It might seem like an overreaction only three games into the new season, but after two lacklustre performances and only one point, the Victory arrived in Brisbane desperately needing three points.
Embed from Getty ImagesAndrew Nabbout celebrates scoring the Victory’s winning goal
Mission Accomplished.
Despite a relatively patchy ground and while at times cagey, the two sides played out a relatively entertaining affair.
One of the most noticeable features of the game seemed to be the acres of space that the Brisbane Roar allowed for the Victory to run in behind.
For Elvis Kamsoba he must have been having some derby flashbacks (if it is possible to remember from that particular game) when he put the ball in the back of the net only to be ruled out for offside.
Don’t worry Elvis at least you didn’t waste that glorious celebration of yours.
After almost 2 and a quarter games (yes, that long) the Victory finally scored a goal from open play.
The eagerly anticipated partnership of Ola Toivonen and Andrew Nabbout finally produced what the Vuck fans had been craving all season, a goal!
Both sides frankly would have been wondering how they didn’t score more considering half of the Suncorp pitch had been left vacated.
However, at times it seemed that both sides forgot that the rugby season finished weeks ago with key chances wasted with disappointing shots that flew well over the crossbar.
Just as the Victory seemed to be getting their season back on track, injury troubles struck again with Victory fans once again wondering what the Vuck is happening on the strength and conditioning front.
Andrew Nabbout went down with a hamstring injury, joining Robbie Kruse and Tim Hoogland on the sidelines.
Embed from Getty ImagesNabbout goes down with injury that overshadows important win
Before I continue, I do need to ask… what sort of curse has Marco Kurz unleashed?? Like some voodoo thing, I don’t know but all that remains clear is the Victory had to dig deep on the depth wise.
And dig deep they did, in a second half which saw the Roar apply plenty of pressure.
Roy O’Donovan had a golden opportunity but could only find the crowd with a wasted effort.
In the space of 2 minutes, the Victory should have added a second, first through a driving free kick from Ola Toivonen which struck off the post and then through Kenny Athiu who had his shot cleared off the line.
Thankfully for the Victory, despite severe Roar pressure, Melbourne held on to record their first win of the season.
With everyone holding their breath to see the full extent of Nabbout’s injury, the Victory will prepare to face new local rivals Western United next weekend.
