Central Coast Mariners men went down 1–0 to Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Saturday, April 5, but not without showing flashes of fight in a frustrating night on the road.
The decisive moment came in the 29th minute, when City capitalised on a well-worked free kick.
Medin Memeti found space in the box and tucked away his fourth of the season, giving the home side the edge.
Before the goal, it was the Mariners who created the better early chances.
Mark Jackson’s side looked sharp in patches but couldn’t find the final touch in front of goal.
After the break, Melbourne controlled much of the ball, but the Mariners held firm.
Defender Mikael Doka came closest to levelling late, bending a dangerous free kick just wide of the far post.
It was a near miss that could have changed the tone of the match.
While the stats will show the Mariners didn’t register a shot on target, the performance had its moments.
The defensive unit stood up under pressure, and keeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen denied a late Melbourne push with a strong save from Kai Trewin.
The result keeps the Mariners in 10th, but the effort and discipline on display offer positives as the side looks to regroup ahead of this weekend’s F3 Derby game against The Jets in Newcastle.
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