Adelaide United continued their five-day pre-season camp in Melbourne with a behind-closed-doors clash against Aurelio Vidmar’s Melbourne City, playing out a 1-1 draw.
Luka Jovanović opened the scoring in the first half, before City equalised after the break. This fixture marked the first of two hit-outs against A-League opposition, with Melbourne Victory to follow on Friday.
The conditions were true to Melbourne’s reputation – alternating between rain, sunshine, and strong winds – providing a challenging but valuable test for both sides.
Adelaide United lined up with Joshua Smits, Dylan Pierias, Bart Vriends, Panagiotis Kikianis, Ryan Kitto, Jonny Yull, Jay Barnett, Luke Duzel, Craig Goodwin (C), Austin Ayoubi, and Luka Jovanović.
New signing Joshua Smits made his first appearance in goal, immediately displaying his leadership and authority. The Dutch goalkeeper was commanding on set pieces and highly vocal in organising the defensive unit. United matched City’s intensity, throwing bodies on the line and pressing aggressively.
A significant positive for United was the return of Craig Goodwin, who wore the captain’s armband in his first outing since 2023. Having recently overcome foot surgery that sidelined him during pre-season and the Australia Cup, his presence provided a timely boost.
Adelaide opened the scoring in the 25th minute through Luka Jovanović, who latched onto a neat assist from Jonny Yull after Dylan Pierias initiated the move. The goal came against the run of play after City had applied a sustained five-minute spell of pressure, with the Reds showing composure to absorb it before striking clinically.
The match was temporarily halted in the 35th minute after an aerial collision between Ayoubi and Ferrerya, with the latter unable to continue. While the challenge was fair and eyes were firmly on the ball, it heightened tensions across the pitch.
Just before the break, Smits was called into action with a reflex save, spectacularly tipping a powerful effort onto the crossbar and over, ensuring United carried their narrow lead into halftime.
Head Coach Airton Andrioli used the second half to provide valuable minutes to a youthful line-up, making wholesale changes to the squad. The XI included Max Vartuli, Fabian Talladira, Feyzo Kasumovic, Sotiri Phillis, Malual Nichola, Vinko Stanisic, Ryan White, Julian Kwaaitaal, Ben Folami, Harry Crawford, and Amlani Tatu.
Phillis was handed the captain’s armband, leading a side filled with academy prospects. Importantly, Joshua Smits remained on the field to anchor the group, lending his voice and leadership during the second-half huddle and throughout play from the sideline.
A positive moment arrived in the 72nd minute when Bailey O’Neil made his return to senior football, replacing Ryan White. It marked an important milestone in his recovery from a back injury and his reintegration into the first team.
Melbourne City equalised just two minutes later, with Andreas Kuen finishing off a sharp attacking move in the 74th minute.
From there, the contest became more subdued, with both sides struggling to generate clear chances. The closing stages lacked incident, and the match ultimately concluded in a 1-1 draw, rounding out a productive first hit-out for Adelaide United in their Melbourne camp.
Head Coach Airton Andrioli said:
“Yes, we’re very pleased with the game. We haven’t played a match in the last three and a half weeks, so it’s been a long time without that intensity you can’t always replicate in training. The opportunity to face A-League opposition was excellent.”
I was especially pleased with the first half, when our main group was on the pitch. There are plenty of positive signs in the areas we’ve been working on, and it’s good to see some of those things starting to come together. But most importantly, it was about getting this game under our belt,” Andrioli concluded.
Images: Provided by Melbourne City
