A brace from Bruce Djite and goals from Dylan McGowan and Pablo Sanchez saw Adelaide United thump Melbourne City 4-1 on Friday night, booking a home Grand Final at Adelaide Oval on May 1st.
A brace from Bruce Djite and goals from Dylan McGowan and Pablo Sanchez saw Adelaide United thump Melbourne City 4-1 on Friday night, booking a home Grand Final at Adelaide Oval on May 1st.
A packed Coopers Stadium on looked two of the competition’s most well-rounded sides in another hotly contested match that both teams were desperate to win.
The moment the first whistle blew, the squads were at each other’s heels, sprinting around frantically in search of possession. And while challenges began to fly left, right, and centre in the opening minutes, United were the side on top, dominating possession and bossing the play from the outset.
But the first 45 was a tale through which the Reds were simply unable to beat City goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, the Dane blocking numerous efforts towards his goal.
The first clear-cut effort on goal came through Bruce Kamau, the young winger finding space to attack a deep Craig Goodwin cross, but Kamau wasn’t able to find a way past Sorensen.
Just a couple minutes later, the Reds had another chance beaten away, this time it was Bruce Djite who was denied after Sergio Cirio played the striker through on goal.
City managed a chance through Fornaroli, which was deflected clear by Dylan McGowan, but from the resulting counterattack United broke through a rampant Marcelo Carrusca. The Argentine stampeded forward, trying his luck from 24 yards out, but his curling effort narrowly missed the far post.
Cirio was wreaking absolute havoc through the City midfield and terrorising their defence for fun, and in the 34th minute, fed Kamau who looked to curl his effort to the back post, but Sorensen again saved with Jack Clsiby clearing it off the line.
The sides went into the rooms at the break with scores level, but when play resumed, A Djite wonder strike broke the deadlock and shatter Melbourne hearts. Djite picked up the ball 30 yards from goal and set himself to unleash a ferocious effort that whipped into the corner of Sorensen’s goal – the ‘keeper completely helpless.
Less than fifteen minutes later the Reds made it 2-0 when Clisby was fooled by the trickery of Kamau, the winger cutting the ball back and sucking Clisby in, the defender committing a blatant foul and gifting the hosts a penalty. Djite stepped up to take the spot-kick and finished emphatically.
The visitors managed to find what proved to be a consolation goal through Nick Fitzgerald, the winger found by Connor Chapman close to the top of the box before finishing into the back post.
With two minutes of regulation time remaining, Dylan McGowan managed to scramble home the Reds’ third after City were unable to clear a United corner. Then, deep into extra time, second-half substitute, Pablo Sanchez, came on and buried Melbourne, securing Adelaide United’s home Grand Final at Adelaide Oval.
Match details:
Friday, 22 April 2016
Hyundai A-League 2016 Semi Final 1
Adelaide United 4 (Djite 47’ 60’ McGowan 88’ Pablo Sanchez 90+4’)
Melbourne City 1 (Fitzgerald 72’)
Venue: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 15,489
