Adelaide United have fallen to Melbourne Victory in the Australia Cup Semi-Final on Saturday night, thanks to a 89th winner from Jordi Valadon
Full match report from Tim Gibson/Football Australia below.
Jordi Valadon scored his maiden senior goal in the 89th minute to win the game for Victory in a game where both teams struck the woodwork, and both keepers were called into action and displaying quick reflexes.
The visitors created a chance within four minutes as Dylan Perias entered the right of the box and fired just over the carossbar.
Victory had a flurry of chances around the half-hour mark as they pushed for the lead.
First Adama Traore got off a good shot when he hit a left-footed effort that James Delianovwas forced to parry away.
Moments later, Jason Geria rose highest from a right-sided free-kick that Delianov did well to tip it over the bar.
From the resulting corner, Geria got his head to the ball again, this time heading onto the left post before Brendan Hamill clipped the crossbar on the follow-up.
Adelaide responded to this pressure, with Jack Duncan making a couple of sharp saves over the next 10 minutes.
In the 33rd minute, Stefan Mauk side-footed a first-time shot from inside the box that Duncan palmed away even though he was headed in the opposite direction.
Despite opportunities falling both ways in the first half, the teams went into the sheds level.
The battle for control continued well into the second half, and it was Adelaide’s turn to strike the woodwork in the 74th minute.
Yaya Dukuly, with one of his first contributions to the match off the bench, mazed his way inside from the left and arrowed the ball onto the base of the left post.
Victory soaked up the Reds pressure, and with a minute of regular time to play, the home side grabbed the lead.
Nishan Velupillay did well to control the ball in the right of the box and danced inwards, poking the ball towards the edge of the box for Reno Piscopo.
Piscopo flicked the ball behind for Valadon, who steered it first-time from outside the area into the left of the goal for his first senior strike.
From there all Victory had to do was see out stoppage time to become the first team into the Australia Cup Final 2024.
This will be Melbourne Victory’s third Australia Cup Final and first since they won the competition in 2021 (the Final was held in February 2022).
They await the winner of South Melbourne and Macarthur FC, who go head to head at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday night.
