CITY INSIDER: Semi Final Second Leg - 19/05/23

THE BIG ONE

Preparations are complete and your City boys are ready to go for the second leg of our Semi Final clash with Sydney FC at AAMI Park tonight.

We head into the fixture tied 1-1 following the first leg a week ago, in a game that saw high drama and momentum swinging both ways throughout the night.

City hit the front through Mathew Leckie in just the 18th minute, before a Sydney FC penalty midway through the second half meant we enter the second leg on level pegging.

Making his 100th A-League Men’s appearance last week, Glover had a night to remember in the first leg, coming up with several top-class saves to deny Sydney time and time again.

Earning Player of the Match honours, Glover’s double save just shy of the break left Sydney FC fans scratching their heads as to how they didn’t score.

He would continue his strong form for the remainder of the night, his net only breached from the spot after his initial save was forced to be re-taken due to encroachment.

After missing the first leg due to back spasms, it is expected that City’s key cog in the midfield, Aiden O’Neill, will return tonight.

Having played such a key role in City’s success throughout the season,

the injection of O’Neill into the side for this do-or-die Semi Final will be a welcome boost as we look to book our spot in the big dance.

While the Socceroo would be a welcome addition in the middle of the park, his inclusion would leave Vidosic with a tough call on the make-up of his midfield.

The first leg saw the international trio of Richard van der Venne, Valon Berisha and Florin Berenguer holding down the middle, and you’d imagine one of those would need to drop out should O’Neill return to the XI.

Despite seeing plenty of starting minutes across the season, a virtually full-strength City squad saw both Thomas Lam and Andrew Nabbout named as substitutes last week.

We’ll find out an hour before kick-off whether Vidosic opts to make any personnel changes, but he’s certainly not short of options should he want to throw a different look at Sydney FC for the second leg at AAMI Park tonight.

A-LEAGUE MEN PREVIEW

LAST RESULT 1 1

MET 1 1

DANGER PLAYER

ADAM LE

He’s certainly no stranger to the A-League or Melbourne City fans, but one player who we’ll have to be wary of tonight is Sydney FC striker, Adam Le Fondre.

The ex-Premier League man has shown he’s still more than capable despite now being in the latter stages of his career, showing some great goalscoring form over the last month or so.

Le Fondre has now scored in each of Sydney’s last six matches, including of course both Finals they’ve played so far.

FONDRE

Tom Glover

Matthew Sutton

Scott Galloway

Nuno Reis

Thomas Lam

Jordon Hall

Curtis Good

Callum Talbot

Jordan Bos

Richard Van Der Venne

Florin Berenguer

Aiden O’Neill

Valon Berisha

Mathew Leckie

Jamie Maclaren

Andrew Nabbout

Marco Tilio

Raphel Borges Rodrigues

Max Caputo

Rado Vidosic

FAREWELL BOSSY

It was announced on Tuesday that fan favourite, Jordan Bos, will join Belgian Pro League side, KVC Westerlo, at the conclusion of the season.

Bos joined City’s Youth Academy in 2016 and quickly progressed through the ranks before making his first team debut late in the 2020/21 Premiership and Championship winning season.

Bos has quickly established himself as a naturally gifted player with a tireless work ethic, strong technical ability, and a high football IQ.

He told reporters during the week that the opportunity to get minutes was a high priority, with no shortage of offers coming in for the 20-yearold full-back.

“The Belgian league suits me and is a good stepping stone to get my face in Europe,” Bos said.

“Westerlo gives me that opportunity in a good team, in a good league. It gives me the best chance of success there.”

City Director of Football, Michael Petrillo, commented that it was immediately evident that Bos has what it takes to perform at the highest level.

“Born and raised in Melbourne, Jordan is a product of our City Youth Academy where he developed his game with the help of our talented coaches and support staff. His natural abilities were evident from the outset, and it has been a privilege to see him grow into the elite player he is today.

“We are incredibly proud of Jordan and his achievements at the Club. His development as a player and as a person is testament to the quality of our academy program and we are excited to see him take on his next challenge.”

The move to KVC Westerlo marks a significant milestone for Bos, who at just 20 years of age has claimed three A-League Men’s Premierships and a Championship with City, recording 3 goals and six assists in 50 appearances for the Club.

Bos will follow in the recent footsteps of other City Academy graduates, Connor Metcalfe and Nathaniel Atkinson, in making the leap to Europe after impressing in the A-League.

“The transfer fee for Jordan is a record for any Australian club and is a testament to his talent and to the strength of our academy program,” said City CEO, Brad Rowse.

I HAVE KNOWN JORDAN SINCE HE FIRST JOINED THE CLUB AS A 13-YEAR-OLD, AND I AM THRILLED TO SEE HIM TAKE THIS EXCITING STEP IN HIS CAREER. I WISH HIM ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE AND LOOK FORWARD TO FOLLOWING HIS PROGRESS CLOSELY.

TALE OF THE TAPE AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

90 minutes down and 90 minutes – at least – to go. Here’s a quick recap of what’s happened so far and what you can expect to see tonight!

Casting our minds back to the first leg in Sydney last week, we were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw after they equalised midway through the second half.

City started the contest strongly and a pinpoint cross from a Valon Berisha set piece found its way onto the head of Mathew Leckie, who smashed it into the back of the net in the 18th minute.

Despite Tom Glover producing a fantastic save from the penalty spot to deny Anthony Caceres, the penalty was deemed to be re-taken and eventually, Adam Le Fondre converted in the 64th minute.

Both teams had chances for the remainder of the night, including Sydney twice having goals ruled out for offside, but neither side could land a genuine blow, leaving the second leg set up perfectly.

It’s been a run of strong home form as we’re still yet to taste defeat in a home fixture at AAMI Park this season, filling the team with plenty of confidence going into tonight.

Should we finish tied – as we did last week - the game will go to extra time with two 15-minute periods to be played. The away goals rule isn’t in place, so there’s no need to worry about that.

If that half an hour isn’t enough to settle things, the game will go to penalties where City will look for the likes of Maclaren, Leckie, Nabbout and co. to step up from the spot.

While Adam Le Fondre was able to convert from the re-taken penalty after Glover’s initial save in the first leg, we have seen a shaky Sydney from the spot in recent times, having missed 7 out of 9 penalties this season.

We’ve seen Maclaren, our usual spot-kick expert, hand off a couple this season for mixed results.

Valon Berisha netted from the spot away to Perth, but Andrew Nabbout saw his effort against the Wanderers saved. That being said, there wasn’t much more he could’ve done, firing a powerful strike towards the bottom corner which forced a fantastic save out of Lawrence Thomas.

While we may have gotten used to our number 9 banging in penalties for fun in seasons past, the most famous penalty in club history belongs to a teammate who certainly won’t shy away from stepping up if the time comes.

We’re of course talking about captain Scott Jamieson, who scored from the spot at the same venue against the same opponent to put us ahead in the 2021 Grand Final.