Canberra United have had two matches this season where they have had the bulk of possession – against Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney. Adelaide United play a typically modern-day game where possession is king. And they have been doing very well, sitting third in the ladder coming into this match. Possession is not what Canberra does, and it doesn’t always matter either. Against Wellington Phoenix earlier in the season, in Wellington, they had only 32% possession but came away with a 1-0 win. So, the expectation for this match was that Adelaide would have the ball a lot and look for ways to break down Canberra’s defence. Canberra would rely on quick transitions and seizing the moment when they could. And so it came to pass.
How the team lined up
Two more changes to the lineup for this game. Coach Jagarenic rarely puts out the same team in succession. Holly Murray recovered from a concussion and came back into the team in midfield in place of Mary Stanic-Floody. Madison Ayson started her first match since Brisbane Roar in place of Tegan Bertolissio. This looked like a move to a 3-5-2 formation, with Christopherson and Markovski helping out in the wide areas when needed, or Emma Robers dropping into the middle, pushing Taylor-Young or Madison wide, when needed!
After two minutes Adelaide forced the first corner. Emily Condon swung the ball into the near post only to find Bethany Gordon on guard duty. Corner number 2 followed shortly after and Markovski managed to get there first this time. Adelaide, predictably, were playing the ball around nicely but with little threat on there’s only one Sally James’s goal. The first Canberra transition moment came after 10 minutes when Markovski played a neat ball through to release Heyman charging toward goal. She got inside the box only to be muscled out of it by Ella Tonkin. The odds of Canberra getting a penalty are very remote these days. They hardly bother appealing as the last penalty award was so long ago that only Heyman would remember it.
Zoe Tolland then got her head to corner number 3 for Adelaide only to see the ball flash wide. Erin Healy then made a jinking run into the box, but Canberra blocked to concede corner number 4. It was a corner-fest and pressure was building. Emily Condon hits a very nice corner which was causing Canberra problems. Corner 4 was cleared. Corner 5 just sneaked over the bar. Corners 6 and 7 followed in quick succession. Corner 7 caused a goalmouth scramble with Anton and there’s only one Sally James blocking shots on the goal line. Canberra was under the pump. Robers, Murray and Christopherson were putting in a defensive shift.
Canberra survived the onslaught and started to build their own attacking shape. Emma Robers found some fresh air out of defence and played a ball through the defensive line to Hayley Taylor-Young. Her cross found Bethany Gordon but her close range shot lacked conviction and power, and Adelaide cleared comfortably.
A period of cat and mouse play then ensued with Adelaide holding most of the possession but Canberra looking like they could break dangerously at any time. Dominican Republic international Lucia Leon found some space behind the Canberra back line but blasted over the bar. Canberra’s defending was flexible but effective. At one stage Ayson found herself tracking Healy to the halfway line and Heyman covering at left back. Heyman was unable to prevent a cross from Tolland that nearly caught out there’s only one Sally James who tipped to ball from under the cross bar.
In the 43rd minute, Canberra broke out of defence as Gordon fed Taylor-Young running forward into space. Taylor-Young got into the penalty area and got off a tame looking shot that still had Adelaide keeper Jenkins stretching to put the ball out for a corner. Emma Robers floated over the corner, Jenkins punched the ball high. As it dropped into the six-yard box Darcey Malone stood her ground and got her head to the ball first. It bounced rather apologetically into the net, much to the delight of her teammates. Few people would have had Darcey Malone scoring from a header in a crowded penalty box on their bingo card. But there it was, 1-0 to Canberra at half time.
The second half continued the pattern of the first half. Adelaide with the bulk of possession, Canberra defending well and trying to break fast when they had the ball. One such transition saw some neat interplay between Markovski and Malone. Malone floated an inviting looking cross into the box that was cut out as Heyman loitered. Then Jenkins blocked a close range shot from Gordon. The resultant corner saw Murray float over a cross that Ayson got her head to, but she directed it wide.
After 55 minutes Adelaide decided to mix things up, bringing on the firepower of Fiona Worts and Dylan Holmes. Canberra countered by bringing on their own firepower in Aideen Keane for Markovski. The game sprang to life in the 66th minute, Keane was pulled down just outside the Adelaide penalty area as she was about to line up a shot on goal. The referee waved play-on and the next play saw Dawber break the Canberra back line, only for Ayson to scramble enough to allow there’s only one Sally James to gather.
In the 73rd minute Adelaide executed their own fast transition. Healy fed Worts on the edge of the box. Fiona Worts turned inside and squared the ball for Chelsie Dawber in the centre and on her own. Dawber fired high and over there’s only one Sally James to make it 1-1. Game on. The game had an injection of energy. Healy, Worts and Dawber combined in similar fashion, this time Dawber firing too high.
Canberra was not done yet. Heyman pounced on a defensive error about 25 metres from goal and looped a shot that went close. Then Hayley Taylor-Young floated a cross that caused chaos in the Adelaide box. Jenkins did just enough to block Keane’s close-range effort. It fell straight to Gordon, but Jenkins blocked the shot. The ball fell to Christopherson who had a go, only to see her close-range effort blocked on the line. It was a block-fest! Adelaide survived and Canberra’s golden chance to take the lead was gone. Moments later Hayley Taylor-Young had a ping from distance that was slapped wide by Jenkins. Then it was Hayley Taylor-Young’s turn to block the ball on the line from Adelaide’s 12th corner. Adelaide pressed in the final moments, but Canberra held out.
Adelaide coach Adrian Stenta made a fair summary of the result at the end of the match.
Both teams had some goal-line clearances at the end, and some chances there, so I think it was a fair result overall, and credit to Canberra for the way that they came, the plan that they had in place, and how they stuck to their defensive principles.
NB: Despite a search online there appears to be no official images taken for this match – at least not ones that you don’t have to pay $450 each for. Make of that what you will.
