Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners – Saturday, 14 December 2013
This season we will be looking ahead to the Reds’ Hyundai A-League matches by rolling back the clock and revisiting some of the club’s most memorable clashes against our upcoming opponents.
With Adelaide United set to travel to Central Coast Stadium for a clash with Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, we’re looking at an emphatic home win for the Reds from Round 10 of the 2013/14 season against this week’s opponents from the east.
The Reds were without a win in eight matches, their last coming from the first round of the season – a 3-1 win against Perth Glory at Coopers Stadium.
In desperate need of the points and a confidence boosting result, United were up against tough opposition, as the Mariners had already beaten Adelaide 1-0 in Round 3 and goalkeeper for the match, Liam Reddy, had not conceded in four hours of play.
Seven minutes in and it seemed like the visitors were set to open the scoring through Daniel McBreen, but the Mariners striker blazed his shot over an empty net. But Josep Gombau’s inaugural season as United manager was destined for a change in fortune and after 25 minutes the Reds had taken the lead through Bruce Djite.
Djite was able to finish from within the six-yard box after some determined work by Spaniard, Sergio Cirio, whose deflected cross found its way into the path of Djite.
From here the game opened up for Adelaide, and they began to exert their dominance with smart, dynamic football.
In the 40th minute, it was 2-0, but this time it was Fabio Ferreira with the goal, but Cirio again with the assist. Cirio picked up the ball on the left flank and, as space had opened up through the middle of the park, he cut across the pitch towards goal. Drawing one defender and confusing another, he slotted the ball through for Ferreira who composed himself and finished through Reddy’s legs.
Following half-time, the goals kept coming. After two assists, Cirio finally made his way onto the score sheet through sheer tenacity and ingenuity in the 54th minute. Chasing a seemingly lost cause, Cirio went after a Eugene Galekovic bomb down-field and robbed Reddy of the ball on the edge of the pitch, then calmly knocked the ball home into a vacant goal.
With the match all but wrapped up, United saw out the remainder of the match comfortably. However Jeronimo would have the final say, as he capped off a brilliant team performance by the Reds with an expertly taken chance and score the team’s fourth on the night.
Adelaide would remain unbeaten in their next six A-League matches and end the season in sixth position. The Mariners ended up finishing the season in third place and beat United in the first elimination round of the finals 1-0, but eventually succumbed to elimination the following round, losing 2-0 to runners-up Western Sydney Wanderers.
Match Details
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Hyundai A-League 2013/14 Season – Round 10
Adelaide United FC 4 (Djite 25’, Ferreira 40’, Cirio 54’, Jeronimo 90’)
Central Coast Mariners 0
Venue: Coopers Stadium
Crowd: 7,785
Adelaide United take on Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, 23 November 2014, at Central Coast Stadium in Round 7 of the Hyundai A-League 2014/15 season. Kick-off is at 4.30pm ACDT.
