Sweet relief, for now at least, as Victory sees off Adelaide
You could see the sense of catharsis pouring off every Melbourne Victory player amid their 2-1 win over Adelaide, as the suffocating pressure surrounding the side was relieved... at least for a week.
You could see it bellowing out of every fibre of Nikos Vergos’ being as he whipped his shirt off and sprinted towards the North Terrace, roaring in celebration following the second of his two goals in Melbourne Victory’s 2-1 win over Adelaide United.
It was the sheer, palpable relief, drawn not only from netting the goal that secured his side their first win in five games, but also nabbing his first in eight months – quieting not only the demons that infect every striker’s thoughts when they go through a lean run but also, he’ll hope, secure some relief from the disdain that had been sent his way with ever-increasing volume during this drought. Just over half an hour earlier, the catharsis was already evident on the Greek striker when he rose, veins in his neck bulging after he turned in a Jordi Valadon cross at close range, and sprinted away in celebration of his first before joining his teammates in enveloping Arthur Diles in a bear hug in front of the Victory bench.
Both his goals delivered a just lead for the hosts, one which ultimately augured a deserved win at AAMI Park. They had been ripping Adelaide to pieces in transition to that point, creating a series of chances for the likes of Santos, Juan Mata, Nishan Velupillay, and Louis D’Arrigo that on another day could have easily delivered a greater lead. Mata, in particular, was a cut above across his 79 minutes, at times seemingly having the ball on a string as he directed traffic, delivering the assist for Vergos’ second (after being picked out by a fantastic Jason Davidson pass), and even forcing Joshua Smits into a desperate backtracking save with an audacious lob from at least 35 yards out.
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His side already dealt a blow minutes in when Bart Vriends succumbed to an injury sustained in the warm-up, Adelaide gaffer Airton Andrioli would observe following the game that, aside from a late flurry in which they chased the game, his unit was left playing catch-up for most of the contest: trailing their opponents to the contests and second-balls and, even with a three-game losing run potentially awaiting them, not quite able to match their desperation.
“I’m very confident that we’re going to be around the mark in the end,” the Brazilian said.
“I’m very confident that we have players and a way of playing football that’s going to get us to the end.
“It’s a long season. I mean, Victory was under pressure. I always say this, we tend to put people up the top very quickly. Now, all of a sudden, you are a superstar. Next week, you are a nobody.”
But maybe the convergence in urgency between the two belligerents is understandable. As it’s not hyperbole to suggest that Vergos and the rest of his teammates may just have saved Diles’ job in downing their Original Rivalry foes on Saturday. Rooted to the foot of the table coming into the game, anything other than three points, especially if it was paired with another scoreless effort that would have made it a club-record five games without troubling the scorers, felt like it would have to come close to providing the straw that finally broke the camel’s back for the Victory brass.
The club’s fans had made their feelings apparent before the game, unveiling banners emblazoned with grievances ranging from “10 years ago we bossed the league” to “Melb boys are NOT #1”
Perhaps this was why when Dylan Perias dragged one back for the visitors in the 86th minute, a palpable sense of tension descended. Victory has made something of an art form of throwing away games late in recent years, so absolutely nobody watching needed to stretch their imaginations too far to envision a scenario in which the hosts somehow found a way to turn a 2-0 lead heading into the final ten minutes, an advantage which featured multiple opportunities to ice the game off with a third or even fourth, into a draw. If they had, had Perias’ 91st-minute header dipped just a few inches lower and found the net, who knows if Diles would have been safe?
In the end, we’ll never know. We don’t need to know. Saturday’s win ensured that Diles, who has incorporated words such as “war” and “battle” into his vocabulary in recent weeks, will live to fight another day and, as he had done in the build-up, allowed him to emphasise the effort and endeavour of his players post-game.
“It’s never about me,” he said. “Never has been, never will be. For me, it’s about 18 players tonight that were out there on the team sheet, and the other five to ten that weren’t part of the match-day squad. They’re the ones that train hard every day, and they’re the ones that deserve to be rewarded, and that’s the most pleasing thing.”
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Of course, while Saturday’s win brought catharsis, the coach also isn’t out of the woods just yet. Far from it. One only needs to look at the (relatively) sparse crowd of 9103 in attendance at what was once one of the league’s marquee fixtures to know that Victory can’t afford for this to be a one-off result if they want to bring fans back.
One can also look ahead to a Christmas Derby showdown with Melbourne City next week, a game that will mark one year since Diles first took over following Patrick Kisnorbo’s stunning walkout, to find a fixture that could turn any thoughts of a revival on its head. Between an early winless run as interim, to reaching a grand final after being made permanent, and then this season’s early-season struggles, the Victory boss is very familiar with how quickly the wheel can turn in this role. And Aurelio Vidmar’s City is more than capable of bringing the mood crashing down to earth, just as they did earlier in the season and last year’s grand final.
“It’s a positive result,” he said. “More importantly, it was a very good performance.
“Yeah, it sets us up now for a match next week against Melbourne City, which is another Derby, the pre-Christmas derby.
“But if we don’t turn up next week, tonight means nothing.”