Adelaide United managed to come from behind twice to eventually register a 3-2 victory over Central Coast Mariners owing to a hat-trick of penalties from Tomi Juric.
The game was not without controversy, however, as questionable refereeing decisions concerning soft penalties played a part in a game where both sides played out a heated encounter that eventually ended with the Reds taking away all three points on the night.
The game started to come to life after nine minutes when left-back Jack Clisby went down the wing to send a delightful cross to striker Matthew Simon. The veteran attempted a header that had everything but direction and did not trouble goalkeeper James Delianov.
After 14 minutes had passed, Clisby sent a one-touch through ball that saw a defensive howler take place as Alen Stajcic’s men went up 1-0. Defender Jordan Elsey made a schoolboy error by underhitting a back pass that allowed the Mariners’ midfielder Daniel Da Silva to surge past, collect the ball and calmly put it past the ‘keeper.
Five minutes later, the visitors’ skipper Oliver Bozanic fired from distance, but the ball ended up hitting the post. Simon was on hand to awkwardly collect the rebound, but the ageing forward was adjudged to have been offside and the attack amounted to nothing on that occasion.
Through this time Adelaide assistant manager Ross Aloisi was bellowing instructions to the players while his one-up Carl Veart looked unhappy with the proceedings.
A little after the 30 minute mark, the 50-year-old boss had a reason to feel better as the Reds managed to draw level from the spot to make it 1-1. Captain Stefan Mauk went down dramatically in the area as defender Ruon Tongyik indicated that there was nothing in the challenge. But the man in charge had immediately pointed to the spot. Replays showed that the midfielder had been looking for a penalty and that there was barely any contact between the two players, yet VAR controversially decided not to overturn the penalty decision. Juric stepped up to the spot and buried the ball into the back of the net. He celebrated by grabbing Nathan Konstandopoulos’ shirt from the bench and showcase it to the crowd as a sign of support for the injured midfielder, who is sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
A minute before half-time, Central Coast attacker Marco Urena found himself at the end of a ball for an unmarked header, which was badly taken as it caused shot-stopper Delianov no trouble. The Costa Rican broke through again during stoppage time, and yet again the header he produced lacked direction as the ball went wide.
Early on in the second period of play, Clisby nearly produced a moment of magic for the Mariners when he unleased a brilliantly hit left-footed shot from long range that went just over the bar. It would have been an incredible goal had it gone it, but it was not to be.
Cestral Coast took the lead for a second time during the game just past the hour mark. A long throw went to substitute Alou Kuol – who had come on for Urena – and the youngster created something out of nothing to send a thunderbolt of a shot towards the near post. The ball hit the post and escaped into the back of the net to take the scoreline to 2-1 in favour of the travellers.
A few minutes later, Mauk went down while tangled with midfielder Josh Nisbet’s arm in an obvious attempt to influence the referee into awarding a penalty, and the man in charge kindly obliged as he pointed to the spot. The pint sized Mariner looked to be in anguish with the decision, as Juric stepped up again to blast the ball into the top corner to level the scoreline yet again and make it 2-2.
Sensing the wind and the tide flowing in their favour, Adelaide pressed forward and attacked at every opportunity while Stajcic’s men defended in numbers. On one such occasion after 78 minutes, the Mariners put in multiple last ditch challenges in their box that left the home fans wondering how the ball had not ended up in the back of the net. Yet the ball was cleared and fell to Kuol, who was taken down in a dangerous area for a free-kick. But as play stopped, the referee consulted with the fourth official and VAR for a handball decision at the other end.
After much deliberation and watching the replays, defender Kye Rowles was adjudged to have handled the ball, which is likely to generate a lot more discussion and furore concerning handball decisions. Even so, Juric stepped up for a third time and sent goalkeeper Mark Birighitti the wrong way to score a hat-trick and give the Reds the lead for the first time in the match.
As the clock ticked away, even shot-stopped Birighitti was in the opposition box in the final minute of the game as the travellers looked for a leveller. But an equaliser would not come to pass as Veart’s men took away all three points when the referee called time on the game.
As the officials made their way towards the tunnel, Rowles walked up to the referee in what appeared to be a remonstration for the handball decision that led to the winner, and the young defender copped it immediately as he was shown a red card.
Central Coast Mariners still remain at the top of the A-League, but have played more games than any other club so far. They will have a bit of a break as they travel to take on Perth Glory in Western Australia on March 2. Meanwhile, Adelaide United travel to Parramatta where they take on Western Sydney Wanderers next Saturday.
