And breathe! What a weekend of football it was across the A-Leagues.
There was entertainment and drama galore but more importantly it was a goal-fest in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women with 50 goals scored over the 12 respective fixtures.
With 26 in the Isuzu UTE A-League and 24 in the Ninja A-League, it was the most goals for a weekend of A-Leagues matches, surpassing the previous record of 49 goals over a weekend between November 1-4 this year, per Andrew Howe.
In the Isuzu UTE A-League, high-flying Adelaide United crushed two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners 4-0 on Friday night to kick off Round 8 before Western United stunned Sydney FC 4-3 in a thriller at Allianz Stadium.
On Saturday, Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar traded blows in a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw after Macarthur Bulls conquered Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium, while lowly Newcastle Jets put fellow strugglers Perth Glory to the sword in a 4-0 rout in Western Australia.
To cap the round, a 95th-minute equaliser preserved Auckland FC’s unbeaten start to the season as Melbourne City became the first team this season to take points off the Black Knights in their 2-2 stalemate at AAMI Park.
Holly McNamara made her long-awaited comeback from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury after 392 days in league-leading Melbourne City’s 4-2 defeat of Canberra United on Sunday, while Perth Glory won at the Sam Kerr Football Centre for the first time thanks to a 3-1 success at the expense of 10-player Adelaide United.
Despite a red card, Newcastle Jets shocked defending champions Sydney FC 2-1 in a dramatic and last-gasp fightback and Brisbane Roar were 2-1 winners over Central Coast Mariners as a 90th-minute equaliser saw Wellington Phoenix hold Melbourne Victory to a 1-1 draw at the Home of the Matildas.
