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Victory still out of battling Reds' reach
Posted October 24,2009 20:43:00
Grinding it out...Hughes scored Adelaide's lone goal,but the contest was closer than the scoreline.(Getty Images:Lucas Dawson)
Map:Melbourne 3000
A gutsy second half effort by Adelaide United gave Melbourne a fright but the reigning A-League premiers escaped with a 3-1 victory at Docklands on Saturday evening.
An 88th-minute goal to Adrian Leijer,completely untroubled by the visitors' defence,was enough to seal United's fate for good after youngster Mate Dugandzic scored the opening two goals.
The three points sent Melbourne temporarily to the top of the A-League,and it will stay there if Gold Coast and Sydney lose this weekend.
Adelaide is left hovering in the middle of the competition table after 12 rounds.
The grand final rematch was the eighth time in a row the Reds have lost against Melbourne,but they often looked every bit as good as their opponents.
Coach Aurelio Vidmar said earlier in the week that the team had been working on self-belief and it certainly showed after the break,when the visitors came out with renewed vigour and kept the Victory on a tight leash.
But a strike by Adam Hughes in the 63th minute could only lessen the blow for United.
He turned a sweet header from Lloyd Owusu around the corner and into the back of the net past Glen Moss,who had a busy night in the box as Adelaide attacked with fervour.
Dugandzic banged in two goals,one on either side of the break,to send the Reds a message that they would have to battle for a win in front of a rabid Melbourne crowd.
He opened the scoring in the 17th minute off the back of an assist from Thai international Sutee Suksomkit,who started for the Victory in his first A-League match.
Sutee seemed to have plenty of confidence on the field and was given ample opportunity on the attack as he shared the midfield with Dugandzic.
Dugandzic extended Melbourne's lead when he finished from a tidy Carlos Hernandez setup after Matthew Kemp threaded a long ball through the ambling Adelaide defence.
The 20-year-old's second goal was almost a nod to the referees,who dealt him a yellow card just minutes earlier for talking back.
2
Lockyer salivating at Marshall challenge
Posted October 24,2009 19:46:00
Opposing numbers and skippers are set to go head-to-head.(Getty Images:Cameron Spencer)
The one-on-one battle between Benji Marshall and Darren Lockyer is the one that could decide the war,and it has the Kangaroos' skipper salivating ahead of his side's opening Four Nations clash against New Zealand on Sunday morning (AEDT).
While each will need a little help from team-mates,particularly the forwards,whoever comes out on top in this man-on-man match-up at The Stoop in London will put their side within sight of a Four Nations final berth.
"It's not regular that your opposite number is also the opposition captain,but that's a little challenge out there on the field," Lockyer said.
"As I start to think more about the game between now and kick-off,they're are one of the little battles that will get the blood flowing."
Marshall,too,is eagerly awaiting the showdown.
"I love challenging myself ...to get the opportunity to play against the world's best five-eighth in a Test match is something special," he said.
While both will be doing their best to unlock the other side's defence,there is little doubt they will also be called upon to do plenty of tackling.
And it will not be just any tackling - it is stopping Goliaths like Kiwi backrower Frank Pritchard and rampaging Kangaroos lock Anthony Watmough.
Australian backrower Trent Waterhouse has been handed the job of protecting Lockyer,with his main aim keeping Penrith team-mate Pritchard quiet.
"The challenge is there for Trent to come out on top of his team-mate,and I'm sure Pritchard's thinking the same thing," Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens said.
"If anyone knows [Pritchard],Trent knows him.
"It's going to be a good challenge on that side.I said to Trent that if Pritchard gets to Lockyer,then Trent's had a bad game."
The match kicks off at 6:00am AEDT Sunday morning.
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