Central Coast Mariners delivered a dominant performance on the road, defeating Adelaide United FC 4-0 at Coopers Stadium on Sunday 4 January in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Mariners came out firing from the opening whistle and nearly found an immediate breakthrough, with Miguel Di Pizio testing the defence inside the first minute before dragging his effort narrowly wide. The early pressure continued as Sabit Ngor rose to meet a pinpoint cross soon after, forcing Adelaide goalkeeper Joshua Smits into a sharp save.
The breakthrough arrived in the 7th minute following a VAR review for a handball in the box by Adelaide defender Vinko Stanisic. Irish international Alfie McCalmont stepped up and showed great composure from the penalty spot, confidently cracking the ball home to give the Mariners a deserved early lead.
Buoyed by the opener, the visitors continued to dominate possession and territory. Ngor again found space and fired a strong shot on target, only to be denied once more by Smits. Adelaide registered their first real chance in the 17th minute when Harry Crawford struck from range, but his effort drifted wide of the post.
Moments later, Adelaide captain Craig Goodwin produced some clever footwork to cut inside and unleash a powerful shot that beat Mariners goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, only for Haine Eames to produce a miraculous goal line header to clear the danger.
The Mariners quickly capitalised. Di Pizio played a perfectly weighted ball through to Ngor in the 19th minute, and the striker made no mistake, firing home to double the lead. Just one minute later, the scoreline worsened for the hosts as Bailey Brandtman surged through the Adelaide defence and calmly finished to make it 3-0, scoring his second goal of the season.
Brandtman remained heavily involved, winning a free kick just outside the box in the 29th minute. A clever set piece routine saw the ball worked to Storm Roux, whose effort was again saved by Smits. The Mariners continued to press, with Brandtman later finding the net only to be ruled offside.
Despite Adelaide showing brief moments of promise, the Mariners defence stood firm and dealt with every genuine threat, heading into half time with a commanding 3-0 lead.
Adelaide emerged with renewed intensity in the second half, forcing Redmayne into a couple of strong saves as they attempted to claw their way back into the contest. McCalmont was shown a yellow card during this period for a mistimed challenge as the hosts increased the tempo.
Any hopes of an Adelaide comeback were extinguished when the Mariners struck again. Di Pizio’s deflected effort found the back of the net following an outstanding cross from Brandtman, extending the lead to 4-0.
An early substitution followed, with Haine Eames making way for Nico Duarte. Di Pizio nearly added a second goal moments later, attempting to lob Smits but sending the ball just over the crossbar.
Adelaide continued to search for a consolation, coming closest in the 70th minute when Amlani Tatu’s deflected strike flew over the bar. Arthur De Lima was introduced late for Ngor as the Mariners managed the closing stages.
Further changes from head coach Warren Moon saw Di Pizio replaced by Christian Theoharous, while Terrigal junior Harry Steele made way for Mariners Academy product Laurence Taylor, who marked a special moment by making his Isuzu UTE A-League debut.
Both sides created chances late, but the scoreline remained unchanged as the Mariners secured an emphatic 4-0 victory.
Man of the Match Miguel Di Pizio reflected post match, saying:
‘Adelaide’s a hard place to come and we’re coming off the back of some tough results, but we came into the game with the mindset that we’ve got nothing to lose and all to gain, and I think that definitely showed.’
The result marks a huge confidence boost for the Mariners, ending a six game winless run and kicking off the new year in impressive fashion. Attention now turns to a tough away trip against Perth Glory this Saturday 10 January.
