A-League wrap: Adelaide thrash Victory

Adelaide United ended their 10-match losing streak against Melbourne Victory and re-ignited their season with a 4-1 away win on Sunday.

The history books will record it as the Reds’ first success over Victory since October 2007 and their first win over their bitter rivals in Melbourne in four and a half years.

Sergio van Dijk’s 57th minute goal, scored from 30m out with a wickedly curling free kick, was the highlight, but Marcos Flores set-up the result by getting on the end of some robust work from skipper Travis Dodd on 12 minutes.

The Argentine smashed home from Dodd’s header across the goal, while van Dijk’s scorcher came as a result of a foul by Kevin Muscat on Cassio.

Substitutes Fabien Barbiero’s first touch on 74 minutes sealed the deal, as he got onto to a rebounded shot from Iain Fyfe while the Victory’s humiliation was completed when a horrible defensive mix-up allowed van Dijk to net his 13th goal of the season on 77 minutes.

Fyfe played a major role in that goal as well, looping in a long free kick which Rody Vargas and Michael Petkovic managed to make a complete mess of it, with the Dutchman capitalising. Mate Dugandzic scored a consolation for the home side with the last kick of the game.

Victory’s afternoon was soured further by a red card shown to skipper Kevin Muscat on 65 minutes.

Melbourne play away in Sydney next week, needing to find some form, while Adelaide have a week off before facing North Queensland on Friday week at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Michael McGlinchey scored his first goal of the season four minutes before half-time to give the Central Coast Mariners the points against Wellington at Gosford.

But it was former Argentina under-20 international Patricio Perez who kept the Mariners’ hopes of a top-two finish alive with an outstanding performance, especially in the first half.

Perez created McGlinchey’s winner in midfield, before delivering a perfect pass to Joshua Rose who cut the ball back for the Kiwi international to fire home only his second goal for the Mariners.