Adelaide United 3-1 Macarthur: Reds into second after stylish victory

By Sports Desk April 14, 2021

Adelaide United moved into second in the A-League after a 3-1 win over Macarthur at Coopers Stadium on Wednesday.

The Reds, beaten 4-0 in the previous meeting on February 12, produced a far slicker performance as they made it six wins out of eight at home.

Tomi Juric headed in Craig Goodwin's cross after 15 minutes of Adelaide dominance before Matt Derbyshire's composed finish levelled the scores just past the half-hour mark.

Goodwin restored the hosts' lead 72 minutes in, converting from the spot after being fouled by Lachlan Rose, before Ben Halloran made certain of the points with the goal of the game, a sublime backheel from Joshua Cavallo's delivery.

Adelaide are just a point behind Central Coast Mariners at the top of the table, while Macarthur are fifth.

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    Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to close the gap at the Bundesliga summit after a wasteful display saw them draw 0-0 with Stuttgart.

    Leverkusen remain third in the standings, four points behind RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, who play Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin respectively on Saturday.

    Xabi Alonso's side dominated proceedings from the first whistle, registering 10 attempts in the first half, though only three were on Alexander Nubel's goal. 

    They came closest to breaking the deadlock five minutes before the break when Edmond Tapsoba rattled the crossbar with a thumping header. 

    Leverkusen struck the woodwork again shortly after the restart, this time through Victor Boniface, as the Stuttgart net continued to live a charmed life at the BayArena. 

    Boniface was then denied by a miraculous save by Nubel in the 73rd minute, before the visiting goalkeeper denied Florian Wirtz to seal a share of the spoils for Stuttgart. 

    Data Debrief: All bark, no bite

    Leverkusen lacked the attacking spark that helped them romp to the Bundesliga title, and this result could prove pivotal in their attempts of reclaiming their league crown. 

    The goalless draw saw the hosts underperform their expected goals (xG) value by 2.19. Only in a 0-0 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach last season have they underperformed their xG value more in a league game under Alonso (3.0). 

    Boniface was arguably the biggest culprit for wasting those golden opportunities. He had four shots, with two of those on target, while he also missed three big chances. 

  • Lloris demands improvements as he seeks to complete LAFC 'mission' Lloris demands improvements as he seeks to complete LAFC 'mission'

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    LAFC edged the first game of their best-of-three series against the Vancouver Whitecaps, with Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera on target for Steve Cherundolo’s side.

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    "But I think a lot of us weren't happy giving up that goal late as well.”

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    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

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    The Scot is the first player in the Whitecaps’ MLS history to score in consecutive playoff matches.

    LAFC - Denis Bouanga

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    No player in league history has scored in four straight postseason games against a single team, though the Gabon international will have his eyes set on making history this time around.

    MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

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    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Vancouver Whitecaps – 28.4%

    Draw – 24.4%

    LAFC – 47.2%

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