A cold Wednesday night in Broadmeadows attracted 2866 fans as Melbourne Victory edged past hosts Hume City to win 1-0 and progress to the FFA Cup quarter finals.
The home side were valiant in defeat, pushing desperately for an equalising goal late in the second half, but Melbourne Victory held on to secure the win at ABD Stadium, booking its place in the FFA Cup quarter-finals.
Victory started the better of the two sides, looking comfortable in possession without making any meaningful in-roads in the final third.
But when Fahid Ben Khalfallah was brought down inside the penalty area and a spot-kick was awarded, Besart Berisha converted what became the game-winning goal 27 minutes in.
The goal brought about a response from Hume, who had a few penalty shouts of their own before half-time.
Tom Cahill had a handball shout waved away by referee Shaun Evans, who also kept his whistle in his pocket despite central defender Ramazan Tavsancioglu going down at a corner.
The hosts started the second half strongly and began to test the Victory defence and pepper Lawrence Thomas’s goal.
Captain Nick Hegarty’s power drive was on target after 64 minutes, the follow up from striker Kym Harris ricocheting off a defender.
They kept coming, and the crowd thought Harris had scored in added time, but his shot rippled the side netting.
Not even the presence of goalkeeper Chris Oldfield at the final corner of the game could create a chance, and Hume’s Cup run came to an end.
The Peak
There’s plenty for Melbourne Victory fans to look forward to this season, namely in the form of James Troisi.
His return to the club was a welcome one before the match, but if his first half was anything to go by, there’s a lot more in the tank.
Assured and in control of the ball, he dominated proceedings in the first half, and wearing the number 10 made famous by club custodian Archie Thompson, he certainly delivered in the role.
The Trough
Despite getting the win, Melbourne Victory looked underdone at best.
One-dimensional and slow in possession, they lacked a real presence in the final third, and other than the penalty, had little in the way of attempts on Chris Oldfield’s goal.
Vast improvement is needed before the beginning of the A-League season and their FFA Cup quarter final.
The Game Breaker
The contentious penalty decision that gave Melbourne Victory the lead ultimately decided the fate of the match. Referee Shaun Evans also waved away two Hume City penalty shouts.
What We Learned
Hume put in a gutsy performance, unlucky not to find the back of the net with their limited chances, and can exit the FFA Cup knowing they gave it everything.
Striker Kym Harris worked hard and, especially in the second half, was instrumental in mounting a late assault on Lawrence Thomas’s goal.
Melbourne Victory advance to the last eight, albeit in underwhelming circumstances, but winning ugly still gets results.
They held together defensively and protected their advantage until the end.