Tim Cahill wonder-goal lights up Melbourne derby as City run riotMelbourne Victory 1-4 Melbourne CitySocceroo Tim Cahill has marked his return to league football in Australia in the most remarkable fashion, scoring a 40-metre stunner to announce his arrival.
It wasn’t just remarkable, it was incredible. But it was also so typically Cahill.
When all other players saw a bobbling ball in the centre circle, Cahill saw something else.
Surging onto the loose ball, Cahill swung his right boot and was richly rewarded, seeing his effort arrow over Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas and into the top right corner.
As Victory’s players and fans picked their jaws up from the floor, Cahill was punching the corner flag in trademark style in front of 43,188.
If this is what the A-League can expect, then it won’t be long until Melbourne City and Football Federation Australia consider their mammoth investment on the 36-year-old money well spent.
The only people not delighting in Cahill’s phenomenal effort were Victory fans, who instead produced a chorus of ‘You’re only here for the money’.
In joining City on a two-year playing deal, Cahill is reportedly among the league’s highest-ever earners.
FFA have tipped in a component of his wages, in recognition of his efforts to lift the league’s profile.
The same player who took his talents to the English Premier League and three World Cups is now delighting on home soil.
And on this evidence, fans will be flocking to see the all-time leading Socceroos scorer across the country.
Bruno Fornaroli, Luke Brattan and Fernando Brandan also scored to punish Victory – who replied through Marco Rojas – in a display which confirmed City’s title credentials.
And the full-time result was entirely fair too after City unleashed a scintillating display of attacking football.
John van ‘t Schip’s inspired decision to play three defenders allowed City to overload Victory going forward, and in time that dominance paid off.
Cahill nabbed the first and Fornaroli added his name to the scoresheet four minutes later.
Nicolas Colazo overlapped on the left and zinged a cross to the back post where the Uruguayan pounced with a diving header.
Kevin Muscat’s shell-shocked side were drowning, conceding 10 shots to one in a brutal first half.
It got worse on 52 minutes, when Brattan sidefooted home Bruce Kamau’s cut-back before celebrating with City’s jubilant fans.
The Victory coach responded by hauling off Mitch Austin and the disappointing Oliver Bozanic for Leigh Broxham and Nick Ansell, and soon had some reward.
Rojas danced his way past four City defenders to score past Dean Bouzanis to give Victory hope.
If not for Cahill’s long-range stunner, it would have been an easy choice for goal of the match.
But Victory’s delight didn’t even last a minute before another flew in, sinking their chances of a first win of the season.
Brandan jinked Jason Geria as he powered towards goal, finishing past Lawrence Thomas at his near post.
Besart Berisha confirmed Victory’s lacklustre night by heading a sitter wide with five minutes remaining.
A superb display from Milos Ninkovic has lifted Sydney FC to an emphatic 4-0 win over A-League battlers Central Coast.
The Serbian playmaker was influential all over Allianz Stadium, setting up first-half goals for Filip Holosko and Bobo to kickstart the Sky Blues’ third consecutive four-goal league haul.
Holosko then converted a penalty – his third goal in two games – and captain Alex Brosque netted one after coming off the bench thanks to a farcical error by former Sydney FC goalkeeper Ivan Necevski.
With only five shots to Sydney’s 17, the scoreline flattered Paul Okon’s reinvented Mariners, who were spirited but lacked composure whereas the hosts had it in droves.
They dominated possession – 65 per cent throughout the match – but Sydney were patient awaiting an opening.
The first came in the 18th minute when Ninkovic picked out Holosko with an inch-perfect pass.
The Slovakian winger skipped onto it and, seeing Necevski off his line, chipped straight over the custodian and into the net.
The Mariners created their own chances and Trent Buhagiar came close to an equaliser, closing in on Sydney’s goal and thwarted only by Michael Zullo’s brilliant clearance.
Roy O’Donovan had a crack, too, but could only find the side of the netting under pressure from a rushing Danny Vukovic.
But the Mariners were left to rue their copious errors, Jacob Poscoliero inadvertently laying Sydney’s second goal on a platter.
Ninkovic worked the magic again, lifting a lovely ball to Bobo for the Brazilian to tap down off his chest and slam home.
“Milos is a fantastic player, I don’t hide that even in front of him,” Sydney coach Graham Arnold said.
“The difference for him is he’s got players now making the right runs.
“The ball he gave Filip for the first goal was world class, but he can’t play that ball unless Filip makes that run.”
Poscoliero’s match finished soon after, succumbing to injury and allowing Jacques Faty to step up against the club who offloaded him, midfielder Mickael Tavares and Necevski in the off-season.
It was also a premature end for former Mariners stalwart Alex Wilkinson, the Socceroos’ centre-back suffering an ankle injury following a rash tackle from Connor Pain.
With Seb Ryall on to replace him, Bobo won a second-half penalty thanks to Jake McGing’s flailing arms and Holosko duly converted from the spot.
Necevski was at fault for conceding the fourth when he preposterously lost possession trying to scoop up a corner, allowing Brosque to roll the ball into an open net as Sydney’s active supporter base The Cove jeered behind him.
Okon was loath to focus on individual mistakes but admitted they were an issue.
“We’re aware of it. It happened last week and again tonight ... but we came here tonight, we were very brave and dominated possession,” Okon said.
“If you’re going to make schoolboy errors against any opposition, let alone a team that’s in form playing at home, you’re going to concede goals.”