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  • Writer's pictureJamie Samuel

A-League Hub - Round One Recap

All the Action From The First Round Of The A-League


We have seen an incredible first week of football, to start the 2021 Isuzu Ute A-league season with no game decided by more than a goal and some exciting draws. This season, come to the A-League hub at ThePyrrhic.com for all your Australian soccer needs.


Champions Melbourne City got their season off to the right start, with an exciting 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park on Friday night. Two late first-half goals from Curtis Good and Connor Metcalfe were enough to get City over the line. A late consolation goal from Luke Ivanovic wasn’t enough for the Brisbane Roar on this occasion. The reigning champs head to Coopers Stadium to face Adelaide United, whilst Brisbane head to AAMI Park to face Melbourne Victory on Sunday.


There was a lot of hype around the Sydney Derby between Western Sydney Wanders and Sydney FC. It was newsworthy, but not for the reasons you'd expect as the match finished 0-0. It was the first Sydney derby to finish 0-0 in four years. English import Jack Rodwell was denied twice by Sydney FC goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne in the final ten minutes as the WSW import attempted to give the home support something to cheer about to no avail. Next up for Sydney FC is a home clash with Macarthur FC, the Wanderers meanwhile will play host to the Newcastle Jets.


The big news came out of the Melbourne Derby in Geelong, as a new-look Melbourne Victory, under Tony Popovich clinched a thrilling 1-0 win over Western United in Geelong. It was a bullet header from new recruit Roderick Miranda off a corner kick in the 75th minute, that was good enough to see the Victory home. It was just the start that Melbourne Victory wanted, under new coach Tony Popovich and with their latest recruits; this win could set them up for a much-improved season. They face Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park on Sunday, with a massive opportunity to start off the season with a 2-0 record. Western United host Perth Glory in Friday night football in round two.

Perth Glory hosted Adelaide United on Saturday night also. Daniel Sturridge, the biggest off-season recruit in the competition, appeared from the bench for the final ten minutes but couldn't make an impact for the home side. As far as goalmouth action it was Kusini Yengi who gave Adelaide United an early lead in the 22nd minute. Bruno Fornaroli’s long-range strike in the 40th minute would prove decisive for a 1-1 draw as both sides had to settle for a share of the points. Next week Adelaide United plays host to Melbourne City and Perth Glory heads east to face Western United.

The Central Coast showed massive improvement last season, and they got their season off to the right start with a 2-1 over the Newcastle Jets. After a goalless first half, two goals for the Central Coast within 10 minutes of the restart from Josh Nisbet and Jacob Farrell put them in a winning position. Valentino Yuel would pull one back for Newcastle in the 77th minute, but it would not be good enough, as the Mariners made the campaign start that they wanted with a thrilling win. The Mariners head to New Zealand to face the Wellington Phoenix next up whilst the Jets will face fellow New South Welshmen Western Sydney.

The round was rounded out with a thrilling 1-1 draw between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix. The match had to be moved from Macarthurs home ground to McDonald Jones Stadium after the Campbelltown Stadium pitch was deemed unplayable. That didn't mean conditions were any less wild and woolly. Despite the terrible conditions, Gary Hooper managed to give the Phoenix an early advantage in the 25th minute. Lachlan Rose’s 61st-minute back post volley would be enough to see out a 1-1 draw for the two sides. The Phoenix will look to pick up their first win of the season against Central Coast next week, meanwhile, Macarthur FC will face Sydney FC.


Here's how the table sits at the end of the first round of fixtures for the 2021 A-League season:


The A-league is back in full swing; we certainly have an exciting season ahead. We look forward to next week and more exciting football action, as the teams who started with wins will look to build on that form and the sides that weren’t able to gain full points will look to get their season back on track.


Jamie Samuel is our Aussie sports expert here at ThePyrrhic.com and will be covering the A-League throughout the season


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