City claim comprehensive victory as Jets disappoint
There were three goals, but it was not an exciting game. There were four yellow cards, but it was not a dirty game.
I said at the start that a win was more important to City than the Jets as Newcastle are already guaranteed to finish second and City are battling with Victory to finish third. I also said that didn’t mean the Jets would take their foot off the gas.
Well, I was half right. City did play with a single-minded resolve looking for a win, but Newcastle did indeed take their foot off the gas.
There were three bookings in the first 40 minutes, but a great Bruno Fornaroli goal in the 42nd minute meant City were 1-0 up at half-time.
After a very poor first half it seemed certain Newcastle would be better in the second, and they were, but it was very marginal.
Goals from Dario Vidosic in the 53rd and 77th minutes put the result beyond doubt.
Melbourne City have taken a major step towards finishing third on the ladder and Newcastle Jets have strolled through a game, reserving their energy for the finals.
Full-time: Newcastle Jets 0-3 Melbourne City
A well deserved win for the visitors, who moved up to third on the A-League ladder.
90+4 min: Last throw of the dice for the Jets, but O’Donovan was offside.
90+1 min: There are four minutes of added time. Also, the crowd was quite a bit bigger than I thought; there are 11,500 in the ground. Most of them will not be happy with the result about to be confirmed.
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90 min: If City finish the season in third place they will be back in Newcastle in the finals. They will not be worried.
88 min: Snap shot from Fitzgerald, looking for glory in the dying moments of the match. But no joy for the sub.
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86 min: Great free from Petratos, but Bouzanis makes a fine save, reaching it in the top right corner.
85 min: Another Brattan corner goes straight out from the left to the right. He is displeased that none of his colleagues rose up to head it in. But, frankly, it was too high even for big lad Delbridge.
82 min: Another substitution for City. Harrison Delbridge is on for Michael Jakobsen.
80 min: Great play from Luke Brattan led to a corner for City, but that just went straight back out the other side. Never mind, City are not going to lose now. This is going to be their second 3-0 win in a row.
GOAL! Vidosic scores from a free kick. Jets 0-3 City
77 min: That was a stunning kick from Vidosic, his second of the night. Newcastle Jets 0-3 Melbourne City.
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74 min: Two substitutions as City wind the clock down. Vargas off, Champness on, and Fitzgerald replaces Fornaroli.
72 min: Rodriguez has brought some urgency to the field. His shot just now was well struck, but wide.
Daniel Georgievski booked
69 min: That rules him out for the game against Perth next weekend. I don’t think Georgievski will be too put out by that. Better to get it out of the way before the finals. Not that I’m suggesting he got booked on purpose. He’s not David Beckham.
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68 min: The best thing you can say about the Jets’ performance so far is that maybe they’re saving themselves for the finals. They are certainly not making much of an effort today.
65 min: Nice pass from within the box by Rodriguez to Steven Ugarkovic, but his shot is no trouble to Bouzanis in the City goal.
62 min: Pato Rodriguez is on for Nick Cowburn. Hopefully he can gee up his Jets teammates a bit. Anything at all would be an improvement.
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61 min: A better couple of minutes from Newcastle Jets there, or at least it was until Petratos hit a nothing ball far wide on the left. What was the point of that? Was it a very bad shot or a very bad pass? Either way, it was very bad.
59 min: Melbourne City are being very casual with the ball, as only a side who are 2-0 up and dominating possession can be.
56 min: I think the only question now is how many more goals City are going to score. Can they be the first team to keep a clean sheet against the Jets all season? Very likely.
GOAL! Vidosic scores for City
53 min: I spoke too soon. Newcastle’s defenders just stood watching the ball as the cross came in for Vidosic. Newcastle 0-2 Melbourne City.
52 min: The Jets are showing a bit more pace and direction so far in the second half. Presumably Ernie Merrick had a few words with them at half-time.
50 min: Here is Fornaroli’s goal. What a great striker he is.
Was it ever going to be anyone else?
— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) April 1, 2018
📺 : Catch all the action from the second half LIVE on Fox Sports 501 #NEWvMCY #ALeague pic.twitter.com/X2bPBLw8rP
48 min: It seems the Jets are really missing Andrew Nabbout, who was snapped up by Urawa Red Diamonds less than a month ago.
PEEP! Second half under way.
46 min: Can Newcastle do better in the second half? They have to, they could not do much worse than their pedestrian first half.
Newcastle has never quite set the world on fire musically (email if you disagree), but one band from there I really liked was Purplene.
Fornaroli just loves scoring against the Jets.
42' | GOAAAAAAL CITY!
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) April 1, 2018
It's Bruno Fornaroli at the back post! That's nine goals in six matches against the Jets! 0-1. #NEWvMCY
Half-time: Newcastle Jets 0-1 Melbourne City
45+2 min: Newcastle were very poor in the first half. They’ve made the finals, they can’t be usurped from second, Sydney are already premiers and the Jets look like they can’t be bothered. Their fans deserve better than this.
45 min: There will be two minutes of added time. Newcastle will just be hoping to not concede another in that 120 seconds.
GOAL! Fornaroli scores
42 min: Fornaroli scored as I was clicking save on the last post. City lead Jets 1-0 and they greatly deserve it.
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41 min: Beautiful shot from Fornaroli, but no goal.
Ivan Vujica booked
39 min: Vujica takes down Arzani on the edge of the box. Third yellow of the game.
36 min: Newcastle are playing like men looking forward to getting to the dressing room for a half-time rest. Come on lads, entertain us a bit.
34 min: Lots of space in the middle of the park, which just shows most of the action is taking place in the final thirds, mostly at Newcastle’s end.
31 min: The Jets have scored in every game so far this season, but City look far more like scoring any time soon this evening.
28 min: Fornaroli comes close again, with the ball bouncing around the box. After a mad scramble he could not keep his feet. City are definitely hungrier to win.
26 min: Fornaroli hits the side netting from the resulting free kick.
Yellow card for Topor-Stanley
25 min: Topor-Stanley went right through Arzani on the edge of the box.
Yellow card for Daniel Arzani
23 min: Arzani went in very hard on Jets’ keeper Jack Duncan.
21 min: Jamieson seems to think Ronald Vargas went down entirely of his own accord. He did not. Jamieson clearly fouled him.
19 min: Straight up to the other end and Bruno Fornaroli comes very close. Somehow, Newcastle get it out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
18 min: Long ball from Nikolai Topor-Stanley to O’Donovan. Good idea, but no joy.
17 min: Great free from Dimi Petratos, but Bouzanis is equal to it with a fine save.
15 min: Jamieson to Vidosic, looking for Fornaroli, but doesn’t find him. City are beginning to dominate.
13 min: Lovely play from City and Stefan Mauk really should have scored. Best chance of the game so far.
11 min: Dean Bouzanis was faffing about with a clearance and Roy O’Donovan almost got the ball off him. Very sloppy from the City keeper.
10 min: The ground is fairly sparsely populated. Maybe people are resting after eating too many easter eggs earlier.
8 min: Nice run from Riley McGree, but his shot was poor. He should have done better there.
6 min: Much better spell of possession from City just now, with 18-year-old Nathaniel Atkinson getting stuck in.
4 min: The Jets are dominating so far, with City taking a while to settle.
2 min: Some nice early play from the Jets, but O’Donovan shoots over. Maybe he’s rusty, but it was a tight angle.
1 min: Early touch for Irish man Roy O’Donovan, who is back from suspension after getting sent off a couple of weeks ago against Sydney FC.
PEEP! Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City is under way
The temperature in McDonald Jones Stadium is in the mid-20s, which is far better than some of the scorchers we have seen in recent weeks.
A win is more important to the visitors than the Jets, dare I say, with Newcastle already guaranteed to finish second on the ladder and City battling with their neighbours Melbourne Victory to finish third.
Not that that means the Jets will take their foot off the gas.
Emma Beckett wants to paint the town Jets.
Ok, my first attempt at @NewcastleJetsFC nails today was embarrassing so I’ve gone again. #NTUA #onboard #paintthetownjets #NEWvMCY pic.twitter.com/NFSybiNBSh
— Dr Emma Beckett (@synapse101) April 1, 2018
Newcastle Jets line up
How we'll take the field this afternoon #NEWvMCY pic.twitter.com/raZJNGmGh3
— NEWCASTLE JETS FC ✈️ (@NewcastleJetsFC) April 1, 2018
Melbourne City line up
Here's how we'll line up for today's Easter Sunday clash against Newcastle! #NEWvMCY pic.twitter.com/qpOFJoPNnb
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) April 1, 2018
Preamble
Good afternoon, the Jets v City game kicks off in about 18 minutes. In the meantime, have a look at our report on Sydney claiming the premiership.
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