Adelaide United has continued its recent National Youth League form surge with an entertaining 5-2 triumph over Newcastle at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday.
The victory was the Reds’ third in succession and gives the exciting, attacking side an impressive aggregate of 13 goals from its last four outings.
An awesome 4-0 first-half assault was the foundation on which Adelaide’s triumph was built, with goal machine Francesco Monterosso contributing two of those, before the Jets showed more gumption in a more even second half.
“It was a game of two halves,” Adelaide coach Joe Mullen said. “The first half was terrific and they were worthy to be up four goals, I thought.”
“I know they’ve been able to deliver something like that (4-0 first half); we have been playing well and it (win) was the result of hard work.”
Mirjan Pavlovic had the first real chance in the 15th minute, when his close range hit was deflected by Reds custodian Mark Birighitti, while another Pavlovic solo effort a minute later was similarly stifled.
Inseob Shin, who showcased his creativity and deft touch all afternoon, got the ball rolling for the Reds when he expertly finished an excellent passage of team play with an opportunistic goal in the 18th minute, Newcastle keeper Robbie Kolak with no chance.
Monterosso – who provided Newcastle’s defence many headaches – made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute with a fine deflection which found the back of the net.
A minute later, skipper Matthew Mullen nearly made it number three for the Reds – and number three for him in as many weeks – but his relatively open chance was errant, to the left.
Mullen wouldn’t wait long for the third, when he coolly converted a penalty in the 31st minute after Newcastle captain Taylor Regan was penalised for a hold on Monterosso in the box.
Adelaide swept to an insurmountable 4-0 buffer in the 40th minute when Joseph Wright’s perfect long ball found Monterosso who, one-out, paused, balanced and hammered home it home.
It was almost 5-0 and a first-half hat-trick to Monterosso, whose well-connected header in the 45th minute was well stopped by Kolak, while Mullen’s fierce hit from long distance shortly after was athletically deflected over the cross bar by the busy Kolak, the Reds peppering the goals mercilessly.
Earlier, Newcastle almost had the chance to peg the host’s advantage back in the 37th minute when William Angel was tripped by Perry Mitris.
But the officials, after some deliberation, decided the infringement had occurred just outside the box and the Reds were reprieved.
Adelaide had an early chance in the second half when Shin cleverly lobbed one over Kolak’s head, only to find the right-hand post before Damian Brosque retorted for the visitors from an expert corner, only to be denied by Birighitti.
Jason Hoffman got the visitors on the scoreboard when he got low and headed the ball just past recently subbed-in goalie Nicholas Munro in the 64th minute.
Three minutes later a Brosque shot sailed well high and wide, then in the 67th minute Hoffman struck a brilliant Brosque corner well, but not well enough, the attempt stopped by a diving Munro, Newcastle suddenly full of verve.
Substitute Joel Allwright scored Adelaide’s fifth in injury time with a superb individual effort from mid-range before long-serving former Adelaide stalwart Ang Costanzo, now a Jet, converted from close range, but the goal was later given as an own goal against Munro.
Adelaide United 5 (Monterosso 22, 40, Shin 18, Mullen 31 pen, Allwright 90+2)
Newcastle Jets 2 (Hoffman 63, Munro 90+4 OG)
@ Hindmarsh Stadium, 04/12/2009.
