substitution by reserve keeper, Steven Hall, to replace right wing, Lachlan Brook.
With a player advantage and two thirds of the match left to play, the Mariners were patient in building up pressure but despite some fierce counterattacking play by the locals, Adelaide managed to keep the Mariners at bay until late in the second half.
The breakthrough goal came in the 77th minute for Urena on the end of tactical passing play that finally exposed the holes in Adelaide’s defence.
Josh Nisbet worked his quick feet in the midfield to outmanoeuvre Joshua Cavallo and pass ahead of Lewis Miller running forward down the flank.
Miller’s first-touch, shin-height cross reached Urena in the centre, who put power and precision on the ball with his first touch volley to hurl it across goal into the corner of the net, well out of Hall’s reach.
After a stoic defensive effort by Adelaide, the visitors were then forced to go searching up-field for a goal, leaving them exposed behind.
The Mariners were able to exploit this in the first minute of extra time when Urena added an assist to his name by feeding Jason Cummings a gift in between the Adelaide centre defence.
One-on-one against Hall, Cummings’ first time strike was a simple finish to end the Scottish-Australian’s seven game goal drought.
Only two minutes later, an over-struck Adelaide corner opened up the counter attack down the flank with Matt Hatch leading the charge onto a lob from Urena in his second assist of the match.
The Woy Woy local had all the time he needed to press forward on goal, even to consider a pass to Cummings on the far side of the net, but instead made good with a nutmeg beneath the legs of Hall for his second A-League goal in as many games.
The Mariners win has lifted the team to 8th place on the ladder, with games in hand on a number of the teams above, many of which they will play over the next month.
Next up is Western United on Saturday, April 2, at Mars Stadium in Ballarat, Victoria – Western United are currently enjoying fine form and comfortable second place sitting on the table.
Haakon Barry