Melbourne Victory substitute Lleyton Brooks struck deep into stoppage time to earn his side an important point in a 1-1 Melbourne Derby draw with Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
Victory were facing the prospect of a club-first wooden spoon as City opened up a one-goal advantage through a Nick Ansell own goal in the 54th minute before Brooks emerged from the bench to restore parity in the 95th minute of play, ensuring his side moved back above Newcastle Jets into 11th spot on the A-League table.
Sydney FC scored once on either side of half-time to end the regular season on a high with a 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Roar needed a three-point effort to seal third spot on the table heading into the Finals Series but will instead wait to see if Central Coast Mariners can defeat Western United in the second game of Matchday Saturday to jump above Brisbane on the table.
Perth Glory will end the 2020/21 A-League campaign in ninth spot on the A-League table after giving up a one-goal lead to draw 1-1 against Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.
The away side took the lead in the first half through a remarkable long-range finish by star striker Bruno Fornaroli but the Jets dug deep to earn their share of the spoils, with Angus Thurgate dispatching a shot on goal which Perth defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis bundled into his own net in the 70th minute.
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FOX Sports analyst Mark Bosnich says the past three seasons have shown Wellington Phoenix are on an upward trajectory after the seventh-placed finishers ended their 2020/21 A-League campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Macarthur FC on Friday night.
The Phoenix may not be playing Finals Series football this season, but the application shown by a displaced side going 433 days between games on home soil has proven to Bosnich - and neutral observes around the league - that under head coach Ufuk Talay Wellington are on the right track, and heading into an exciting future.
The Phoenix boss signed a fresh two-year contract with the club in May, joining a raft of Wellington players in committing to the Phoenix project for the years to come.
Due to the 7-day extension to the lockdown in Melbourne, Victory’s clash with Melbourne City at AAMI Park on Sunday will be played behind closed doors.
Members and fans can still catch all the action of the final Melbourne Derby of the A-League 2021/22 season on Fox Sports, Kayo and through MyFootball Telstra Live App from 4:00pm.
We will also be covering the match live via the @gomvfc accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can also stay up to date via the club website.