Round 27 was an entertaining round of football that had 23 goals and at least four goals scored in four of the six games.
Perth Glory were the team with a bye.
Let’s take a look at who made the difference for each team.
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Brisbane Roar
Jacob Brazete vindicated the decision to bring him into the starting 11 by Ruben Zadkovich, within two minutes, providing the assist for a goal scored by Sam Klein. The energy the 19-year-old brought to the team was infectious. Brazete created the most chances of any player in the match, with four.
Western United
Dylan Leonard is a player with a bright future and can hold his head up high; the 17-year-old won seven duels and never shirked a contest. In the 17th minute Florin Berenguer looked like he could score, but the youngster made a great intervention winning the ball.
In the 88th minute the central defender nearly helped his team salvage a point, as he provided a great cross, which Hiroshi Ibusuki failed to score from.
Adelaide United
Ethan Alagich received the ball from Yaya Dukuly and provided a pinpoint cross that Stefan Mauk headed into the back of the net, which made the score 2-0 to the Reds after 12 minutes.
In the 20th minute Alagich put the ball on a plate for Mauk, who wasted the opportunity as he hit the post.
The 21-year-old had the most tackles of any player in the match, with five and won the most duels, with 12.
Wellington Phoenix
Kosta Barbarouses brought the Phoenix back into the game with a clinical finish in the 31st minute, with the assist provided by Japanese import Hideki Ishige; prior to that goal they were lifeless. The experienced campaigner was in the thick of the action, wining six duels.
The striker gave an interesting insight: “I would’ve liked us to be more proactive going into the last 20, 25 minutes. It’s not good enough. I want to keep going with the World Cup coming up.”
Wellington’s Kosta Barbarouses. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Melbourne Victory
Joshua Rawlins put in a good shift; the 20-year-old had the most tackles of any player in the match, with five.
The right-back made six clearances, three headed clearances, won eight duels and had 13 passes into the final third. Rawlins was substituted off in the 81st minute and Auckland FC scored their second goal of the game in the 89th minute.
Auckland FC
Louis Verstraete was involved in both goals scored in the game; the 25-year-old scored in the 53rd minute, with Francis De Vries providing the assist. Verstraete claimed an assist with a good cut back for Guillermo May in the 89th minute.
The midfielder won the most duels of any player in the match, with 14 and summed up where Auckland FC are at: “Everyone is really fit in our team and we just need to keep going.”
Western Sydney Wanderers
Nicolas Milanovic left everything out on the field; the 24-year-old broke the deadlock in the ninth minute, with Gabriel Cleur providing an assist. The second goal was an own goal from City defender Kai Trewin, which was due to a good run by Milanovic, which caused chaos and ultimately the ball ended up in the back of the net.
The Wanderers winger made interesting points: “The culture is so tight. We’ll go back to training and look forward to next week. I have got a bit of a free role.”
Alen Stajcic commented on Milanovic: “He’s definitely a key reason why we’ve had the run we’ve had.”
Melbourne City
Kai Trewin scored a brace; the centre-back made the deficit for City one goal, with a headed goal that came from a Marco Tilio corner, that was well delivered. Trewin made it 2-2 from the penalty spot in the 86th minute.
Sydney FC
Douglas Costa got the Sky Blues back into the game with a stunning strike from distance, which made the deficit one goal; it was pivotal as the Sky Blues weren’t at the races until Costa scored in the 36th minute.
Costa created the most chances of any player in the match, with six.
The comments made by him were insightful: “Work hard and try to win every game.”
Newcastle Jets
Callum Timmins was a standout for the Jets; the 25-year-old provided the assist for Lachlan Rose who broke the deadlock in the 18th minute.
The midfielder had the most tackles in the match, with five, was fouled on four occasions and won ten duels. He’s a player with a bright future based on his performance in Round 27.
Central Coast Mariners
Trent Sainsbury proved that a week is a long time in football; the Socceroo was all at sea in Round 26 in the Mariners’ six-goal loss and was arguably their best player in Round 27.
In the 25th minute Sainsbury stopped Marin Jakolis scoring a goal with a good intervention.
The Mariners captain broke the deadlock with a good header from a Mikael Doka free kick in the 15th minute. Sainsbury provided an assist for the second goal scored by the Mariners through youngster Arthur De Lima in the 29th minute.
Macarthur FC
Marin Jakolis provided two assists and was involved in the majority of the Bulls attacking forays and created five chances.
The Croatian import provided a great cross from a corner, resulting in the centre-back Kevin Boli heading the ball into the back of the net, which made it 1-1 in the 22nd minute.
The second goal for the Bulls was due to Jakolis providing a pinpoint cross that led to a headed goal from Bulls substitute Harrison Sawyer.
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