Latest news with #MatLeckie
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Melbourne City face up to winning ugly to end run of A-League near misses
Despair for one side of Melbourne, jubilation for the other. It was 5 May 2024 and after a heroic performance from keeper Paul Izzo, Melbourne Victory had just eliminated Melbourne City from the A-League Men finals after a dramatic penalty shootout. Illustrative of the high standards set, it capped off the worst season City had experienced in recent times, scraping into the playoffs after sacking coach Rado Vidošić just two weeks into the campaign and failing to reach the grand final for the first time in five years. A host of club legends would soon depart amid league-wide cuts to distributions and budgets. It almost felt like the recession the club needed to have. But the bear is gone, and the bull is back. As referee Adam Kersey's whistle rang out for the final time in front of a record crowd at AAMI Park and players sank to their knees in joyous celebration in front of him, coach Aurelio Vidmar was wrapped in a bear hug by his director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Scott Jamieson and Paul Pezos. City had sealed a 1-0 triumph over Victory on Saturday night to become champions of Australia for the second time. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory Joe Marston medallist as best despite finishing the game in being a bloody mess, Mat Leckie's performance was not only of the legacy-defining variety but also reflective of the way his side went about returning to the mountain top. It hadn't been pretty in the slightest, but it had been effective. Physicality and desperation added to a cunning ability to ride the whistle and slow the game down and disrupt their opponents' flow. It ensured that Yonatan Cohen's 10th-minute goal was all that would be needed, Victory failing to produce much in the way of anything that would constitute a major threat to Patrick Beah's goal. Losing four of the previous five deciders they had reached – lowlighted by a 6-1 hammering by Central Coast Mariners in their last trip to this stage – men's grand finals hadn't been kind to City over the years. But this was different. The top-level talent might not be the same as in previous campaigns but in its place is a trusted if unheralded depth. Vidmar backed 17-year-old Medin Memeti with 24 minutes off the bench in the decider as he replaced 19-year-old Max Caputo, and City carried a level of steel and leadership that didn't allow them to blink under the bright lights as they had done in the past. A year ago, Vidmar told the media after the shootout loss that he was set to come back next season, signing a two-year contract extension after initially arriving as a caretaker. Much of the club's fan base wasn't impressed. After years of swashbuckling, high-scoring football, there was a feeling Vidmar's less spectacular approach would neither deliver them the ruthless drive nor the success they craved. This sense of frustration was only exacerbated when former coach Patrick Kisnorbo landed back in Melbourne not at the helm of City but, instead, at Victory. Advertisement But not only did Victory's gamble on Kisnorbo soon blow up in their faces when he left for Japan in December – Arthur Diles' late-season resurgence sparing the club plenty of blushes – City would go on to finish second and qualify for Asia under Vidmar, fielding the most miserly defence in the league. Entrusting the dressing room to leaders such as Aziz Behich – the move to loan the skipper to Al Nassr last season, in hindsight, a heavy blow to City's hopes – Leckie, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, the squad pulled in the same direction more as the season went on. 'Despite people thinking you don't do a worldwide search, we have the capability of doing that within the [City Football Group],' said Petrillo. 'Aurelio's numbers came up really high in the data that we had. 'He had a lot of things to contend with last year. He inherited a side with probably not quite the right mentality. And we made some wholesale changes at the end – some of them were made for us. But I knew, working with him, I could see where we were going.' Related: Melbourne City defeat Melbourne Victory in A-League Men grand final – as it happened Indeed, difficult as it may be to imagine, given he's got a stand at Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour, Vidmar's contribution to Australian football is perhaps underappreciated in the broader footballing public. the 58-year-old is one of the best players ever produced by the country and one of the most talented to ever pull on a Socceroos shirt. But given his playing career ended before the World Cup qualification for 2006, he never got the mainstream exposure of others. His coaching career, meanwhile, features a premiership and Asian final with Adelaide but had largely been characterised in 'pissant town' remarks. Now, though, just over a year after his barbequing of some prime rib was interrupted by his old friend Petrillo calling him out of the blue to come to City, he's an A-League Men championship-winning coach too.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Melbourne City face up to winning ugly to end run of A-League near misses
Despair for one side of Melbourne, jubilation for the other. It was 5 May 2024 and after a heroic performance from keeper Paul Izzo, Melbourne Victory had just eliminated Melbourne City from the A-League Men finals after a dramatic penalty shootout. Illustrative of the high standards set, it capped off the worst season City had experienced in recent times, scraping into the playoffs after sacking coach Rado Vidošić just two weeks into the campaign and failing to reach the grand final for the first time in five years. A host of club legends would soon depart amid league-wide cuts to distributions and budgets. It almost felt like the recession the club needed to have. But the bear is gone, and the bull is back. As referee Adam Kersey's whistle rang out for the final time in front of a record crowd at AAMI Park and players sank to their knees in joyous celebration in front of him, coach Aurelio Vidmar was wrapped in a bear hug by his director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Scott Jamieson and Paul Pezos. City had sealed a 1-0 triumph over Victory on Saturday night to become champions of Australia for the second time. Joe Marston medallist as best despite finishing the game in being a bloody mess, Mat Leckie's performance was not only of the legacy-defining variety but also reflective of the way his side went about returning to the mountain top. It hadn't been pretty in the slightest, but it had been effective. Physicality and desperation added to a cunning ability to ride the whistle and slow the game down and disrupt their opponents' flow. It ensured that Yonatan Cohen's 10th-minute goal was all that would be needed, Victory failing to produce much in the way of anything that would constitute a major threat to Patrick Beah's goal. Losing four of the previous five deciders they had reached – lowlighted by a 6-1 hammering by Central Coast Mariners in their last trip to this stage – men's grand finals hadn't been kind to City over the years. But this was different. The top-level talent might not be the same as in previous campaigns but in its place is a trusted if unheralded depth. Vidmar backed 17-year-old Medin Memeti with 24 minutes off the bench in the decider as he replaced 19-year-old Max Caputo, and City carried a level of steel and leadership that didn't allow them to blink under the bright lights as they had done in the past. Presenting your Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final 2025 Champions: @MelbourneCity! 🏆👏 A year ago, Vidmar told the media after the shootout loss that he was set to come back next season, signing a two-year contract extension after initially arriving as a caretaker. Much of the club's fan base wasn't impressed. After years of swashbuckling, high-scoring football, there was a feeling Vidmar's less spectacular approach would neither deliver them the ruthless drive nor the success they craved. This sense of frustration was only exacerbated when former coach Patrick Kisnorbo landed back in Melbourne not at the helm of City but, instead, at Victory. But not only did Victory's gamble on Kisnorbo soon blow up in their faces when he left for Japan in December – Arthur Diles' late-season resurgence sparing the club plenty of blushes – City would go on to finish second and qualify for Asia under Vidmar, fielding the most miserly defence in the league. Entrusting the dressing room to leaders such as Aziz Behich – the move to loan the skipper to Al Nassr last season, in hindsight, a heavy blow to City's hopes – Leckie, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo, the squad pulled in the same direction more as the season went on. 'Despite people thinking you don't do a worldwide search, we have the capability of doing that within the [City Football Group],' said Petrillo. 'Aurelio's numbers came up really high in the data that we had. 'He had a lot of things to contend with last year. He inherited a side with probably not quite the right mentality. And we made some wholesale changes at the end – some of them were made for us. But I knew, working with him, I could see where we were going.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Indeed, difficult as it may be to imagine, given he's got a stand at Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour, Vidmar's contribution to Australian football is perhaps underappreciated in the broader footballing public. the 58-year-old is one of the best players ever produced by the country and one of the most talented to ever pull on a Socceroos shirt. But given his playing career ended before the World Cup qualification for 2006, he never got the mainstream exposure of others. His coaching career, meanwhile, features a premiership and Asian final with Adelaide but had largely been characterised in 'pissant town' remarks. Now, though, just over a year after his barbequing of some prime rib was interrupted by his old friend Petrillo calling him out of the blue to come to City, he's an A-League Men championship-winning coach too.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory
Jubilation for one side of Melbourne, despair for the other. Melbourne City are champions of the A-League Men after defeating Melbourne Victory 1-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday. As the final whistle rang out, Joe Marston Medalist Mat Leckie moved to embrace young teammate Alessandro Lopane. On the sideline, coach Aurelio Vidmar – who had never previously beaten Victory as City coach and lost to Victory in the 2009 decider as coach of Adelaide – was embraced in a bearhug by City director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Paul Pezos and Scott Jamison. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City defeat Melbourne Victory in A-League Men grand final Normal service has resumed in the A-League Men. Melbourne City stand atop the mountaintop, their fifth trophy in five years secured. In the end, they didn't do it in the type of grand final that will go down in the annals for the quality of its play – these high-stakes games rarely do, after all. But it was a game played with tension, with fire and, at times, with controversy. The prospect of City and Victory clashing produced one of the most anticipated deciders in recent memory and a sense of electricity permeated the air well before kickoff, with the Victory fans that made up a large proportion of the 29,902 fans in attendance drowning out City's 'Happy Together' anthem. But a dampener was placed on their buzz just ten minutes in when Aziz Behich marauded down the left and backheeled the ball to Andreas Kuen, who squared the ball for Max Caputo. The teenager's resulting effort careened off the crossbar, but this reprieve was short-lived, as the ball sat up for Yonatan Cohen to drive between the legs of Kasey Bos and give his side the lead. Advertisement Victory had started the contest breathing fire but now found themselves down the first time their foes had got the ball into their penalty area. Making matters worse was that this wasn't just any opponent but the most miserly defence in the A-League Men and, under Vidmar, the most well-organised of any City side in recent years. Illustrative of this, Santos would muscle his way past the City skipper nine minutes later and cut the ball back for Zinédine Machach, only for the Frenchman's effort to be blocked by a desperate diving lunge from Leckie. Outside of questions surrounding his fitness, few would have been surprised coming into the game that the Socceroo would be best afield. One of the most accomplished attackers in Australia, the 34-year-old was deployed in an unexpected holding midfield role in the grand final and responded by helping to shut down much of the flow or rhythm to Victory's play. Collected by an inadvertent boot from Zinedine Machach minutes into the second half, he would spend the second stanza with blood seeping from a bandage hastily wrapped around his face, providing the grand final with yet another bloodied, bruised and triumphant hero. With Victory's midfield largely neutralised – City adapting quickly to referee Adam Kersey's permissive whistle – it fell to Daniel Arzani to try and spark Victory into action. The Socceroo had more touches than anyone in the game, many of them of the fancy variety we've come to expect, but his growing sense of desperation couldn't produce a leveller. His side thought they should have had a penalty in the 80th minute when Germán Ferreyra – taking a break from being a wrecking ball – had a clearing header from Kai Trewin clatter off his arm, only for VAR to clear the incident. At the same time, however, Victory was kept alive by City's repeated failed efforts to land a killer blow. Just seconds into the second stanza, Jack Duncan flew to his right to deny Cohen's bending attempt for a second. In the 64th minute, Caputo opted to turn and shoot wide rather than square the ball to a wide-open Steven Ugarkovic. In the 76th, Marco Tilio dropped a cross onto the head of an open Cohen at the back post, only for the winger to send his header across the face of the goal. In the end, though, it didn't matter. After one of the great nights of Australian football, City are champions.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Melbourne City clinch championship with fiery A-League Men grand final win over Victory
Jubilation for one side of Melbourne, despair for the other. Melbourne City are champions of the A-League Men after defeating Melbourne Victory 1-0 at AAMI Park on Saturday. As the final whistle rang out, Joe Marston Medalist Mat Leckie moved to embrace young teammate Alessandro Lopane. On the sideline, coach Aurelio Vidmar – who had never previously beaten Victory as City coach and lost to Victory in the 2009 decider as coach of Adelaide – was embraced in a bearhug by City director of football Michael Petrillo and assistants Paul Pezos and Scott Jamison. Normal service has resumed in the A-League Men. Melbourne City stand atop the mountaintop, their fifth trophy in five years secured. In the end, they didn't do it in the type of grand final that will go down in the annals for the quality of its play – these high-stakes games rarely do, after all. But it was a game played with tension, with fire and, at times, with controversy. The prospect of City and Victory clashing produced one of the most anticipated deciders in recent memory and a sense of electricity permeated the air well before kickoff, with the Victory fans that made up a large proportion of the 29,902 fans in attendance drowning out City's 'Happy Together' anthem. But a dampener was placed on their buzz just ten minutes in when Aziz Behich marauded down the left and backheeled the ball to Andreas Kuen, who squared the ball for Max Caputo. The teenager's resulting effort careened off the crossbar, but this reprieve was short-lived, as the ball sat up for Yonatan Cohen to drive between the legs of Kasey Bos and give his side the lead. Victory had started the contest breathing fire but now found themselves down the first time their foes had got the ball into their penalty area. Making matters worse was that this wasn't just any opponent but the most miserly defence in the A-League Men and, under Vidmar, the most well-organised of any City side in recent years. Illustrative of this, Santos would muscle his way past the City skipper nine minutes later and cut the ball back for Zinédine Machach, only for the Frenchman's effort to be blocked by a desperate diving lunge from Leckie. Outside of questions surrounding his fitness, few would have been surprised coming into the game that the Socceroo would be best afield. One of the most accomplished attackers in Australia, the 34-year-old was deployed in an unexpected holding midfield role in the grand final and responded by helping to shut down much of the flow or rhythm to Victory's play. Collected by an inadvertent boot from Zinedine Machach minutes into the second half, he would spend the second stanza with blood seeping from a bandage hastily wrapped around his face, providing the grand final with yet another bloodied, bruised and triumphant hero. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion With Victory's midfield largely neutralised – City adapting quickly to referee Adam Kersey's permissive whistle – it fell to Daniel Arzani to try and spark Victory into action. The Socceroo had more touches than anyone in the game, many of them of the fancy variety we've come to expect, but his growing sense of desperation couldn't produce a leveller. His side thought they should have had a penalty in the 80th minute when Germán Ferreyra – taking a break from being a wrecking ball – had a clearing header from Kai Trewin clatter off his arm, only for VAR to clear the incident. At the same time, however, Victory was kept alive by City's repeated failed efforts to land a killer blow. Just seconds into the second stanza, Jack Duncan flew to his right to deny Cohen's bending attempt for a second. In the 64th minute, Caputo opted to turn and shoot wide rather than square the ball to a wide-open Steven Ugarkovic. In the 76th, Marco Tilio dropped a cross onto the head of an open Cohen at the back post, only for the winger to send his header across the face of the goal. In the end, though, it didn't matter. After one of the great nights of Australian football, City are champions.
