A-League Recap: Victory Triumphs Over Adelaide in a Solid Weekend for Victoria

Time is running short for Macarthur and Newcastle after their draws over the weekend, paving the way for a possible showdown between Sydney FC and Adelaide United for the final place in the 2025 finals series.

With just five rounds remaining in the 2024/25 A-League season, the 13 competing clubs will soon be whittled down to six, as there looms the chance that as many as five of the six clubs from Melbourne and Sydney could join league leaders Auckland FC in the finals set for May.

The standout performers of Round 24 were…

Unfortunately, a repeat of their mid-January visit to Adelaide didn’t pan out, but they managed to seize a 5-3 victory this time, climbing to fourth place in the standings.

Suddenly, Arthur Diles’ team boasts an impressive attacking front.

More encouragingly, the Western Sydney Wanderers are the only club below them demonstrating any real form to challenge for a top-six finish. While they will aim to elevate their performance in the last four matches of the regular season, merely maintaining their current standard may suffice to secure a postseason spot.

The biggest disappointments of Round 24 were…

Sydney FC. Their progress in the AFC Champions League 2 seems to be taking a toll on the squad, which has either conceded late goals or failed to score in three of their past four A-League fixtures.

They found themselves behind Melbourne City on three separate occasions during the weekend, resulting in just two wins from their last nine A-League games (D4, L3). Coach Ufuk Talay contested the notion that his team was unfortunate not to garner any points against City.

“We started the match sluggishly … we allowed them too many easy opportunities in our box. I don’t think there was sufficient desire to defend our goal tonight.“

Talay’s squad currently holds one of the league’s worst records when conceding the first goal, having lost seven of nine such matches this A-League season (D2). This issue will be paramount on his agenda during their upcoming training sessions.

Golden Boot race

No player from Western United has ever clinched the A-League Golden Boot, yet their star striker Noah Batic remains at the top after enjoying a bye this weekend, with fellow 23-year-old Nicolas Milanovic inching closer.

Goal of the week

Former Bayern Munich and Juventus midfielder Douglas Costa has been shining in the AFC CL2 since his return from injury, finally displaying his skills in front of home supporters at Allianz Stadium with remarkable composure and control. The 34-year-old clearly still has a lot to give!