ID :
16187
Sun, 08/17/2008 - 19:24
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http://m.oananews.org//node/16187
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Adelaide United edge out Perth 1-0
(AAP) Adelaide United captain Travis Dodd sent the Reds to the top of the A-League table after sealing a 1-0 home win over Perth Glory with a thumping first-half strike.
The goal at Hindmarsh Stadium was a fitting way to mark a night of milestones for Dodd, his first official outing as skipper and also his 100th appearance in a Unitedshirt.
It also ensured a winning start to the season for Adelaide, with the Reds the onlyside to taste victory in round one after three draws to start the opening weekend.
Always a threat out wide or going forward, Dodd had help from Adelaide's quartet ofdebutants.
Highly-rated Brazilian striker Cristiano had a couple of rusty moments in the firsthalf but improved the longer the game went and claimed the assist for Dodd's goal.
Midfielder Paul Reid also showed much of the creativity and passing range expectedof him.
In defence, new full-backs Alemao and Scott Jamieson were impressive in their contrasting styles, Alemao looking a smooth replacement for the retired Richie Alagich and Jamieson showing plenty of the mongrel instilled during three years atmuscular English club Bolton.
Both sides went into the match minus influential players, creative pair Cassio and Diego missing for United and tall timber Jamie Harnwell and Hayden Foxe on thesidelines for the Glory.
Adelaide's attacking intent was etched plainly in the selection of career-winger Lucas Pantelis in central midfield ahead of Jonas Salley, and the home sidefashioned three half chances inside the first 10 minutes.
Any expectations that Perth would soon wilt under the pressure were scotched bytheir response over the next 25.
Ivorian target man Eugene Dadi showed presence up front and his combinations with fleet-footed Scott Bullock nearly brought United to grief on several occasions, the closest on 17 minutes when Dadi teed up Bullock after a driving run only for theleft-footer to arrow his effort wide.
At the other end Cristiano was not yet at his sharpest, responding to his clearestsight of goal with a comical air-swing.
He was to make amends on 41 minutes, making Dodd's emphatic near-post finish possible by playing a neat one-two with his captain after left-back Jamieson'shopeful long ball.
Perth were perhaps unfortunate to be down at the half, but coach David Mitchell wasevidently unconvinced by his first half combination.
Dadi and Hayden Doyle were substituted at the break for Olyroos pair NikitaRukavytsya and Nikolai Topor-Stanley in an effort to inject some pace.
They would both run strongly into space at times in the later minutes to pressurethe home side.
Adelaide, though, had become well versed at defending a narrow lead during their run to the Asian Champions League quarter-finals earlier this year, when they concededonly twice in six games.
They did so again despite a handful of nervous moments, centre-half Sasa Ognenovskishowing his value to maintain the clean sheet.
Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar admitted to thinking his men had played better in thesecond half, while not scoring, than they did in first.
"The win is extremely important to start off at home," he said.
"I think we were a little rusty at times in the first half, but certainly the second we got a bit more cohesion, so I was really pleased with how we finished off the game." Mitchell said his players had tried to find a more pace-infused formation in thesecond half but were unable to find the right ball for Rukavytsya to run on to.
"Once we went a goal down we had to look at trying to get in behind them, their centre-backs are quite slow so we wanted to inject a bit of pace but we justcouldn't get the right ball to Nikita," he said.
"That's credit to Adelaide, they stopped us playing in midfield, changed to 4-5-1, blocked the midfield up and snuffed us out."
The goal at Hindmarsh Stadium was a fitting way to mark a night of milestones for Dodd, his first official outing as skipper and also his 100th appearance in a Unitedshirt.
It also ensured a winning start to the season for Adelaide, with the Reds the onlyside to taste victory in round one after three draws to start the opening weekend.
Always a threat out wide or going forward, Dodd had help from Adelaide's quartet ofdebutants.
Highly-rated Brazilian striker Cristiano had a couple of rusty moments in the firsthalf but improved the longer the game went and claimed the assist for Dodd's goal.
Midfielder Paul Reid also showed much of the creativity and passing range expectedof him.
In defence, new full-backs Alemao and Scott Jamieson were impressive in their contrasting styles, Alemao looking a smooth replacement for the retired Richie Alagich and Jamieson showing plenty of the mongrel instilled during three years atmuscular English club Bolton.
Both sides went into the match minus influential players, creative pair Cassio and Diego missing for United and tall timber Jamie Harnwell and Hayden Foxe on thesidelines for the Glory.
Adelaide's attacking intent was etched plainly in the selection of career-winger Lucas Pantelis in central midfield ahead of Jonas Salley, and the home sidefashioned three half chances inside the first 10 minutes.
Any expectations that Perth would soon wilt under the pressure were scotched bytheir response over the next 25.
Ivorian target man Eugene Dadi showed presence up front and his combinations with fleet-footed Scott Bullock nearly brought United to grief on several occasions, the closest on 17 minutes when Dadi teed up Bullock after a driving run only for theleft-footer to arrow his effort wide.
At the other end Cristiano was not yet at his sharpest, responding to his clearestsight of goal with a comical air-swing.
He was to make amends on 41 minutes, making Dodd's emphatic near-post finish possible by playing a neat one-two with his captain after left-back Jamieson'shopeful long ball.
Perth were perhaps unfortunate to be down at the half, but coach David Mitchell wasevidently unconvinced by his first half combination.
Dadi and Hayden Doyle were substituted at the break for Olyroos pair NikitaRukavytsya and Nikolai Topor-Stanley in an effort to inject some pace.
They would both run strongly into space at times in the later minutes to pressurethe home side.
Adelaide, though, had become well versed at defending a narrow lead during their run to the Asian Champions League quarter-finals earlier this year, when they concededonly twice in six games.
They did so again despite a handful of nervous moments, centre-half Sasa Ognenovskishowing his value to maintain the clean sheet.
Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar admitted to thinking his men had played better in thesecond half, while not scoring, than they did in first.
"The win is extremely important to start off at home," he said.
"I think we were a little rusty at times in the first half, but certainly the second we got a bit more cohesion, so I was really pleased with how we finished off the game." Mitchell said his players had tried to find a more pace-infused formation in thesecond half but were unable to find the right ball for Rukavytsya to run on to.
"Once we went a goal down we had to look at trying to get in behind them, their centre-backs are quite slow so we wanted to inject a bit of pace but we justcouldn't get the right ball to Nikita," he said.
"That's credit to Adelaide, they stopped us playing in midfield, changed to 4-5-1, blocked the midfield up and snuffed us out."
