Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
It was another exciting weekend with goals and drama – Western Sydney Wanderers kicked off the round with a wild comeback in Adelaide, Auckland FC took down the champions, Sydney FC claimed Big Blue honours as a Wellington Phoenix star scored a goal to remember – and there was so much more as season 2024-25 continued.
Sets the benchmark for us to be a force’
Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Alen Stajcic believes his side have shown they are a force to be reckoned with after their “unbelievable” come-from-behind win over Adelaide United on Friday night.
The Wanderers overturned a two-goal deficit to stun previously unbeaten Adelaide 3-2 at Coopers Stadium, where substitute Bozhidar Kraev scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute.
Down 2-0 after 34 minutes, Western Sydney turned the match on its head thanks Marcus Antonsson’s fourth goal of the season in first-half stoppage time and Brandon Borrello before Kraev came off the bench to sink the Reds.
Western Sydney are now four games unbeaten following back-to-back victories to sit seventh in the standings – outside of the top six on goal difference while they are only four points adrift of second-placed Adelaide.
“I thought it was an unbelievable, resilient performance from our group to come from behind against a team who’s undefeated, at home and been playing exceptionally well,” Stajcic said in his post-game press conference.
“To come from 2-0 down and win. Not only the winning but the way we won. The attacking intent, the positivity throughout the team, the willingness to put their body on the line for the whole 90 minutes – 97, 99, 105 minutes whatever it was, I don’t know how they got that much time.
Wanderers boss Stajcic was sent off in stoppage time and will miss the New Year’s Day showdown against Macarthur Bulls after he was sent down the tunnel late in the win over the Reds.
“Ever since I arrived in the door, I thought the group was amazing and the characters in the group had the potential to be a serious threat in this competition,” Stajcic said amid Western Sydney’s rise up the table.
“I’m just glad we’re tracking on the right path. I’m sure there will be bumps along the way. I’m definitely not getting carried away. We’ve been around too long to say you’ve won a couple of games in a row and everything is rosy and happy.
Young star ignites Bulls win as coach tips ‘great future’
Jed Drew is enjoying a career-best season in the A-Leagues following his two-goal performance for Macarthur Bulls in their 3-0 victory away to lowly Perth Glory.
The 21-year-old attacker scored twice as Macarthur’s equal-biggest away win in Isuzu UTE A-League history helped Mile Sterjovski’s Bulls up to fourth on the table.
Drew has now scored three league goals this season – his best return at A-Leagues level having scored two goals in the 2023-24 and 2022-23 campaigns.
“I get asked this question quite a lot about Jed,” head coach Sterjovski told reporters.
“I thought today was a great step towards that. He does seem to be getting better with more match experience.
“If he keeps going like that, I’m sure he’ll have a great future.”
Kosta’s incredible goal from the centre circle
Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano labelled it “ballsy” after Wellington Phoenix star scored a spectacular long-range goal in his side’s 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets.
Barbarouses’ sixth goal of the season took him one goal clear on the Isuzu UTE A-League’s goalscoring leaderboard and it was a memorable strike at Sky Stadium.
His 99th A-Leagues goal, the 34-year-old sensationally found the back of the net from the centre circle.
“That’s the furthest out by a long shot,” he told reporters post-game. “I think I’ve tried a couple of times and always wanted to score one like that but you don’t really get many opportunity to do it. Glad it came off.”
Wellington head coach Italiano – whose Phoenix snapped their three-game losing streak – added: “Very nice, very nice.
“He took it well. I thought (Newcastle goalkeeper) Ryan Scott was around the circle.
‘Great response’ as Auckland celebrated another A-Leagues first
Steve Corica wanted a response from Auckland FC and he got it in their 4-1 rout of two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners.
History-making newcomers Auckland entered the match on the back of their first ever defeat at the hands of Western United and the league leaders bounced back in emphatic fashion at Industree Group Stadium on Saturday.
A three-goal first half inspired Auckland, who scored four goals in an A-Leagues matches for the first time thanks to captain Hiroki Sakai, Jake Brimmer, Guillermo May and Logan Rogerson.
“It was a great response to last week. That was what we were looking for,” head coach Corica told reporters.
“Especially in the first half with the ball. The second half was more about defending and making sure we don’t concede anymore goals.”
Corica added: “We went through that little period. We had a draw with (Melbourne) City down there and obviously the result wasn’t great for us (against Western United).
“I wanted to see how we were going to react from a loss and I think we saw it today. The boys have great attitudes and work hard for each other.
As for Central Coast boss Mark Jackson, he revealed the Mariners were dealing with an “internal disciplinary matter” as he delivered a powerful message to his squad in a forthright post-game press conference. Read it here.
Victory coach’s reaction to Big Blue red card
Sydney FC claimed Big Blue honours with a 3-0 triumph over rivals Melbourne Victory as Joe Lolley’s first-half brace set the scene but a lot of the talk was around Zinedine Machach’s red card.
Victory star Machach was sent off for “serious foul play” following a challenge on Sydney defender Jordan Courtney-Perkins on Saturday night.
Machach was sent down the tunnel by on-field referee Adam Kersey after being asked by VAR to review the incident which occurred early in the first half on the pitchside monitor.
In a statement released by Football Australia during the game, Head of Referees Jon Moss said: “The direct red card was for Serious Foul Play.
“Foot of the Victory player went over the ball, foot made contact above the ankle on Sydney player, and upon review by the referee, it was deemed Serious Foul Play.”
Asked about the incident, interim Victory head coach Arthur Diles told reporters: “At the time, it happens quick. You just see what you see on the big screen. I thought he got to the ball first.
“Apart from that, it happens. It’s football. They make a call, we live with it, we move on with it. We don’t have to like it but we have to deal with it.”
Zadkovich addresses Roar’s unwanted slice of history and his future
Ruben Zadkovich insisted “it’s not actually about me” as the Brisbane Roar head coach was asked about his future amid the club’s winless start to the 2024-25 season.
On Sunday evening, bottom-placed Brisbane equalled the competition’s worst start to a season after nine games with just two points following their 1-0 loss at in-form Western United in Tarneit.
The Roar are also 14 games without a win – a club record.
Asked about the unwanted slice of history and how Brisbane plan to tackle their form, Zadkovich told reporters: “It’s simple – sometimes you have to face the reality of the situation.
“Obviously it’s not great to have that start in the A-League this season but you don’t have to look too far back. You see a start from Central Coast last season – they’re none from four, first four games they lose and they end up as premiers and champions.
“Records are there, people can speculate, write what they want and say what they want. At the end of the day, my duty of care is to my football club, first of all my players and staff. I know how hard they are working.
“I think it was very clear today and last week that we were the better team and probably should have won the game but to win the game, you have to take those chances.
“Unfortunately for us, those chances are falling to players that, let’s say, aren’t high-calibre expensive players in those positions. You need to have a strong head on your shoulders in this circumstance in this football club to take those chances under pressure.”
On his future as coach of the Roar, Zadkovich replied: “It’s not actually about me, to be honest.
“We all know as managers we sign up for this type of role there’s always the possibility you can be moved on. You can move on if you’ve done a really good job and you can be moved on if you’re not doing a good enough job.
“What I feel wholeheartedly in this moment, today you saw a team that was hungry, super competitive, showed a lot of spirit and played some really good football. We did that with a young 18-year-old making his debut on the left wing. We did it with a 17-year-old centre-back marking (Hiroshi) Ibusuki.
“We did it with a mixed back with a squad that’s still in a rebuilding phase.
“… I think the team’s very, very close. As I keep saying, context is very important. I didn’t come into this job at this club in smooth circumstances. I don’t think the club were in a great position when they lost 7 of their last eight games before I came into the role.
