Adelaide United 2-1 Gold Coast United
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Second-placed Adelaide United beat 3rd-placed Gold Coast United 2-1 at home at Hindmarsh Stadium this evening.
The win was Adelaide’s 6th consecutive home win this season and they have now gone 8 A-League games in a row unbeaten at home. Their last home loss in the A-League was on January 19th this year.
They are 3 points behind leaders Brisbane Roar and have a game in hand, and they are 7 points ahead of 3rd-ranked Gold Coast.
Adelaide took the lead with a marvellous goal in the 10th minute. Paul Reid played a one-two with Marcos Flores and hit the return on the half-volley to leave Gold Coast keeper Scott Higgins helpless. The way in which Flores took the pass, turned Bas Van Den Brink and lifted the ball through for Reid was first-class, as was Reid’s finish.
Gold Coast almost equalised in the 14th minute, but Bruce Djite’s blistering shot came back off the near right-hand post.
In the 18th minute, Higgins, who was in the side in place of the injured Glen Moss, did very well to get down and save a shot from Travis Dodd.
Two minutes later, Sergio Van Dijk went close with a header that landed on top of the net.
In the dying seconds of stoppage time, Van Den Brink hit a stunning equaliser. Djite laid the ball back into his path and his blistering drive from outside the box gave Eugene Galekovic no chance as it rocketed into the far top left-hand corner of the net.
Within two minutes of the resumption, Adelaide regained the lead as a left-wing cross by Iain Ramsay was headed home by Dodd. But, it was somewhat fortunate that Ramsay got the ball. An attempted clearance by a Gold Coast defender hit a team-mate and the ball ricocheted wide to Ramsay.
Gold Coast’s chances were diminished when James Brown was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 61st minute for a foul on Cassio. His first yellow card, in the 16th minute, had also been for a foul on the same player.
Adelaide should also probably have had a penalty when Van Den Brink brought down Flores after the Argentine had ‘nut-megged’ him.
Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg was critical of the refereeing in his post-match press conference.
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Adelaide United: Galekovic - Barbiero (Mullen 90+1), Fyfe, Cornthwaite, Cassio - Hughes, Flores (Watson 85), Reid - Dodd (Pantelis 80), Van Dijk, Ramsay (Subs not used: Birighitte)
Goals: Reid 10, Dodd 47
Gold Coast United: Higgins - Curtis (Pentelidis 71), Djulbic, Rees (Robson 50), Anderson (Fitzsimmons 64) - Culina, Van Den Brink, Caravella - Brown, Djite, Traore (Sub not used: Tyson)
Booked: Brown, Djite, Djulbic
Send-off: Brown
Goals: Van Den Brink 45+2
Att: 12,005
Ref: P Green
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