Summary
You cannot fault some of these Wanderers players who have sweated figurative (and possibly literal) blood tonight. Western Sydney for large portions of this encounter dominated proceedings – they controlled the midfield, they created the lion’s share of chances, but will emerge, once again, empty-handed.
It will prompt questions for Tony Popovic: does he need, as mooted, to chase a big-name No9 who can finish some of these opportunities? Does he need, as mooted, to go out and grab a new goalkeeper who won’t hamstring his side?
And for fans, can they begin to start grumbling about the one-dimensionality of this side, who despite the work-ethic of Boxer, can point to just two measly wins this season?
Victory fans will see justice in the fact that last week they absolutely put Perth Glory to the sword, only to walk away with one point. Well they got all three this week, and at one stage you’d say it looked like a classic smash-and-grab.
It puts Melbourne in a great position ahead of their forthcoming derby with rivals City; but for Wanderers, they sit a lowly sixth; and face the seemingly unthinkable prospect of being leap-frogged by Wellington Phoenix, should the Nix win their game-in-hand against the Victory.
No positives except for aspects of the performance for Popovic, therefore. Thanks for your company tonight – they are never dull encounters when Wanderers and Victory meet!
Fulltime: Western Sydney Wanderers 0-3 Melbourne Victory
90 +3 min: “They think it’s all over; it is now.”
Well, well, well. Chris Beath calls time, and a collective sigh the size of Alderaan rolls around ANZ Stadium and the Wanderers fans. Shattered would be an understatement.
90 min: Troisi tries to scamper through but Aspro recovers. Martinez still with ready running as he looks to Clisby, before Sotirio overhits his cross.
That will probably be it, as Victory are in no hurry to restart this goalkick.
89 min: Martinez hasn’t stopped working either, as he whips in a lovely cross but it’s just too long for Lachlan Scott.
Muscat runs down the clock substituting Besart Berisha, who wanders off with a cat-that-got-the-cream look, and who can blame him.
87 min: Nichols continues to work hard, recovering well deep within his own half, before powering up-field to be on the end of another flowing sequence; but he’s blocked by Geria.
Scenes of incredibly dejected Wanderers fans slumping into their seats. Who can blame them – for the second time inside a month they’re on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against the Melbourne Victory.
85 min: Lovely slow-motion close up of Kevin Muscat celebrating that third goal, as Besart Berisha chalks up his 89th A-League goal - and moves past Shane Smeltz, just one shy of Archie Thompson’s all-time record.
Goal! Western Sydney Wanderer 0-3 Melbourne Victory (Berisha)
82 min: Oh, you cruel mistress, football!
Less than 90 seconds after Western Sydney squander their latest opportunity, it flies up the other end, and as Berisha hares one-on-one down with Redmayne there is only ever going to be one outcome.
An almost disrespectful finish, clipped with the outside of the foot to curl and dink away from the hapless custodian: 3-nil – can you believe that!
Updated
80 min: Bacchus clatters into the back of FBK. Not that Wanderers supports saw it, they’re performing their mandatory Poznan.
They scramble to turn back as Nichols somehow inexplicably manages to not score!
A great counter from Wanderers, Scott finds Clisby, his shot across the body of Thomas is parried, but only as far as Nichols – but the midfielder just can’t bundle it home!
78 min: Don’t be surprised if that features in Tony Popovic’s post-game comments. There was a definite movement of the knee after the ball was cleared, but in Ingham’s defence Aspro had his arms all around the forward and was preventing him from getting away. The young defender taking exception to Ingham’s attempts to step over him, and possibly grazing him in the process.
75 min: This is nasty. We have a real flashpoint and the home fans are baying for a red card. Aspro puts in a great last-ditch challenge on Ingham but with the ball still on the ground the two tangle, and it looks at first glance like the forward raises his knee to strike the prone defender in the face.
Replays suggest there’s a bit going both ways, and the ever-mildly mannered Chris Beath awards just a yellow for the Victory forward.
72 min: It’s a scorching shot from Ingham, and Redmayne just gets a fingertip to divert that wide!
Well, their tails are up now, Victory – and Western Sydney have to make sure they don’t cop another.
Sotirio comes on for Jumpei, that’s the last of Popovic’s substitutes.
70 min: A relative hush around the ground now, and who would blame these loyal, loud fans, who let’s face it – are receiving a real kick in the teeth here.
And that mooted substitution, Scott for Santalab has taken place.
68 min: It’s a set piece for the Victory, and Berisha is half-a-sniff for his hattrick here. Troisi picks him out in a training ground special, but the Albanian shins his shot, before Valeri almost catches out Redmayne with a well-struck drive from about 30m out.
Neville goes in the book for a foul of Geria, and suddenly Berisha is everywhere on this pitch, offering choice words and endearing smiles.
Goal! Western Sydney Wanderers 0-2 Melbourne Victory (Berisha)
66 min: Deary, deary me. Who would be a football coach?
Jai Ingham, only newly on the pitch, delivers an absolutely belting cross to find Berisha on the six yard box – and there’s nothing Redmayne could do about that – that was a bullet-header!
Wanderers copping a sucker punch; is that the first time Victory have been in their half, this half?
65 min: Now it’s Jumpei who spins his marker – he picks out Santalab centrally, but the striker can’t find a meaningful touch to beat Thomas.
It’s a familiar feeling for Wanderers fans perhaps – they’re very clearly on top in this match, but they just can’t find a knockout punch.
62 min: Lovely stuff again from Martinez who makes a muppet of Broxham with some super quick feet. It’s a freekick from out wide, and the whipped ball finds Aspro, but the young centre half can’t make meaningful contact.
Martinez fires in a belting shot, and Geria heads clear. Surely he’s feeling a bit shaky after that; it came at him like a rocket!
60 min: Victory to make their own first replacement, and it’s the German Beister who makes way for Jai Ingham.
He’s certainly had his impact on this game, Beister – his excellent driven shot being effectively the assist for Berisha’s goal; that’s assuming the statisticians don’t award it to Redmayne.
Updated
58 min: Wanderers still dictating play, with Nichols and Martinez especially prominent. Broxham enters the book for a late challenge on the latter, as Kearyn Baccus replaces Pinatares in the evening’s first substitution.
56 min: And yes, speaking of unreliable narrators, I am of course once again lying. He’s going off like a frog thrown into a boiling pot live on TV by Glenn Beck, is our Kevin.
Meanwhile, it’s hotting up on the pitch too, as Dimas receives a talking to from referee Beath, and for no perceptible reason Berisha has wandered over to add his own classic coolness to the situation.
53 min: Borda pinged for a foul of Troisi, and it’s the first hint of respite Victory have seen since this second stanza commenced.
Muscat does his impersonation of Nick Carraway on the touchline, just cooly taking in all the colour and pageantry before him, with that special nonchalance that only the 1920s could conjure.
Updated
50 min: Deary me, Martinez has the ball on a string here as he almost sneaks along the byline before the double intervention of Baro and Thomas.
Martinez’s corner is brilliantly headed goal-bound, and it’s clear en-route by Troisi!
The Asian Cup hero flicks that over with the head, and it’s another corner for the Wanderers. Real pressure this, and it’s one of those patches where you think, if they can’t fashion something here, it’s going to really, REALLY, haunt Tony Popovic.
47 min: They’ve started brightly once more, and a promising sequence of play ends with an intercepted Clisby cross which results in a corner.
Wanderers send in a decent ball, and the semi-cleared header lands at the toes of Clisby once more, who fires in a shot that has Western Sydney howling for handball!
Tough to assess that one, possible arm, possible shoulder from Berisha? Who can say.
Second half: Western Sydney Wanderers 0-1 Melbourne Victory
45 min: Begone, reveries – we’ve got football to watch. And this is very much football.
Wanderers look to fire out of the box, and the Victory erect their wall of white to rebuff the attacks.
And to be clear, despite using the language of gambling, I am in no way endorsing punting on sport. What happened to that innocent age when friends could just wonder amongst themselves? Shoot the breeze with innocent speculations?
Samuel L. Jackson happened. That’s what.
So it’s sports bra central as the cameras show us both sets of players cooling off in their respective dressing rooms, receiving some choice instructions from Messieurs Popovic and Muscat.
Can Wanderers turn this around? Only a brave sage would say so, you’d wager – did I hear the stat that between these two sides nobody has ever won from going a goal down? Surely not.
Is this a game for youngster Lachie Scott to finally etch his name in the firmament? Again, it would take an optimist to think so, but good news, WSW fans – I’m prepared to take this wager.
Scott to equalise, off the bench.
Half-time: Western Sydney Wanderers 0-1 Melbourne Victory
45 min: Just one minute of added-time, despite a competitive edge there hasn’t really been too many malicious tackles (and thankfully, injuries) to slow this one down.
Chris Beath says that’s enough, and it’s Berisha’s clinical tuck-home that’s the difference after that first forty-five.
43 min: Fine work from Neville who wins back possession deep within his own half. Wanderers look to build again, but it’s a terrific tackle by Valeri on Martinez to breakdown the play.
They’re not exactly sitting back now Victory, but they’re certainly not over-extending themselves either. It’s compact, and it’s disciplined as they invite Western Sydney to leave themselves open.
40 min: A slightly more subdued RBB now, as their constant song takes a slightly more lugubrious tone.
Their team haven’t been poor, indeed as we’ve seen in recent weeks they’re really starting to click in midfield, are the Wanderers. Sadly though, they’re just not clicking in front of goal.
And as if to highlight that, Santalab has just fired over, after a brilliant series of play!
Nichols, to Martinez, to Neville, who picks out Santa with a terrific cutback, and the strikers opts for power not precision and wallops that harmlessly over the crossbar.
38 min: A missive from long-time listener, first-time caller Phil Withall who offers the following observation:
“When I was a kid, there was a boy that would play nicely before randomly destroying whatever was closest to him and then returning to whatever game we were playing. That’s how I imagine Kevin Muscat’s mind works.”
36 min: And it’s a tale of two ‘keepers – as Santalab misses a gilt-edged chance to draw Wanderers level!
Brilliant crossed-ball in from Nichols, to pick out the Wanderers No9 with a free header about 3m out – and he can only head it straight into the grateful arms of Thomas!
He shakes his head, looks ruefully at the heavens. Poor old coach Popovic must wonder what his side have to do to regain parity in this match.
34 min: Welly, well. Now we’ve got a nicely bubbling contest – what can Wanderers produce now?
They’ve arguably been the better side, but Victory have looked incisive on the counter.
Goal! Western Sydney Wanderers 0-1 Melbourne Victory (Berisha)
32 min: Well! To win the raffle, you need to buy a ticket – and Maxi Beister has thumped a speculative effort from about 30m out, and while it dips and swerves poor old Redmayne really has done well to take some pace off that, and present it nicely for who else, Besart Berisha to just tuck home the loose ball!
Is that a goalkeeping error? Well, seems harsh to suggest; but on the other hand surely a punch clear sees the ball not ending up so amenably at Berisha’s feet.
30 min: A snap-poll for our readers: what’s your favourite RBB chant?
Is it “duh-da-da, duh-da-da, duh-da-dah; duh-da-da, duh-da-da, duh-daah?” OR is it that one where they sing about themselves?
Send entries to ... etc etc
28 min: RBB really are generating some buzz tonight. Don’t forget we’re back at ANZ tonight, just 24 hours after Sydney FC locked horns with Melbourne City at this same ground, and you’d suggest the Wanderers supporters are shading it considerably in the racket-stakes.
26 min: Good little passage this, Victory have come into it a little more over the past five minutes or so and it’s now a finely balanced contest.
Bozanic does well to dispossess Martinez in midfield and Wanderers are forced to defend another incisive counter-attack attempt.
24 min: A nice sequence of passes ends in a dangerous cross from FBK, and only an excellent headlong interception from Redmayne prevents lurking Berisha from tucking that home.
We run from end to end as suddenly Wanderers carve another half-chance. Nichols pulls the trigger, and it’s Thomas who gratefully collects his worm-burning effort.
22 min: A nice close up of Kevin Muscat on the touchline. He’s sautering around, cool as you like. Hardly a care in the world.
Joking, obviously – as the Victory boss glares daggers at anything that crosses his path. Perhaps a passing lady beetle distracted his view, temporarily. You never can quite say what might set our Musky off.
Updated
20 min: Wanderers with a wee break through the middle, he’s not the quickest Santalab so he has to take the chance early, and he draws a solid, but comfortable save from Thomas. A decent passage for the home side.
And, from seemingly nowhere, Ben Khalfallah has almost caught Redmayne off his line! A looping shot-cross from the Tunisian, and the WSW custodian was scrambling nervously then.
18 min: Martinez is wrestled to the ground by Broxham, and Wanderers play forward to Santalab, but the pass doesn’t stick.
Western Sydney caress passes around the back; you’d warrant Berisha and friends fancy a look at passes to-and-between an only recently re-stated Redmayne.
16 min: He plays short to Jumpei, whose lofted cross is nodded behind, and Western Sydney have a corner.
It’s dealt with comfortably at the near post, and for a split second it almost looked like a counter-attack chance for the Victory, but Wanderers mop up.
14 min: No A-League goals in almost 70 appearances, Clisby, and he’s come within the width of a grasshopper’s sex-organs of one there.
Aspro and Beister enjoy a coming-together, and we’ve a Wanderers freekick about 30m out. What can Dimas conjure?
11 min: Ooh! Poor old Clisby – the left back has fired in a lovely shot across the body of the ‘keeper, but it’s struck the upright, rolled behind the prone custodian, and inexplicably stayed out! Hearts in mouths around the stadium – what a let off for Victory fans!
Jumpei with a brilliant ball to find Clisby, and Thomas in goals with the very slightest of touches, and he’s literally kept his side in it!
9 min: Good solid spattering of red and black around this cavernous stadium, and they’re in good voice, as we’ve come to expect from the RBB and friends.
Meanwhile it’s Tony Popovic giving the fourth official an ear-bashing as Santalab goes to ground clutching his jaw. Looks like he and Baro have really struck it off.
Updated
7 min: A bit more possession coming Victory’s way – and, oh, deary me – it’s another horror tackle from Santalab, who goes in the book for a two-footed lunch on defender Baro.
He’s not averse to a “striker’s challenge” from time to time, our Santa, and tonight’s referee, Chris Beath, has given him the present of a yellow card.
5 min: Victory look to build down the left but skipper Dimas bites in with a strong tackle. First look at the German Beister, who’s shot is blocked – both sides closing down well and quickly in the opening exchanges.
3 min: Nichols with a throw-in about 10m beyond the Victory penalty box, but to no real effect. Clisby pins the ears back for his first scamper from left back, but the final ball disappoints.
Pfffffft: Kick off!
1 min: And we’re underway! Nichols plays it to a teammate as Wanderers start with possession. Berisha leads the press for the Victory with his standard mean, lean, demeanour.
And it’s an early half-sighter for Santalab who fires a sliced shot not a million miles away from Thomas’ near post!
Updated
It’s a not-too-steamy 21 degrees in Sydney as the respective coaches take their places on the benches.
Players are heading out, we’re not too far away.
Here’s a pre-kickoff fun fact for you. I’m a big fan of this man’s work – if you ever need an answer to any A-League esoteria, holla at Howe.
6 Bs starting for MV. last time 6 Bs started for a team Jan 2000 Parra Power (Barrett, Bennett, Berry, Blagojevic, Burns, Byrnes) #WSWvMVC
— andrew howe (@AndyHowe_statto) December 10, 2016
For fans of romance there’s been a red-and-black proposal pitchside before kickoff, and good news folks, she’s said yes!
Speculation obviously on my part that that’s good news – I can’t vouch for the persons in question, and remember love-birds; you’re statistically more likely to be assaulted by your significantly partner than anyone else in life.
Will there be a happy marriage between Andrew Redmayne and a clean sheet tonight? He’s had one in 17 games this calendar year – so maybe keep those Belgian chocolates and champagne on ice for now.
Some team news – where the big one is the absence of the flying Marco Rojas, who’s out with injury. Here’s how the respective XIs line up:
Western Sydney Wanderers:
Redmayne; Neville, Borda, Aspropotamitis, Clisby; Dimas (c), Pinatares, Martinez, Nichols, Jumpei; Santalab
Bench: Suman (GK), Hamill, Baccus, Sotirio, Scott
Starting XI: Redmayne (GK), Clisby, Nichols, Dimas (C), Martínez, Santalab, Neville, Piñateres, Jumpei, Borda and Aspropotamitis. #WSWvMVC
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) December 10, 2016
No Kerem Bulut even on the bench as the “Popovic No9 Rotation” continues. This time it’s Santalab who starts, and youngster Scott drops to the bench. A change in goals with the much-maligned Andrew Redmayne back between the sticks as Jerrad Tyson serves his red-card induced suspension.
Melbourne Victory:
Thomas; Geria, Donachie, Baro, Broxham; Valeri (c), Bozanic, Troisi, Beister, Ben Khalfallah; Berisha
Bench: Acton (GK), Ansell, Georgievski, Mahazi, Ingham
Here's our line-up for #WSWvMVC at @ANZStadium tonight 7.50pm AEDT. Max Beister to make his starting debut for #MVFC! pic.twitter.com/UMbsGD0Iz3
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) December 10, 2016
One change to the Victory side that dominated Perth last week, with the aforementioned Rojas making way, allowing German Max Beister to come in for his starting debut. He’s looked a prospect in his brief cameos thus far, one to watch tonight.
Hi all – Richard Parkin here, always a pleasure never a chore to be in the Guardian HQ hotseat, bringing you all the latest from this tasty, tasty encounter.
Late breaking from Hamilton, NZ, as Wellington Phoenix have won their first game of the post-Ernie Merrick era; 3-0 was the final score and by all accounts it could have been more with the unfortunate Hamish Watson twice striking the frame. Relief for the players and club after a horror week in honesty.
As always this is a train that’s more than happy to stop and pick up passengers – send me your hottest takes, your quips, musings and searing insights via the email above or if you frequent the undrained swamp that is Twitter, try me @rrjparkin.
Who’s going to win tonight? Another pasting from the Victory? Or will Popa’s men turn the tables?
Preamble
It’s a fixture that often conjures fireworks (both on and off the pitch) and with Western Sydney’s success in Asia and consistency in the league, you sense many Victory fans are starting to see this as the biggest interstate grudge match.
It’s been a mixed campaign for Kevin Muscat’s men thus far – an absolute battering from cross-town rivals City in round two threatened to set the early tone for the season, but a 6-1 shellacking of an unfortunate Wellington Phoenix really got them firing.
That form carried on to an impressive 3-0 win against tonight’s opposition – who curiously, they played just three weeks ago.
Don’t think Tony Popovic hasn’t reminded his players of that – his sides rarely get done the same way twice, and his chargers will be absolutely raring to make amends tonight.
Ominously they’ve failed to win a single “home” game this season since they left fortress Parramatta - and they won’t care to dwell on what happened last time they visited their home away from their other home away from their actual home, ANZ Stadium.
They got positively spanked by rivals Sydney FC that night, but they’ve been looking better with every passing week. Traditionally slow starters, the Wanderers put four past a decent Mariners outfit last week, and with Nico Martinez and Jumpei Kusukami finding their feet Victory fans might be a little nervous about this one.
They’ve got quality of their own among their ranks, so it could be a real treat tonight.
Wanderers could go fourth with a win, while Victory could make up key ground on rivals City. Strap yourself in.
Richard will be here shortly, but in the interim cast your eyes over David Squires’ humorous take on the John Aloisi v John van ‘t Schip bad-blood-fest:
