A-League Men: Mixed fortunes across league as finals near

A whirlwind A-League circular delivered upsets, reddish cards and last-gasp drama, dramatically tightening the finals contention and shifting momentum crossed the ladder with conscionable two games remaining.

Macarthur rue daze nonaccomplishment to Glory, City bushed Phoenix successful heated conflict

Macarthur’s finals hopes are each but up successful smoke aft they suffered an upset 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Glory conscionable hours aft Melbourne City bushed Wellington.

Melbourne City’s 2-0 win implicit Wellington meant Macarthur simply couldn’t spend to suffer to the struggling Glory successful Perth.

But it each went pear shaped for the Bulls, with goals to Nicholas Pennington, Gabriel Popovic and Arion Sulemani lifting Glory to conscionable their seventh win of the season.

The effect near Macarthur 4 points adrift of sixth spot with conscionable two games remaining.

And fixed their vastly inferior extremity difference, Macarthur will request to win their last two games – against Adelaide and Wellington – and trust connected City not picking up much than a single point.

Defending champions Melbourne City circular retired their run with games against Brisbane and Adelaide.

Macarthur could besides sneak successful if they win their past two games and fifth-placed Melbourne Victory suffer to Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney.

Glory are astir definite to debar the wooden spoon for the archetypal clip successful three years.

Their large question present is whether they will re-sign first-year manager Adam Griffiths, who has helped spark much beingness into the team pursuing the early-season axing of David Zdrilic.

For City, Aziz Behich’s 17th-minute strike and a 76th-minute extremity to Marcus Younis were capable to seal a third straight win successful a carnal brushwood connected Sunday.

City (35 points) are successful sixth spot, conscionable 1 constituent adrift of fifth-placed Melbourne Victory and two down some Adelaide and Sydney with two rounds remaining.

Phoenix (30) are present 5 points disconnected sixth with conscionable two games remaining.

Sydney win to nonstop Wanderers person to spoon

Rudderless Western Sydney Wanderers are closing successful connected their archetypal wooden spoon aft being condemned to a 2-0 derby decision astatine the hands of Sydney FC.

Goals from Al Hassan Toure and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos helped the Sky Blues determination up to third connected the ladder with victory connected Saturday.

The effect gives Sydney their archetypal win under Patrick Kisnorbo and sends the Wanderers ever person towards a dreaded bottom-placed finish.

The Wanderers are 5 points adrift of Brisbane Roar successful past spot and, barring a late-season revival, are heading towards a spoon and the lowest constituent successful their history.

Widely considered 1 of the success stories of the A-League era, the Wanderers’ diminution into irrelevance was encapsulated by a assemblage of conscionable 16,135 astatine CommBank Stadium successful what represents the lowest derby turnout successful 4 years.

The Wanderers parted ways with Alen Stajcic midway done January, but person won conscionable two games since under interim caput manager Gary van Egmond.

Ufuk Talay will take complaint adjacent play aft being released by Sydney past month, but faces a large off-season overhaul of players and staff to person immoderate anticipation of resuscitating a leaderless nine and a supporter basal that is lone trending downwards.

Jets zoom successful to snatch constituent with injury-time equaliser

Newcastle and Adelaide United played retired a drama-filled 1-1 draw, the Jets snatching a constituent heavy into wounded time.

The Reds recovered the nett done Ryan White connected 73 minutes, earlier Daniel Wilmering ensured the location broadside took a stock of the spoils with a extremity successful the 94th infinitesimal connected Saturday.

Top-of-the-table Newcastle determination three points wide of second-placed Auckland FC with two games remaining, pursuing Auckland’s 2-2 gully with third-ranked Melbourne Victory earlier successful the day.

United leapfrog Victory, a constituent wide successful 4th place.

Melbourne City scored an important 2-0 win implicit Wellington astatine AAMI Park. Photo: AAP/Morgan Hancock

Corica sees reddish arsenic Auckland falter successful title contention

A furious Steve Corcia was sent disconnected successful Auckland FC’s 2-2 gully with Melbourne Victory arsenic his broadside stumbled successful the contention for the premiers’ plate.

Auckland brag Corica was shown a straight reddish paper by referee Lachlan Keevers aft an outburst from his technical country successful the 87th minute.

It is unclear what Corica said, but the Auckland manager is present facing suspension aft storming down the tunnel connected Saturday pursuing his dismissal.

Auckland sit 2nd but missed a aureate accidental to chopped the spread connected league-leaders Newcastle with Saturday’s gully against Victory.

An 82nd infinitesimal free-kick from Lachlan Brook helped Corica’s broadside debar decision against a Victory team missing talisman Juan Mata.

Victory had twice gone up done Franco Lino and then again via Nishan Velupillay aft Auckland’s Sam Cosgrove deed the nett precocious successful the archetypal half.

But Brook scored with a free-kick to unafraid a gully that does small to assistance second-placed Auckland’s premiership bid and besides enactment a dent successful Victory’s top-two hopes.

Late gully drives dagger into finals hopes

A precocious Jordan Lauton extremity earned Brisbane a 2-2 gully against Central Coast, but the effect delivered a devastating stroke to some teams’ finals hopes.

The ninth-placed Mariners were poised to determination up to seventh spot and within three points of sixth, but present look the top two teams implicit the last two rounds.

The gully efficaciously ended 11th-placed Brisbane’s finals aspirations arsenic the Roar went a 10th consecutive crippled without a win.

Sam Klein’s fourth-minute header gave Brisbane a halftime lead, but second-half goals to teenager Jesse Mantell and substitute Nathanael Blair enactment Central Coast up connected Friday.

In the third infinitesimal of added time, substitute Lauton bushed Mariners goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne to the shot aft a deflected Quinn MacNicol changeable looped into the air.

The Roar had the archetypal six shots of the crippled and 10 much wide than the Mariners, hitting the woodwork twice successful the 2nd half.

“This been the story of 2026, successful the extremity it was bully to get a constituent though,” Roar manager Michael Valkanis said.

“They kept pushing, which is great, but disappointed we didn’t permission with three points.”

Matchday 25 Schedule (AEST)

Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets, Fri 7.25pm

Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney, Sat 3pm

Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City, Sat 5pm

Sydney FC v Perth Glory, Sat 7.35pm

Auckland FC v Central Coast Mariners, Sun 1pm

Adelaide United v Macarthur, Sun 3.30pm

With AAP