Round 26 was a great round of football that had 27 goals and at least four goals in five of the six games.
Macarthur FC were the team with a bye.
Let’s take a look at who made a difference for each team.
German Ferreyra put in a good shift; the Argentine import played a long ball to Marco Tilio, which led to Tilio scoring the equaliser, making the score 1-1.
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The winning goal of the game was scored by Ferreyra, heading the ball into the back of the net from a well-taken corner by Yonatan Cohen.
The assist and goal were his first for the season.
Keegan Jelacic was a standout for the Roar; he provided a good assist for Asumah Abubakar with a through ball that led to a run from Abubakar, which resulted in him breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute.
The 22-year-old scored an equaliser that made the score 2-2, shooting the ball from outside the box which deflected off the back of a City defender.
Paulo Retre gave the Phoenix some hope; the substitute made the deficit one goal with a cracking strike from distance. The goal seemed to give his team the impetus to gain the ascendancy and nearly claim a point, but it wasn’t to be.
Nishan Velupillay broke the deadlock in the fourth minute with a clinical finish, from a pass played to him by Daniel Arzani.
The second goal scored by Victory was brought about by a pinpoint corner from Velupillay in first-half stoppage time that Zinedine Machach headed into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.
Adrian Segecic produced two moments of brilliance with both of his goals from distance. The sky is the limit for the 20-year-old who knows how to score goals and have a positive impact on the game whenever he receives the ball from shooting range.
Segecic is a player full of confidence: “It was good to get another two goals. It’s my left foot, it’s a sledgehammer.”
Francis De Vries prevented a goal being scored from Joe Lolley in the 67th minute. De Vries scored a goal just one minute later that meant Auckland FC left with a point.
Along with that, he played 14 passes into the final third and won nine duels.
Clayton Taylor put in one hell of a shift in the Jets’ annihilation of the Mariners; the former Sydney FC NPL player provided two assists and scored a goal.
The first goal came from Taylor heading the ball to Aleksandar Susnjar who then headed the ball into the back of the net.
The second involvement from the 20-year-old came from a cross by him that led to Trent Sainsbury scoring an own goal, which gave the Jets a 2-0 lead going into half time.
The third goal scored by the Jets came from a good cross by Taylor, which was volleyed into the back of the net by Daniel Wilmering, who is another prospect to keep an eye out for. Following that, Taylor made it 4-0 with an exquisite finish and the result was assured by then, in a big part thanks to Taylor.
The former Sydney FC NPL player made some interesting comments post-match: “We’ve still got plenty to fight for. It’s very disappointing to lose Robbie.”
No one was a standout for the Mariners. Paramount plus sideline commentator Tristan MacManus asked Mariners coach Mark Jackson a good question: “Can you take any positives out of that game?” Jackson replied: “No.”
Jaylan Pearman was exceptional for the Glory; the youngster has brought a spark to the squad since being introduced into the A-League first team. The young Socceroo scored a brace with two cracking goals and he also provided an assist. The youngster has a good all-round game and is a clinical finisher.
Glory coach David Zdrilic made it clear that Pearman leaving the club will be a loss: “It’s a shame that we’re losing him.”
Ben Folami was presented with a gift; Josh Risdon passed the ball straight to Folami which he profited from, scoring a goal in the 24th minute. Along with that, Folami put the ball on a plate for Stefan Mauk in the 52nd minute, who shot over the bar. The former Victory player created three chances.
Alex Gersbach was involved in both of the goals scored in the game; the first goal came from Brandon Borrello keeping the ball in play and providing the assist for a clinical finish from Gersbach.
The left-back took a corner that led to Western United goalkeeper Matthew Sutton scoring a dreaded own goal.
Gersbach’s comments were insightful: “It’s really starting to click at the moment. Fighting for our lives.”
Angus Thurgate put in a good display; the midfielder created the most chances of any player in the match with three and was the most fouled player.
The delivery from set pieces was a feature of his game with a good corner that was headed over the bar by Hiroshi Ibusuki in the 34th minute. Thurgate was dangerous from free kicks, crossing the ball to Ibusuki that led to the Wanderers clearing an effort from off the line in the 73rd minute.
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