Puskas contender stuns old side in all-time A-League thumping

Melbourne City midfielder Terry Antonis has scored one the greatest goals in A-League Men history on Tuesday night as his team destroyed Western Sydney by a record-equalling 7-0 at AAMI Park.

In the 82nd minute, Antonis spotted Wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas off his line, unloaded from the centre circle and fired it into the back of the net from 50 yards out, sparking wild celebrations and prompting Antonis to make a “call me” phone call gesture to Western Sydney boss Marko Rudan who used to coach him.

The result was Western Sydney’s biggest ever defeat and it was also the equal biggest margin in competition history. Naturally, it was also Melbourne’s equal biggest win, equalling their 8-1 demolition of Brisbane in December and their 7-0 romp over Victory in 2020-21.

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On a night when speculation surrounding City legend Jamie Maclaren’s future intensified, his team made it even harder for him to return to the starting line-up.

For the first time in more than seven years, the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer started on the bench in consecutive A-League matches. It was the strongest indication yet that he might be headed for the AAMI Park exit door at season’s end, and possibly to incoming club Auckland for 2024-25.

While he was sitting on the pine, City ran riot without him, banging home four goals in 12 minutes in the first half, including a two-minute Tolgay Arslan brace, to embarrass a hopelessly disorganised Wanderers defence and seal the result before the break.

Maclaren came on in the 65th minute, and it took him 12 minutes to break his 10-game scoring drought. He replaced his precocious understudy Max Caputo who starred again with a goal and an assist.

Arslan opened up the scoring in the 30th minute when he got on the end of a pinpoint Steven Ugarkovic cross from the byline on the right and tapped it home into an empty net.

Two minutes later, James Jeggo pounced on a Dylan Scicluna turnover in the middle of the park and passed it to Arslan who cut through the visitors’ defence like a hot knife through butter and, with Western Sydney’s defenders all dropping off him, the German banged it past Thomas from 17 yards out with a gorgeous strike.

The visitors’ pain continued in the 39th minute when Marin Jakolis deftly played through Caputo who crossed it past Thomas’ outstretched fingertips for Leo Natel to ram it home on the goal line.

And three minutes later, the chaos was complete when Ugarkovic and Jakolis combined to get it to Caputo who bisected Oscar Priestman and Alexander Bonetig and, from eight yards out, tucked it away into the far corner to make it 4-0.

In the 72nd minute, the hosts increased their lead when Antonis’ corner found an unmarked Nuno Reis who powerfully headed home his first A-League goal for Melbourne City.

The icing on the cake came five minutes later when Natel passed it to Maclaren who popped it home from six yards out after capitalising on a gorgeous first touch, and Antonis put the cherry on top with his worldy shortly after.

RUDAN MAKES A STATEMENT

So disgusted was Rudan with his team’s first-half performance that, in an A-League first, he made the extraordinary move of burning all five of his substitutes at half-time.

On came Milos Ninkovic, Dylan Pierias, Nathan Barrie, Gabriel Cleur and Jack Clisby in place of Nicolas Milanovic, Lachlan Brook, Thomas Beadling, Aidan Simmons and Scicluna.

CITY TAKE INITIATIVE

Just seven games out from the finals, the match was a crunch encounter for Western Sydney and Melbourne, who headed into the meeting in sixth and seventh spots respectively with just two points separating them.

But City appeared to be the only team who grasped the importance of the match, and after going winless in their previous five games (their worst run in five years), they have now won two games in the past four days to leapfrog the Wanderers into the top six.

Western Sydney now find themselves a point out of the top six after losing their last three matches – their longest barren streak under Rudan who must now find himself under some pressure.