Adelaide United FC Season 2006-07
Encyclopedia
Adelaide United FC
's 2006–07 season season was the Reds' A-League 2006–07 season. The club had a successful first season of the A-League
, winning the Premiership and finishing third in the finals series. Adelaide began their 2006-07 season with a 2-2 draw with local club Adelaide Galaxy
and a 2-1 win over a State Select in their pre-season fixtures. This was followed up with a highly successful pre-season cup which the Reds won, defeating on penalties in the grand final.
Out
United signed Jason Spagnuolo
and Greg Owens
on long-term deals after they impressed during their 4-week stay in the 2005–06 season. Qu Shengqing
originally left Adelaide to return to China but has now signed for another A-League season. Nathan Burns
joins Adelaide from the AIS.
. The 1994 World Cup winner is still attempting to score 1,000 goals and be up there with Pelé
as the all-time greatest scorer. Romário, 40, will play for the Reds on a four week guest stint of which each club is allowed to sign two players. Last year, Sydney FC
signed Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura
for four A-League
matches and the Club World Championships and this season they are set to sign Italian forward Benito Carbone
. The Newcastle United Jets
are also reportedly interested in a guest player, former 1990s English striker Stan Collymore
.
The Football Federation Australia
has agreed to let Adelaide United sign Romário. This came days after they said no to the Jets in their chase for Collymore. Romário is still playing for Miami FC
in the United Soccer Leagues
which is America's second division. He is currently on 984 career goals and needs 16 more to reach the 1,000 mark which he says has become an obsession.
It was reported in The Advertiser on Wednesday 27 September 2006, that the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
had inquired about Romário
. The Sultan could offer much bigger money than Adelaide United and things could completely turn around. The article also stated the matches that Romário is most likely to play. Under the deal that United wish to sign himon, Romário would play two matches for his current club Miami FC
against Adelaide United and two days later against an FFSA Select Team
with both of these matches at Hindmarsh Stadium
. He would then play four A-League
matches for United against the Mariners in Gosford, followed by three home matches against Melbourne, New Zealand
and Newcastle
. United are also reportedly looking at the option of signing him for the rest of the A-League season.
On Friday 29 September 2006, Adelaide United Football Club released an official statement on their website which confirmed the signing of Romário to a four match guest stint. He will play four A-League
matches for United against Central Coast
in Gosford, followed by three home matches against Melbourne Victory, NZ Knights
and Newcastle Jets
.
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before draws against the Mariners and Perth. They failed to take advantage of the Bonus Round offer only beating the NZ Knights 1-0. This meant that they would meet Sydney FC
in Wollongong, continuing a strong rivalry formed in Season One. Adelaide's Kristian Rees
scored an injury time winner to send the Reds through to their first ever final. United won this match on penalties after Andre Gumprecht cancelled out Carl Veart's spectacular overhead bicycle kick
. Stewart Petrie
was the unlucky Mariner to miss while Carl Veart
was the hero with the winning spot kick.
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>
Adelaide United are looking to build upon their successful opening season in which they won the minor premiership. They choked in the finals however and their aim for Season Two is to achieve results in the Finals Series. They open the season with away matches in Melbourne
and Auckland
.
A thoroughly deserved win for Melbourne who dominated. The three Brazilians impressed particularly Alessandro
who won the penalty and gave Adelaide's Richie Alagich
a lot of trouble down the flanks. Grant Brebner
was also very good. For Adelaide the likes of Shengqing Qu, Travis Dodd
, Carl Veart
did not produce their best football and Adelaide's attack was toothless.
Another lacklustre performance from Adelaide as the much-improved New Zealand Knights stole all three points with an early contender for goal of the season from Ghanaian midfielder Malik Buari
. Sean Devine
, Jonti Richter
and Darren Bazeley
were all solid contributors for NZ while the entire Adelaide side played well below their best.
Adelaide returns to form with an emphatic 5-1 demolition of the Newcastle United Jets on a cold, wet Friday night at Hindmarsh Stadium. Nothing went right for the Jets as United scored 3 times in the first half an hour with all 3 goals beginning with set pieces. Fernando got the ball rolling as he turned in a Jason Spagnuolo
free kick. Robert Cornthwaite followed up a superb Ross Aloisi
free kick and then Chinese striker Qu scored directly from a free kick. Jets striker Bridge pulled one back for the Jets in the second half but defender Durante scored a horrendous own goal. Bobby Petta
impressed on his debut match for the Reds.
Adelaide United put in their second successive impressive performance and they were simply too good for the Glory who seemed to have no power going forward without injured stars Stan Lazaridis
and Bobby Despotovski
. United created chances from the first whistle with Dodd going close before Fernando
opened the scoring with a shot in the 14th minute which beat goalkeeper Aleks Vrteski
. The second goal came as the Glory defence sat back allowing superb winger Dodd too much time and space and he blasted the ball straight through Vrteski to make it 2-0. United added the third goal five minutes after the interval as Fernando's shot which was heading wide of the target took a wicked deflection off Jamie Coyne
and fooled Vrteski. Coyne was credited with the own goal. United then created late chances through subs Bobby Petta
and debutant Dez Giraldi
but the score remained at 3-0.
Queensland dominated their match against Adelaide and certainly showed why they are title contenders early in the season. Their five-man attack consisting of Ante Milicic
, Reinaldo
, Yuning Zhang
, Simon Lynch
and Dario Vidosic
is certain to score goals this season and only some outstanding saves by Reds 'keeper Robert Bajic
kept Adelaide in the game. Shengqing Qu will come under the FFA
review panel's scrutiny for his headbutt on Roar captain Chad Gibson
. At the end of the match a flurry of Queensland chances, most of which fell to Zhang, weren't enough to secure the points for QLD even though they thoroughly deserved the win.
A poor match from Adelaide allowed Sydney FC to move four points clear of them on the A-League ladder. Sydney FC started the match well with Alex Brosque
and Benito Carbone
playing good football in and around the box. Travis Dodd had the first real chance of the game in a one-on-one with Clint Bolton
but the speedy United winger took a bad touch allowing Bolton to make an easy save. In the 38th minute, Carbone was allowed too much time and space and he lobbed a perfect ball over to Zadkovich who tapped the ball past Bajic. United returned from the half time interval as the better team and they only had to wait eight minutes before Young Socceroo Nathan Burns
scored his first A-League
goal. Dodd made all the hard work go to waste however, when three minutes later he scored an own goal attempting to clear a ball which posed no danger. Carbone set up the third with a backheel which broke down the entire defence allowing substitute Petrovski to make the score 3-1. Then Carbone finally scored a goal for himself. He broke free on the right hand side and the flag stayed down allowing him to calmly slot the ball past Bajic. 4-1 to Sydney FC. Jason Spagnuolo
and Carl Veart
missed two easy chances to make the scoreline less embarrassing and Adelaide's defence knows it must improve with the dangerous Damian Mori
coming to Adelaide next Friday night.
A much improved performance from United after the 4-1 drubbing at home by Sydney FC
. The Mariners started as the better side but United scored the opener as Jason Spagnuolo
made the most of a defensive error by Damian Mori to provide the cross from which Carl Veart
headed home from close range. Central Coast hit back a quarter of an hour later as Australian football legend and Socceroos all-time top scorer Damian Mori
received a good ball, beat Ang Costanzo
for pace and rounded 'keeper Robbie Bajic
before celebrating his return to Hindmarsh Stadium
in front of 10,000 booing Reds supporters. Adelaide came out of the dressing rooms after the half time break and threw absolutely everything at CCM with Matthew Kemp and Bobby Petta
having almost identical chances saved by Vukovic. Greg Owens and Nathan Burns also missed crucial opportunities. Petta provided a good corner and tall centre back Kristian Rees headed home for his first goal of the season. Noel Spencer
missed the Mariners' best chance of the half and United wrapped the game up with Carl Veart setting up a free Nathan Burns
who ran the length of one half and slotted the ball past Vukovic.
One of the matches of the season as the Melbourne Victory attempted to maintain a 100% record against an Adelaide side nearing the top of their game. The match got off to a fiery start as Ross Aloisi
and Grant Brebner
received yellow cards in the opening minute. The Victory had the better of the chances during the match, yet it was the Reds who came away with the 3 points as a counter-attacking move saw Greg Owens
run free and slot the ball past 'keeper Theoklitos
. The main talking point however, was an altercation between Victory captain Kevin Muscat
and Adelaide coach John Kosmina
. The ball had gone out of play for a Melbourne throw-in and with his side 0–1 down, Muscat wanted to retrieve the ball quickly. The ball had gone under Kosmina's chair and as the Reds manager was picking it up, Muscat sent the Kossie sprawling to the turf. Kosmina then got up and grabbed Muscat by the throat. Kosmina was sent to the stands while Muscat received a booking. Kosmina was given a 6 week suspension, with two suspended. The Victory still sit atop the A-League
ladder while United are third.
An impressive attacking performance as Adelaide go outright second on the A-League
ladder. Rising stars Nathan Burns
and Bruce Djite
showed that they can do whatever Fernando
and Qu
can do. Jason Spagnuolo
more assists setting up goals for Burns and Petta. However, the defensive effort wasn't as good as the Hindmarsh crowd has come to expect with poor defending giving Noah Hickey
the Knights second of the season and Adam van Dommele
scoring an embarrassing own goal to make matters worse. Dodd sealed the win with a late header which beat Milosevic.
Another exciting match that bore similarities to the Round 5 match against the Roar. Newcastle dominated possession but Adelaide continued to defend well. Bajic made six saves and defenders scrambled to cover him even when he was beaten. As in round five, Adelaide had to absorb pressure, the Jets had 24 shots at goal. Unlike the Queenslanders however, Newcastle punished Adelaide for its lapses in defence. At 1-1, 88 minutes into the match, Carl Veart
had a chance to steal the game and cement second place on the ladder with his third spot kick of the night. The Jets had conceded two penalties with the first having to be retaken. Veart blasted the would-be match sealer over the bar and a minute later the Jets scored the winner instead.
Adelaide born Mimi Saric opened the scoring early in the first half due to some ball watching from the Adelaide defense but Carl Veart equalised literally straight after Saric scored after Spagnuolo was being held in the box. 8 minutes later Greg Owens scored a great goal after Travis Dodd burned down the right win and cross along to Veart, who missed the ball only for Greg Owens to place a perfect shot that creeped into the goal. Greg Owens missed another chance to put his side ahead but headed wide from 3 yards. On half time Perth were awarded a dubious penalty after a player was pushed in the Perth box. Bobby scored from the spot and the teams were equal at half time. Early in the second half Matty Kemp scored a freak goal from a narrow angle where he jumped and kicked the ball over the keepers head only for it to sneak under the crossbar and win the game.
A deserved win for Adelaide who dominated. Adelaide dominated play despite early shots from Queensland and the Roar hardly tested Bajic until the end of the second half. Travis Dodds goal came from a beautiful long pass from Greg Owens deep in the midfield to Carl Veart who shrugged off his defender and delivered a nice ball across the face of goal to give Travis the easiest of goals.
Muscat scored from the spot early in the half after Bajic needlessly kicked Fred in the gut while retrieving the ball. Fernando scored a header from a beautiful cross from Matthew Kemp to equalise and Adelaide looked to score again. Half time came at the wrong time for AUFC as they were gaining momentum. The game was 50/50 after half time until the aging Adelaide Midfield began to tire and in the 61st minute Allsopp scored due and in the 86th minute Fred scored after his 1v1 shot was blocked beautifully by Beltrame, but Fred scored on the rebound.
Gao Leilei scored in the 16th minute after Richie Alagich started to wander and entered the 6 yard box without any pressure and slotted the ball past Beltrames near post. Adelaide had chances and Spagnuolo hit the bar but in the 71st minute Greg Owens passed to Travis Dodd in the midfield and Travis out dribbled the defense to deliver a perfect ball back to Greg Owens whose shot hit the ball then went in off the keeper.
One of the best ever games of Hindmarsh and Romarios departure was a great game. In the 15th minute the young master Spagnuolo skinned two defenders, feinted past Eagleton to deliver a shot at goal that Covic parried away. Luckily Romario was Johnny-on-the-spot and displaced the rebound. Mark Bridge scored a beautiful goal in the 59th minute and straight after kick off, Alagich booted the ball down the Spagnuolo who passed it to Fernando, who miss hit the ball and wrongfooted Covic to deliver a very lucky goal. Matt Thompson scored one of the best goals of the season after skinning Rees and powering the ball into the top of the net. This wasn't enough to stop AUFC as soon after Owens received the ball from Romario on the edge of the box, wrong footed his marker and shot a ball that subtly curved into the top right hand corner.
This match was Diegos debut and he impressed very much so. The only real chance or highlight in the game was the goal. Travis Dodd was brought down on the edge of the box and Petta took the free kick. Petta crossed to an unmarked Diego who headed the ball into Fernandos chest and the ball went through Boltons legs, although Fernando didn't know too much about it. Soon after Beltrame denied Coricas header with a great diving save and Adelaide took second place.
Adelaide scored in the 10th minute thanks to some brilliant wingplay from former Celtic star Bobby Petta who crossed the ball across the goal to Burns who scored a very easy tap in. After half time Kwasnik missed a penalty after Kemp handballed in the box and straight after Burns scored his second of the night with a cheeky feint to trick the keeper. Soon after Burns made his own goal after passing to Djite who passed to Petta, who rolled the ball through the Mariners defense to give Burnsy a relatively easy goal. Pondeljaks goal came after a messed up clearance by Beltrame. Beltrame kicked it straight to Pondeljak who showed some killer instinct and skill by perfectly placing it above Bells head and ending his hope for his clean sheet. Djite hit the bar from a stunning volley from distance but failed to score. This game cemented Adelaides second place finish.
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
's 2006–07 season season was the Reds' A-League 2006–07 season. The club had a successful first season of the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, winning the Premiership and finishing third in the finals series. Adelaide began their 2006-07 season with a 2-2 draw with local club Adelaide Galaxy
Adelaide Galaxy
Adelaide Galaxy is a football club which participates in the South Australian Super League. The club is located in Novar Gardens, South Australia, a western suburb of Adelaide. They are the oldest club in the league.- History :...
and a 2-1 win over a State Select in their pre-season fixtures. This was followed up with a highly successful pre-season cup which the Reds won, defeating on penalties in the grand final.
Squad changes
In| Name | Position | Moving from |
|---|---|---|
 RomárioRomário Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown... |
Forward |  Miami FCMiami FC Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid... |
 Dez GiraldiDez Giraldi Dezmon Wallace Giraldi is a football player.-Club career:Giraldi signed with Australian A-League club Adelaide United for the 2006-07 season, after a four-week stint with the Central Coast Mariners during the 2005-06 A-League season... |
Forward |  EmpoliEmpoli F.C. Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.In recent years, the club has all too often been bouncing between Italy's two top divisions... |
| Greg Owens Greg Owens Greg Owens is an Australian football player who plays in the position of attacking midfielder... |
Midfielder | Sydney United Sydney United Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area... |
| Nathan Burns Nathan Burns Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS.... |
Midfielder | AIS |
 Bobby PettaBobby Petta Alfred Manuel "Bobby" Petta is a retired Dutch professional footballer and is currently a personal trainer based in Glasgow... |
Midfielder |  Bradford CityBradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two.... |
| Jason Spagnuolo Jason Spagnuolo Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:... |
Midfielder | MetroStars North Eastern MetroStars The Metro Stars is a football club from Adelaide, South Australia which plays in the South Australian Super League. It is based at the T.K Shutter reserve in the north-eastern suburb of Klemzig... |
Out
| Name | Position | Moving to |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Brain Louis Brain Louis Karl Brain is an English-Australian professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder. He played for Adelaide United in the newly formed Hyundai A-League's inaugural season, but was delisted in the close season... |
Midfielder | Dandenong Thunder |
| Chad Bugeja Chad Bugeja Chad Bugeja is an Australian soccer player. He played as a striker for Adelaide United in the newly formed Hyundai A-League's inaugural season, but was delisted in the close season... |
Forward | Adelaide City Adelaide City Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League... |
| Michael Matricciani Michael Matricciani Michael Matricciani is an Australian football player who currently plays as a striker for I-League club Chirag United.-Club career:... |
Forward | Campbelltown City |
| Tony Hatzis Tony Hatzis Tony Hatzis is an Australian football player who plays in the position as a central midfielder... |
Midfielder |  Ethnikos Olympiakos VolosEthnikos Olympiakos Volos F.C. Olympiakos Volou Football Club , is a Greek football club based in the city of Volos. It is currently inactive and does not compete in any professional league, due to the 2011 match fixing scandal that caused the teams complete elimination.-History:... |
United signed Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:...
and Greg Owens
Greg Owens
Greg Owens is an Australian football player who plays in the position of attacking midfielder...
on long-term deals after they impressed during their 4-week stay in the 2005–06 season. Qu Shengqing
Qu Shengqing
Qu Shengqing is a Chinese association football coach and former international player. As a player he was predominantly remembered for his time with Liaoning FC where he personally won the Golden Boot in the 1999 league season before joining Shanghai Shenhua and winning the 2003 league title with...
originally left Adelaide to return to China but has now signed for another A-League season. Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....
joins Adelaide from the AIS.
Romário
Adelaide United are currently linked with Brazilian football legend RomárioRomário
Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown...
. The 1994 World Cup winner is still attempting to score 1,000 goals and be up there with Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as the all-time greatest scorer. Romário, 40, will play for the Reds on a four week guest stint of which each club is allowed to sign two players. Last year, Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
signed Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura
Kazuyoshi Miura
----Kazuyoshi Miura , often known simply as Kazu, is a Japanese football striker. He has played for the Japanese national team and was the first Japanese recipient of the Asian Player of the Year award in 1993, an award presented annually by the Asian Football Confederation. He is currently with...
for four A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
matches and the Club World Championships and this season they are set to sign Italian forward Benito Carbone
Benito Carbone
Benito known as Benny Carbone is a retired Italian professional footballer and former manager of Serie B club Varese. He played as a forward, winger or midfielder...
. The Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
are also reportedly interested in a guest player, former 1990s English striker Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...
.
The Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
has agreed to let Adelaide United sign Romário. This came days after they said no to the Jets in their chase for Collymore. Romário is still playing for Miami FC
Miami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
in the United Soccer Leagues
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
which is America's second division. He is currently on 984 career goals and needs 16 more to reach the 1,000 mark which he says has become an obsession.
It was reported in The Advertiser on Wednesday 27 September 2006, that the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
had inquired about Romário
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown...
. The Sultan could offer much bigger money than Adelaide United and things could completely turn around. The article also stated the matches that Romário is most likely to play. Under the deal that United wish to sign himon, Romário would play two matches for his current club Miami FC
Miami FC
Fort Lauderdale Strikers is an American professional association football team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
against Adelaide United and two days later against an FFSA Select Team
Football Federation of South Australia
The Football Federation of South Australia is the governing body of association football in South Australia. The FFSA are affiliated to the Football Federation Australia...
with both of these matches at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
. He would then play four A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
matches for United against the Mariners in Gosford, followed by three home matches against Melbourne, New Zealand
New Zealand Knights FC
This page details the history of the club. For information on seasons and results see New Zealand Knights seasons 2005-06 and 2006-07New Zealand Knights Football Club were the only professional football club in New Zealand before they became defunct...
and Newcastle
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
. United are also reportedly looking at the option of signing him for the rest of the A-League season.
On Friday 29 September 2006, Adelaide United Football Club released an official statement on their website which confirmed the signing of Romário to a four match guest stint. He will play four A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
matches for United against Central Coast
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
in Gosford, followed by three home matches against Melbourne Victory, NZ Knights
New Zealand Knights FC
This page details the history of the club. For information on seasons and results see New Zealand Knights seasons 2005-06 and 2006-07New Zealand Knights Football Club were the only professional football club in New Zealand before they became defunct...
and Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
.
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Pre-season friendlies
Adelaide United played two major pre-season friendlies. They began with a 2-2 draw with Galaxy and played in front of a 1500 strong crowd at the Marden Sports Complex against a Super League Select.----
A-League Pre-Season Cup
United performed well in the group stage beating Melbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
before draws against the Mariners and Perth. They failed to take advantage of the Bonus Round offer only beating the NZ Knights 1-0. This meant that they would meet Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
in Wollongong, continuing a strong rivalry formed in Season One. Adelaide's Kristian Rees
Kristian Rees
Kristian Rees is an Australian football player who plays in the position as a central defender.-Club career:He made his NSL debut playing for Adelaide City...
scored an injury time winner to send the Reds through to their first ever final. United won this match on penalties after Andre Gumprecht cancelled out Carl Veart's spectacular overhead bicycle kick
Bicycle kick
A Bicycle kick or Scissor kick is a physical move made by throwing the body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways...
. Stewart Petrie
Stewart Petrie
Stewart Petrie is a former Scottish football player who is currently assistant manager of Arbroath F.C. who compete in the Irn Bru Scottish Third Division.-Career:...
was the unlucky Mariner to miss while Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
was the hero with the winning spot kick.
Group Stage
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Bonus Round
----Play-off Round
----Final
----Table
Adelaide United are looking to build upon their successful opening season in which they won the minor premiership. They choked in the finals however and their aim for Season Two is to achieve results in the Finals Series. They open the season with away matches in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
Round 1
----A thoroughly deserved win for Melbourne who dominated. The three Brazilians impressed particularly Alessandro
Alessandro Viana da Silva
Alessandro Viana da Silva is a Brazilian football player.Born in Recife, Brazil, he has previously played for Brazilian clubs sides Internacional Porto Alegre, ADAP and Angra dos Reis. Alessandro is a lightning-quick left-back who possesses a fine technique and an attacking attitude to the position...
who won the penalty and gave Adelaide's Richie Alagich
Richie Alagich
Richie Alagich is a retired Australian football player. He was a right full back mostly known for playing for Adelaide United in the A-League...
a lot of trouble down the flanks. Grant Brebner
Grant Brebner
Grant Ian Brebner is a Scottish association football player, who currently plays for Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory. Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994, and although he was a member of the club's successful youth side, he failed to break into...
was also very good. For Adelaide the likes of Shengqing Qu, Travis Dodd
Travis Dodd
Travis Dodd is an Indigenous Australian football player who plays for Perth Glory in the A-League. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.-Club career:...
, Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
did not produce their best football and Adelaide's attack was toothless.
Round 2
----Another lacklustre performance from Adelaide as the much-improved New Zealand Knights stole all three points with an early contender for goal of the season from Ghanaian midfielder Malik Buari
Malik Buari
Malik Buari is a Ghanaian football midfielder and left-sided defender. He currently plays for the Combined Counties League team Chessington & Hook United.- Career :...
. Sean Devine
Sean Devine
Sean Devine is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.He began his career with Millwall. Having spent time on loan with Woking in 1992, he spent two years with Bromley and one with Fisher Athletic before moving to Cyprus to play for Anorthosis Famagusta in the summer of 1995...
, Jonti Richter
Jonti Richter
Jonathan Richter is an Australian professional football player currently playing for Queensland State League side Brisbane Strikers, where he plays as a midfielder.- Northern Spirit:...
and Darren Bazeley
Darren Bazeley
Darren Shaun Bazeley is an English association football player who most recently played for Waitakere United of New Zealand. He played as either a right full back or right-sided defensive midfielder...
were all solid contributors for NZ while the entire Adelaide side played well below their best.
Round 3
----Adelaide returns to form with an emphatic 5-1 demolition of the Newcastle United Jets on a cold, wet Friday night at Hindmarsh Stadium. Nothing went right for the Jets as United scored 3 times in the first half an hour with all 3 goals beginning with set pieces. Fernando got the ball rolling as he turned in a Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:...
free kick. Robert Cornthwaite followed up a superb Ross Aloisi
Ross Aloisi
Ross Aloisi is a former Australian football player who was known for being the captain of Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League - a team he guided to a minor premiership, a pre-season cup and earning entry into 2 Asian Champions League campaigns...
free kick and then Chinese striker Qu scored directly from a free kick. Jets striker Bridge pulled one back for the Jets in the second half but defender Durante scored a horrendous own goal. Bobby Petta
Bobby Petta
Alfred Manuel "Bobby" Petta is a retired Dutch professional footballer and is currently a personal trainer based in Glasgow...
impressed on his debut match for the Reds.
Round 4
----Adelaide United put in their second successive impressive performance and they were simply too good for the Glory who seemed to have no power going forward without injured stars Stan Lazaridis
Stan Lazaridis
Stanley "Stan" Lazaridis is a former football player. He was predominantly a left winger though he had been known to perform at left-back...
and Bobby Despotovski
Bobby Despotovski
Slobodan "Bobby" Despotovski is an Australian football player of Serbian origin.-Biography:Only nine months after his birth his family moved to Yugoslavia because his mother, Valentina, was home-sick...
. United created chances from the first whistle with Dodd going close before Fernando
Fernando Rech
Fernando Rech is a Brazilian former football player. He played either as a striker or an attacking midfielder.-Life and career:...
opened the scoring with a shot in the 14th minute which beat goalkeeper Aleks Vrteski
Aleks Vrteski
Aleksandar Vrteski is a football goalkeeper who plays for Solo FC in Liga Primer Indonesia.-Club career:...
. The second goal came as the Glory defence sat back allowing superb winger Dodd too much time and space and he blasted the ball straight through Vrteski to make it 2-0. United added the third goal five minutes after the interval as Fernando's shot which was heading wide of the target took a wicked deflection off Jamie Coyne
Jamie Coyne
Jamie Coyne is an Australian football player. He currently plays as a right full back for the A-League club Sydney FC. He is also the younger brother of Chris Coyne who plays for Perth Glory....
and fooled Vrteski. Coyne was credited with the own goal. United then created late chances through subs Bobby Petta
Bobby Petta
Alfred Manuel "Bobby" Petta is a retired Dutch professional footballer and is currently a personal trainer based in Glasgow...
and debutant Dez Giraldi
Dez Giraldi
Dezmon Wallace Giraldi is a football player.-Club career:Giraldi signed with Australian A-League club Adelaide United for the 2006-07 season, after a four-week stint with the Central Coast Mariners during the 2005-06 A-League season...
but the score remained at 3-0.
Round 5
----Queensland dominated their match against Adelaide and certainly showed why they are title contenders early in the season. Their five-man attack consisting of Ante Milicic
Ante Milicic
Ante Milicic is an Australian former football player. He is currently one of the assistant managers of A-League club Melbourne Heart. He is of Croatian Australian origin....
, Reinaldo
Reinaldo Elias da Costa
Reinaldo Elias da Costa , commonly known in Brazil as Reinaldo Mineiro, is a Brazilian Australian football player who currently plays for Al-Ahli Dohain the Qatar Stars League.-Club career:...
, Yuning Zhang
Zhang Yuning
Zhang Yuning is a former Chinese international footballer. After retiring from football he took up coaching to become the reserve team coach for Wenzhou Tomorrow until he left at the beginning of the 2010 league season.-Biography:He is a tall, strong centre forward who had a prolific record in...
, Simon Lynch
Simon Lynch (footballer)
Simon Lynch is a former Scottish professional footballer who ended his career at Stenhousemuir.-Early career:...
and Dario Vidosic
Dario Vidosic
Dario Vidošić is an Australian football player who currently plays for A-League club Adelaide United.- Club career :- Early life :...
is certain to score goals this season and only some outstanding saves by Reds 'keeper Robert Bajic
Robert Bajic
Robert Bajic , is an Australian football player of Croatian background. He last played as a goalkeeper for Sông Lam Nghệ An in the V-League.- Club career :...
kept Adelaide in the game. Shengqing Qu will come under the FFA
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
review panel's scrutiny for his headbutt on Roar captain Chad Gibson
Chad Gibson
Chad Gibson is a football player, currently playing in the New England Mutual Premier League.-Biography:...
. At the end of the match a flurry of Queensland chances, most of which fell to Zhang, weren't enough to secure the points for QLD even though they thoroughly deserved the win.
Round 6
----A poor match from Adelaide allowed Sydney FC to move four points clear of them on the A-League ladder. Sydney FC started the match well with Alex Brosque
Alex Brosque
Alex Brosque is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse...
and Benito Carbone
Benito Carbone
Benito known as Benny Carbone is a retired Italian professional footballer and former manager of Serie B club Varese. He played as a forward, winger or midfielder...
playing good football in and around the box. Travis Dodd had the first real chance of the game in a one-on-one with Clint Bolton
Clint Bolton
Clint Brian Bolton is an Australian football player who plays as a goalkeeper for Melbourne Heart in the Australian A-League. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League...
but the speedy United winger took a bad touch allowing Bolton to make an easy save. In the 38th minute, Carbone was allowed too much time and space and he lobbed a perfect ball over to Zadkovich who tapped the ball past Bajic. United returned from the half time interval as the better team and they only had to wait eight minutes before Young Socceroo Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....
scored his first A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
goal. Dodd made all the hard work go to waste however, when three minutes later he scored an own goal attempting to clear a ball which posed no danger. Carbone set up the third with a backheel which broke down the entire defence allowing substitute Petrovski to make the score 3-1. Then Carbone finally scored a goal for himself. He broke free on the right hand side and the flag stayed down allowing him to calmly slot the ball past Bajic. 4-1 to Sydney FC. Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:...
and Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
missed two easy chances to make the scoreline less embarrassing and Adelaide's defence knows it must improve with the dangerous Damian Mori
Damian Mori
Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...
coming to Adelaide next Friday night.
Round 7
----A much improved performance from United after the 4-1 drubbing at home by Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
. The Mariners started as the better side but United scored the opener as Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:...
made the most of a defensive error by Damian Mori to provide the cross from which Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
headed home from close range. Central Coast hit back a quarter of an hour later as Australian football legend and Socceroos all-time top scorer Damian Mori
Damian Mori
Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...
received a good ball, beat Ang Costanzo
Angelo Costanzo
Angelo Costanzo is an Australian football player.He is instantly recognizable by his trademark long hair, which has earned him the nickname "The Divine Ponytail" among Adelaide and Newcastle fans.-Club career:In 1994 at 18 years of age he won the SA player of the year award at Salisbury United,...
for pace and rounded 'keeper Robbie Bajic
Robert Bajic
Robert Bajic , is an Australian football player of Croatian background. He last played as a goalkeeper for Sông Lam Nghệ An in the V-League.- Club career :...
before celebrating his return to Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
in front of 10,000 booing Reds supporters. Adelaide came out of the dressing rooms after the half time break and threw absolutely everything at CCM with Matthew Kemp and Bobby Petta
Bobby Petta
Alfred Manuel "Bobby" Petta is a retired Dutch professional footballer and is currently a personal trainer based in Glasgow...
having almost identical chances saved by Vukovic. Greg Owens and Nathan Burns also missed crucial opportunities. Petta provided a good corner and tall centre back Kristian Rees headed home for his first goal of the season. Noel Spencer
Noel Spencer
Noel Spencer was an Australian football player.-NSL:Noel played for his hometown of Wollongong from 1996–2000 and was part of Wollongong Wolves championship-winning team of the 1999/2000 season. After the championship win Noel left for Northern Spirit which he played for and later captained until...
missed the Mariners' best chance of the half and United wrapped the game up with Carl Veart setting up a free Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....
who ran the length of one half and slotted the ball past Vukovic.
Round 8
----One of the matches of the season as the Melbourne Victory attempted to maintain a 100% record against an Adelaide side nearing the top of their game. The match got off to a fiery start as Ross Aloisi
Ross Aloisi
Ross Aloisi is a former Australian football player who was known for being the captain of Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League - a team he guided to a minor premiership, a pre-season cup and earning entry into 2 Asian Champions League campaigns...
and Grant Brebner
Grant Brebner
Grant Ian Brebner is a Scottish association football player, who currently plays for Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory. Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994, and although he was a member of the club's successful youth side, he failed to break into...
received yellow cards in the opening minute. The Victory had the better of the chances during the match, yet it was the Reds who came away with the 3 points as a counter-attacking move saw Greg Owens
Greg Owens
Greg Owens is an Australian football player who plays in the position of attacking midfielder...
run free and slot the ball past 'keeper Theoklitos
Michael Theoklitos
Michael Theoklitos is an Australian football player for the Brisbane Roar.-Early career:Theoklitos made several appearances in the Australian National Soccer League before moving away to Blackpool in England as a youngster, where he only played three games due to an injury sustained shortly after...
. The main talking point however, was an altercation between Victory captain Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
and Adelaide coach John Kosmina
John Kosmina
Alexander John Kosmina , known as John Kosmina, is a former Australian football player and manager of Polish Australian ethnicity. He was most recently the manager of Sydney FC...
. The ball had gone out of play for a Melbourne throw-in and with his side 0–1 down, Muscat wanted to retrieve the ball quickly. The ball had gone under Kosmina's chair and as the Reds manager was picking it up, Muscat sent the Kossie sprawling to the turf. Kosmina then got up and grabbed Muscat by the throat. Kosmina was sent to the stands while Muscat received a booking. Kosmina was given a 6 week suspension, with two suspended. The Victory still sit atop the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
ladder while United are third.
Round 9
----An impressive attacking performance as Adelaide go outright second on the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
ladder. Rising stars Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....
and Bruce Djite
Bruce Djite
Bruce José Djite is an American-born Australian football striker who currently plays for Adelaide United F.C. in the A-League.-Club career:...
showed that they can do whatever Fernando
Fernando Rech
Fernando Rech is a Brazilian former football player. He played either as a striker or an attacking midfielder.-Life and career:...
and Qu
Qu Shengqing
Qu Shengqing is a Chinese association football coach and former international player. As a player he was predominantly remembered for his time with Liaoning FC where he personally won the Golden Boot in the 1999 league season before joining Shanghai Shenhua and winning the 2003 league title with...
can do. Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo
Jason Spagnuolo is an Australian football right midfielder who currently plays for Adelaide City in the South Australian Super League.-Club career:...
more assists setting up goals for Burns and Petta. However, the defensive effort wasn't as good as the Hindmarsh crowd has come to expect with poor defending giving Noah Hickey
Noah Hickey
Noah Hickey is a association football player from New Zealand who plays for Gisborne City in the Central Premier League and last played professionally for the New Zealand Knights in the Hyundai A-League...
the Knights second of the season and Adam van Dommele
Adam van Dommele
Adam van Dommele is an Australian football player. He currently plays for MetroStars in the South Australian Super League.-Club Career:...
scoring an embarrassing own goal to make matters worse. Dodd sealed the win with a late header which beat Milosevic.
Round 10
----Another exciting match that bore similarities to the Round 5 match against the Roar. Newcastle dominated possession but Adelaide continued to defend well. Bajic made six saves and defenders scrambled to cover him even when he was beaten. As in round five, Adelaide had to absorb pressure, the Jets had 24 shots at goal. Unlike the Queenslanders however, Newcastle punished Adelaide for its lapses in defence. At 1-1, 88 minutes into the match, Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
had a chance to steal the game and cement second place on the ladder with his third spot kick of the night. The Jets had conceded two penalties with the first having to be retaken. Veart blasted the would-be match sealer over the bar and a minute later the Jets scored the winner instead.
Round 11
----Adelaide born Mimi Saric opened the scoring early in the first half due to some ball watching from the Adelaide defense but Carl Veart equalised literally straight after Saric scored after Spagnuolo was being held in the box. 8 minutes later Greg Owens scored a great goal after Travis Dodd burned down the right win and cross along to Veart, who missed the ball only for Greg Owens to place a perfect shot that creeped into the goal. Greg Owens missed another chance to put his side ahead but headed wide from 3 yards. On half time Perth were awarded a dubious penalty after a player was pushed in the Perth box. Bobby scored from the spot and the teams were equal at half time. Early in the second half Matty Kemp scored a freak goal from a narrow angle where he jumped and kicked the ball over the keepers head only for it to sneak under the crossbar and win the game.
Round 12
----A deserved win for Adelaide who dominated. Adelaide dominated play despite early shots from Queensland and the Roar hardly tested Bajic until the end of the second half. Travis Dodds goal came from a beautiful long pass from Greg Owens deep in the midfield to Carl Veart who shrugged off his defender and delivered a nice ball across the face of goal to give Travis the easiest of goals.
Round 13
----Round 14
----Round 15
----Muscat scored from the spot early in the half after Bajic needlessly kicked Fred in the gut while retrieving the ball. Fernando scored a header from a beautiful cross from Matthew Kemp to equalise and Adelaide looked to score again. Half time came at the wrong time for AUFC as they were gaining momentum. The game was 50/50 after half time until the aging Adelaide Midfield began to tire and in the 61st minute Allsopp scored due and in the 86th minute Fred scored after his 1v1 shot was blocked beautifully by Beltrame, but Fred scored on the rebound.
Round 16
----Gao Leilei scored in the 16th minute after Richie Alagich started to wander and entered the 6 yard box without any pressure and slotted the ball past Beltrames near post. Adelaide had chances and Spagnuolo hit the bar but in the 71st minute Greg Owens passed to Travis Dodd in the midfield and Travis out dribbled the defense to deliver a perfect ball back to Greg Owens whose shot hit the ball then went in off the keeper.
Round 17
----One of the best ever games of Hindmarsh and Romarios departure was a great game. In the 15th minute the young master Spagnuolo skinned two defenders, feinted past Eagleton to deliver a shot at goal that Covic parried away. Luckily Romario was Johnny-on-the-spot and displaced the rebound. Mark Bridge scored a beautiful goal in the 59th minute and straight after kick off, Alagich booted the ball down the Spagnuolo who passed it to Fernando, who miss hit the ball and wrongfooted Covic to deliver a very lucky goal. Matt Thompson scored one of the best goals of the season after skinning Rees and powering the ball into the top of the net. This wasn't enough to stop AUFC as soon after Owens received the ball from Romario on the edge of the box, wrong footed his marker and shot a ball that subtly curved into the top right hand corner.
Round 18
----Round 19
----Round 20
----This match was Diegos debut and he impressed very much so. The only real chance or highlight in the game was the goal. Travis Dodd was brought down on the edge of the box and Petta took the free kick. Petta crossed to an unmarked Diego who headed the ball into Fernandos chest and the ball went through Boltons legs, although Fernando didn't know too much about it. Soon after Beltrame denied Coricas header with a great diving save and Adelaide took second place.
Round 21
----Adelaide scored in the 10th minute thanks to some brilliant wingplay from former Celtic star Bobby Petta who crossed the ball across the goal to Burns who scored a very easy tap in. After half time Kwasnik missed a penalty after Kemp handballed in the box and straight after Burns scored his second of the night with a cheeky feint to trick the keeper. Soon after Burns made his own goal after passing to Djite who passed to Petta, who rolled the ball through the Mariners defense to give Burnsy a relatively easy goal. Pondeljaks goal came after a messed up clearance by Beltrame. Beltrame kicked it straight to Pondeljak who showed some killer instinct and skill by perfectly placing it above Bells head and ending his hope for his clean sheet. Djite hit the bar from a stunning volley from distance but failed to score. This game cemented Adelaides second place finish.