Australian Club Soccer Match of the Month
Australian football clubs have recently been in the news for interesting matches and very few draws. One of the most exciting days for Gold Coast FC fans was when they beat Newcastle Jets 3-1 in the end of October 2011. This was a match you want to see to check out which team is really worth supporting, because of the way it unfolded. Held at Skilled Park in Queensland, the match saw both teams evenly poised in terms of performance quality. Yet Gold Coast came out as the winner because they managed to outshine their opponents on the turf.
The match had many exciting moments and the first goal came about in the 11th minute from the 27-year old Ritgers. The other two goals came from Rees and Brown in the second half. After the third goal, the Jets were still with no goal in their favor, but a low left-footed strike from Wheelhouse ensured that the Jets fans had something to cheer. However, Wheelhouse was taken off, which many fans may have disliked because he seemed to be the only hope. The Jets did play to keep the fans hopeful, but Marko Jesic, who substituted Wheelhouse seemed to prove less effective than his teammate.
Newcastle Jets tried a few long passes towards the end of the game. Although the passes were mostly accurate, the players could not secure a goal, and the desperation was beginning to show. Although the Jets did most things right, a confident Gold Coast team managed to keep the ball away from their own net. With most attempts the Jets made, the goalie seemed to have little trouble in keeping the ball away from danger.
Experts said that both teams used clever strategies to take the match in their favor, but the winners had the execution right. The Jets seemed to fight it out until the end-game whistle, but their opponents seemed to defend with better tenacity. Although there have been a number of strategy and team based changes on both sides after the match, Gold Coast FC seems to have shuffled back to mostly the same team that brought victory.