Wellington Phoenix may have proved yesterday that they are anything but easybeats, but the real Round 2 action of note took place under Friday night lights in Adelaide.
Ernie Merrick’s Wellington may have been written off by many before a ball had even been kicked, but just two games into the season it’s clear the Kiwis are an entirely different proposition.
After a desperately unlucky 2-1 opening defeat to Brisbane Roar, the Phoenix pushed Western Sydney all the way in their entertaining 1-1 draw in Parramatta yesterday afternoon.
Pressing high up the pitch and employing an attractive short passing game, the Phoenix registered a deserved Jeremy Brockie equaliser against their highly-fancied hosts and were arguably unlucky not to take all three points against the Wanderers.
The game looked fantastic played out against the backdrop of packed stands and it was a similar story on Friday night at the recently rebranded Coopers Stadium.
If the first ever Friday night game on free-to-air television was a less-than-ideal advertisement for the competition, then the second was the sort of encounter likely to convert casual sports watchers into bona fide A-League fans.
Just when it looked like Adelaide United would register a controversial win over hated rivals Melbourne Victory in front of a delirious crowd at a sold-out Coopers Stadium, the visitors came roaring back thanks to two stunning goals from Gui Finkler and James Troisi.
It was no less than Victory deserved, after Connor Pain incorrectly had a goal ruled out for offside and Adelaide had opened the scoring through a contentious twice-taken penalty.
Victory coach Ange Postecoglou labelled some of the refereeing decisions that went against his side “diabolical” and it was clear the visitors were on the receiving end of some howlers from the officials.
But it was all part and parcel of a pulsating encounter and what made the fixture so absorbing was the sheer intensity of the occasion – both on and off the pitch.
It’s the sort of excitement likely to encourage new fans to spend their hard-earned on the A-League and if the brief for free-to-air football was to showcase the best of the competition, then Friday night’s epic did that in spades.
There’s another blockbuster on SBS next Friday night when Melbourne Victory host Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium, and it’s not until Melbourne Heart host successive Friday night fixtures that the TV cameras might pan across some empty seats in the stands.
Melbourne’s second team have a real identity crisis on their hands, with the Heart struggling to create a genuine point of difference to the eternally popular Victory.
Their 2-2 draw with Central Coast on Saturday afternoon was entertaining stuff but the fact it was watched by less than 10,000 fans at a boutique AAMI Park should be worrying stuff for Football Federation Australia.
Speaking of FFA, would it kill them to list the day matches are taking place on the convoluted fixture list on their website, instead of just the date?
They’re the ones who should be talking up Friday night football, but trying to use the website to figure out what day matches are being played on is nigh-on impossible. (Editor’s note: The Roar’s popular full draw listing is here)
At any rate, you can pretty much guarantee that any Sunday afternoon kick-off hosted by the Newcastle Jets will be a dreary affair.
It’s hard to pinpoint why that is exactly, but the Jets scoreless draw with Perth Glory yesterday was about as exciting as watching the grass at Hunter Stadium grow.
It was a far cry from the Saturday night slugfest at Suncorp Stadium, where a rampant Brisbane Roar put an abysmal Sydney FC to the sword.
Sydney will be back in Friday night action in Round 6 when they take on the Heart at AAMI Park in what looks to be one of the less glamorous free-to-air fixtures.
But if the point of free-to-air football is to win over new fans, then Friday night’s serving in Adelaide was just the ticket.
Article link: Tim Cahill gives Tony Popovic his endorsement for Socceroos coach. Written by Mike Tuckerman, on The Roar - Your Sports Opinion
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