Melbourne Victory season 2006-07

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Home-and-Away Season

Melbourne began the 2006-2007 Hyundai A-League season hoping to vastly improve on their 7th place in the inaugral 2005-2006 season. Coach Ernie Merrick had made a number of off-season signings to bolster the squad with skill and experience.

Melbourne began the regular season at home against reigning premiers Adelaide United. In front of nearly 16,000 fans at Olympic Park Melbourne won 2-0, thanks to goals from captain Kevin Muscat and debutant Claudinho. The next round Melbourne played reigning champions Sydney FC at home. As a large attendance was expected, before the season this match had been moved to Telstra Dome, which has a much larger capacity than Olympic Park. The game attracted 39,730 people, a record for a regular club football game in Australia. In a fast-paced and attacking game, Melbourne triumphed 3-2, through a Kevin Muscat penalty and a Danny Allsopp brace. The match was not without controversy, with Melbourne's Brazilian midfielder Fred being suspended for three matches for elbowing Sydney's Mark Milligan in the throat during the match. In round 3 Melbourne travelled to North Harbour Stadium to take on the New Zealand Knights. Despite the pouring rain Melbourne passed the ball around well to create three goals, scored by Kevin Muscat, Archie Thompson, and Danny Allsopp respectively, to win 3-0.

On the 17 September, 2006, Melbourne returned home to Olympic Park to play the Central Coast Mariners. In front of a sell-out crowd of 17,616, Melbourne dominated possession but could not create many gilt-edged opportunities. However, midway through the second half Archie Thompson headed home a looping Danny Allsopp cross from point-blank range to give Melbourne a 1-0 victory. In round 5 league-leaders Melbourne Victory played Perth Glory away at Members Equity Stadium. The visitors got off to a sluggish start in the hot conditions, spending much of the first 45 minutes defending in their own half. Melbourne got off to a brighter start in the second half and grabbed the lead thanks to Adrian Caceres scoring against his former club. A Kevin Muscat spot kick extended the lead to 2-0 and gave Melbourne the breathing room it needed to win 2-1.

In round 6 the still unbeaten Victory took on second-placed Queensland Roar in a top-of-the-table clash. Again Melbourne had shifted a home match to Telstra Dome to accommodate for the pre-empted large crowd. Fred scored on his return from suspension with an early goal from a cool finish. Queensland responded with a quick equaliser but Kevin Muscat converted a penalty to restore Melbourne's lead. Melbourne went in to the break 2-1 up and full of confidence. After Archie Thompson was brought down in the penalty area Kevin Muscat again slotted home for his sixth goal of the season (and fifth from the penalty spot). Late in the match a Danny Allsopp pass was deflected by Queensland's Josh McCloughlan into his own net to make the final score 4-1, much to the delight of the 25,921 home fans.

In the next round Melbourne travelled to EnergyAustralia Stadium, to play bottom-of-the-table Newcastle Jets. In windy conditions Melbourne struggled to settle. Despite a relatively even match Melbourne won 2-0 thanks to two Danny Allsopp goals, including one from a wonderful through-ball from Rodrigo Vargas. At the conclusion of round 7 Melbourne Victory had played and beaten every other team in the Hyundai A-League. In round 8 Melbourne played Adelaide United for the second time this season. Although the Victory had the better of the match, Adelaide won 1-0 through a late goal to Greg Owens. In the media the main focus was not on the actual match itself, but an incident between Adelaide coach John Kosmina and Melbourne captain Kevin Muscat. Late in the second half the ball went out of play and Muscat went to retrieve the ball for a throw in. As the ball was under Kosmina's chair in the technical area, Muscat knocked him off his chair. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyldpnfTc6I|Kosmina retaliated by grabbing Muscat by the throat] , before officials separated the pair. Muscat immediately received a yellow card from the referee; the FFA suspended Kosmina for four matches from the Adelaide technical area. This loss to Adelaide was Melbourne's first for season 2006-07, and ended their record unbeaten run.

Melbourne next faced Sydney FC at Aussie Stadium in a rematch of the heated round 2 affair. Melbourne received a boost for this match with rock-solid defender Adrian Leijer returning from a one match ban for four yellow cards. Melbourne struggled to find their feet in the first half and were down 1-0 at the interval. However, Melbourne took control in the second half and dominated the rest of the game. At full time the score was 2-1 to Melbourne, with Australian international Archie Thompson scoring a double. The match was Melbourne's first win on Sydney soil, and, despite pre-match expectations, the match failed to deliver the same level of conflict and intensity that the round 2 encounter did. In round 10 Victory again travelled to North Harbour Stadium to take on the hapless New Zealand Knights. In an indifferent first half the only goal came from Melbourne's Fred, who scored with a free header from a corner. Melbourne hit their straps in the second half and put three more goals past the New Zealand goalkeeper. In a commanding performance all of Melbourne's attacking players - Fred, Archie Thompson, Adrian Caceres, and Danny Allsopp - scored.

On the 3 November, 2006, Melbourne faced the Central Coast Mariners in front of another good crowd at Telstra Dome. Melbourne got off to a great start with Danny Allsopp heading home from close range from a Fred cross after only 5 minutes. But within a minute Central Coast equalised through Jamie McMaster. At the 10-minute mark Archie Thompson was one-on-one with the keeper after a superb through-ball. He finished sublimely with a chip over Danny Vukovic to restore Melbourne's lead. However, Central Coast again silenced the home crowd after Stu Petrie gave them another quick equaliser. The crowd was stunned even further when Rodrigo Vargas received a straight red card for handballing on the goal line. Adam Kwasnik converted the penalty to give the Mariners the lead. Shortly before half time Melbourne's captain Kevin Muscat was sent off for two yellow cards. Despite being down to 9 men, Melbourne battled valiantly in the second half. Melbourne created better chances than the Mariners, and were rewarded when Danny Allsopp volleyed home with only minutes left. This sent the home crowd wild and gave Melbourne a dramatic 3-3 draw. In the next round Melbourne faced a Perth Glory side weakened by injury, at the Telstra Dome. Perth played defensively, hoping for a point, and for most of the game a draw looked destined. However, Grant Brebner broke the deadlock with a superb strike from outside the box in the dying minutes. This was the Scotsman's first goal for Melbourne Victory FC, and it sent the 28,000+ home fans into raptures.

Melbourne next faced Queensland Roar at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland was experiencing a mid-season slump in form, but they posed a threat to Melbourne as head coach Miron Bleiberg had resigned midweek, being replaced by Frank Farina. The Queensland Roar players were eager to impress under their new coach, and this showed in a scrappy affair. Melbourne were the benefeciaries of an Andrew Packer own goal to send them into half time 1-0 ahead. Early in the second half, Archie Thompson pounced on a defensive mistake to lob the keeper and wrap up the three points for Melbourne. A sour note on the 2-0 victory, however, was the amount of injuries Melbourne suffered during the match. A number of players, including Kevin Muscat, Danny Allsopp and influential defender Daniel Piorkowski, were in doubt for next week's danger game against the red-hot Newcastle Jets, who were experiencing a revival under new coach Gary van Egmond.

On 26 November 2006, the Victory fell to their second defeat of the season, losing 1-0 to the Newcastle Jets at the Telstra Dome. With Kevin Muscat, Daniel Piorkowski and goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos all out of the squad with injury, Melbourne's play was uninspired and a 61st minute goal from Milton Rodriguez was enough to give the Jets three points. Nevertheless, Melbourne's lead on the league ladder was only reduced by one point to 11. Melbourne next travelled to Hindmarsh Stadium, to take on third-placed Adelaide United. The sell-out home crowd was excited about the home debut of Brazilian former world player of the year, Romario, who was playing the second match of his four match guest contract. The match also promised to be a fiesty one, as it was the first time the two sides had met since the Muscat/Kosmina incident in round 8. The match lived up to the hype, with Adelaide goalkeeper Robert Bajic being sent off during the first half for kicking Melbourne's Fred, when the Brazilian tried to chase down a through ball in the penalty area. A penalty was also awarded, and Kevin Muscat successfully converted his sixth spot kick of the season to put Melbourne ahead 1-0. Soon after the goal Grant Brebner was given a straight red card for his challenge on Ross Aloisi. Adelaide equalised shortly before the break with a Fernando bullet-like header. After spurning several chances in the second half, Melbourne regained their lead through Danny Allsopp's beautiful finish off the inside of the upright. Melbourne secured the three points when Fred finished off the rebound from his own shot.

Melbourne again had a home match when they played Sydney FC on the 8 December, 2006. There was a big lead up to the match during the week, with over 40,000 tickets being pre-sold. It was thought that this match would eclipse the attendance record for an Australian club football match of 43,242, set by Perth Glory against Wollongong Wolves in the NSL grand final of the 2000 season. This prediction proved to be true, with 50,333 attending the game. The hype surrounding the game was also influenced by the fact that this was the first meeting of the two clubs in Melbourne since earlier in the year. The round 2 fixture was an exciting and intense match, with 5 goals, a red card, and nearly 40,000 fans at the Telstra Dome. However, this match was some what of an anti-climax, with a 0-0 draw being the result. Neither team dominated the match, but Melbourne came close with a few Archie Thompson chances. Melbourne next faced New Zealand. The Knights were in crisis, with the FFA revoking their license and taking over the team for the remainder of the season. Melbourne could wrap up the premiership if they secured the three points at Olympic Park. In a 10 minute burst at the end of the first half, Melbourne scored 4 goals. Archie Thompson, Adrian Caceres and Danny Allsopp (twice), all scored. This not only gave Melbourne the premiership with 4 rounds to spare, but also gave them a spot in the 2008 Asian Champions League.

With the premiership secured, there was much talk that Melbourne would take their foot off the pedal in the remaining four matches to prepare for the finals. This was refuted by the club ahead of their New Year's Eve visit to Bluetongue Stadium to play the Central Coast Mariners. Melbourne were ahead 2-0 at the interval thanks to clinical finishes from Fred and Archie Thompson. The Mariners reduced the deficit in the second half thanks to Adam Kwasnik. Melbourne hung on to the final whistle to win 2-1. In the process Adrian Leijer and Thompson both picked up yellow cards, which meant they would serve suspensions before vital finals games. In the next round Melbourne were again on the road to play Perth Glory. Ernie Merrick left out many first team regulars for the match, giving players who hadn't received much game-time all season, like Vince Lia and Michael Ferrante, a chance to impress. Perth looked to be headed for a comfortable victory at half time thanks to a Jamie Harnwell headed goal and a Mark Byrnes own-goal. But Kristian Sarkies tapped in the rebound from a Grant Brebner shot to give Melbourne a sniff. Despite Byrnes being sent off by the referee, Melbourne drew level through a superb Kristian Sarkies free-kick. This gave Melbourne a share of the spoils and a 2-2 draw.

Melbourne played Queensland Roar in round 20 in Victory's final home match of the regular season. Another strong crowd of nearly 29,000 turned out to watch the game. Victory went behind in the first half when Damian Mori scored. Archie Thompson equalised with 10 minutes left in the match. The game looked destined for a draw, until Queensland's young striker Dario Vidosic scored in injury time to give his side a 2-1 win. After the game Ernie Merrick blasted his side for being lazy and lacking hunger. Melbourne played away at Newcastle in the final match of the regular season. A rare defensive error by Rodrigo Vargas gave the Jets a 1-0 halftime lead. More defensive errors in the second half led to the home side piling on 3 more goals to win 4-0. This result lead to many people doubting Victory's chances in the finals series.

2006-07 Hyundai A-League ladder

2006-07 Hyundai A-League finals fixtures

2006-07 Hyundai A-League finals

Melbourne played second-placed Adealaide over two legs in the major semi-final, with the winner going through to host the grand final and the loser getting a second chance in the preliminary final. The first leg was played at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium. There were many mind games played by the two teams during the build up to this match. In a very defensive game, Adelaide dominated possession but were unable to break through the Melbourne defence. At the final whistle it was 0-0, and the tie was balanced on a knife's edge going into the second leg at the Telstra Dome.

A crowd of 47,413 attended, hoping Melbourne would be able to break its recent run of poor form at home which had seen it win only 1 out of its past 6 matches. Adelaide stunned Melbourne very early with a goal to Travis Dodd. Melbourne dominated the rest of the half, but struggled to breakdown a packed Adelaide Defence. Melbourne came out in the second half with more intent and better ball movement. Within a few minutes of the restart Melbourne equalised through a superb Danny Allsopp strike that floated into the top-left corner. If the result stayed at 1-1 Adelaide would win the major semi-final on the away goals rule, so Melbourne pressed hard in the final half hour for a second goal. It was still level at the start of stoppage time and Adelaide looked destined to proceed to host the grand final. But in the third minute of stoppage time, Kristian Sarkies sent a cross into the congested box. Danny Allsopp headed the ball high and backwards. Substitute James Robinson was unbalanced but leaped and got his head to the ball. It looped high and settled in the bottom left corner of the net. This sent the players and home fans into euphoria. Melbourne crowded the defence in the final minutes. Despite this, Adelaide nearly got a fatal goal when Dodd broke through in the box. But Theoklitos bravely charged out and smothered the ball at Dodd's feet. Moments after this the final whistle blew, meaning Melbourne would host the 2006-07 Hyundai A-League grand final against preliminary finalists Adelaide United or Newcastle Jets.

Adelaide defeated Newcastle in the preliminary final at Hindmarsh Stadium in a game which went to penalties after the two sides could not be separated after 90 minutes and extra time. Adelaide prevailed 4-3 in the penalty shootout to set up a rematch against the Victory in the 2006-07 Hyundai A-League Grand Final at the Telstra Dome, on Sunday 18th February. Tickets for the grand final sold out on the preceding Tuesday, assuring a crowd of close to 55,000 will be in attendance, meaning that Melbourne Victory will (for the 3rd time this season) break the record for the largest attendance to a domestic football fixture in Australia.

The grand final was played on a hot 43 degree Sunday evening with the dome roof half open, but later closed due a large storm passing above.. The match was fast paced right from the outset. In the 12th minute Melbourne's goalkeeper pulled off a series of fines saves to deny Nathan Burns. In the 21st minute, Fred beautifully controlled a highball and dinked the ball inside the penalty are. Archie Thompson just got an outstretched boot to the ball before the Adelaide keeper could claim it. It slowly rolled towards goal and trickled in off the inside of the post for a goal. Melbourne again cracked open Adelaide's defence in the 29th minute. Fred played the ball along the ground across the box, and Archie Thompson slotted the ball home. In the 35th minute, Adelaide captain Ross Aloisi crunched into Grant Brebner after the ball had been played. Referee Mark Shield showed Aloisi his second yellow card, and Adealaide were down to 10 men. In the 40th minute Kevin Muscat played a clever through ball to cut open Adelaide's defence. Archie Thompson was on the end of it, and waltzed through the box to blast home his hat-trick.

At the beginning of the second half Thompson nearly streched Melbourne's lead to 4-0, only to be denied by the woodwork. Soon after this Fred also hit the frame of the goals after Danny Allsopp's shot was saved. In the 56th minute, Fred released Thompson into space in a move some saw as offside. Play continued, and the Melbourne striker stormed towards goal, rounded the keeper and passed the ball into the net to bag his and Melbourne's fourth goal. After this Adelaide had a couple of good chances. A Nathan Burns goal was disallowed for offside, and Bruce Djite saw his shot rebound off the crossbar. In the 73rd minute Fred again played the ball into the path of Thompson and the Socceroo smashed the ball into the back of the net to make it 5-0. Allsopp missed some easy chances later on, but the pressure was off Melbourne at that stage. Thompson was replaced on 90 minutes by Kristian Sarkies, and he received a thunderous applause from the crowd. To put some icing on an already sweet cake, Sarkies received the ball, ran to the edge of the box, straightened, and drove the ball off the inside of the upright to make it 6-0.

After the final whistle, most of the 55,436 in attendance remained for the presentation. The obvious choice of Archie Thompson received the Joe Marston medal for man of the match. Adelaide were presented with runners-up medals. Melbourne players received their championship medals. The championship trophy was presented to captain Kevin Muscat, and coach Ernie Merrick. Melbourne then performed a few Victory laps in front of their adoring fans. Adelaide's Michael Valkanis, Ross Aloisi, Angelo Costanzo, Carl Veart and coach John Kosmina were punished for their criticism (during the game and after it) of the officials. Less than a week after the grand final, Kosmina resigned from his position as manager, and Ross Aloisi was stripped of the captaincy.

2006-07 Awards

*Victory Medal
**Kevin Muscat and Danny Allsopp
*Players' Player of the Year
**Danny Allsopp
*Clubman of the Year
**Fred
*Golden Boot
**Archie Thompson