VPL Report: Victory late show seals massive three points

Two stoppage-time goals secured Melbourne Victory all three points in Saturday afternoon’s huge top-of-the-table clash with Langwarrin SC.

Head Coach Joe Palatsides made three changes to the XI which defeated Brunswick City, as George Karvounis and Victor Muhindo made their first starts of 2024, whilst Christian Siciliano returned in goal.

The stakes were high on a superb Saturday afternoon as the only two undefeated teams in VPL1 met for the first time this season.

The intensity was apparent from the first minute, but it was Victory who almost made the perfect start.

A foul on Kayne Razmovski just inside the penalty area led the referee to point to the spot just seven minutes in, but the subsequent spot-kick from Luka Kolić was kept out by a strong save.

Langwarrin had the ball in the back of the net just minutes later, but the offside flag ensured the score remained 0-0.

The eventful start to the game continued a few minutes later, as Victor Muhindo succumbed to an early injury and was withdrawn, replaced by Marc Petheriotis.

The game became a more even affair after the dramatic start.

Goalkeeper Christian Siciliano was called upon on a handful of occasions, making a series of important contributions on his return to the team.

Langwarrin though had the next golden opportunity, when they were awarded a penalty of their own.

However, the subsequent spot-kick also failed to break the deadlock, rebounding off the post before being cleared away.

The 0-0 scoreline appeared set to hold as half-time approached, but the game went up another gear as it entered the final five minutes of the half.

Victory opened the scoring in the 40th minute, when the substitute Petheriotis latched onto a loose ball at the far post, before nailing a straightforward finish.

Langwarrin though equalised just minutes later, meaning the scores remained level at half-time.

The second 45 started as a much tamer affair, with the half-time team talks resulting in a less chaotic contest.

Siciliano continued to play a key role, as Victory’s attack struggled to achieve the same fluency as has been usual this season.

Jesse Hoey had Victory’s best chance for the majority of the second half, with a long-range strike which swirled in the air, forcing an awkward save from the Langwarrin goalkeeper soon after the hour mark.

Joe Palatsides resisted utilising his bench until the final 15 minutes, when he made a triple substitution which saw Tommaso Minutoli, Jack Mihailidis and Dimi Palatsides all brought into the game.

Nonetheless, the deadlock remained unbroken as the game entered into stoppage time.

Then, Jack Mihailidis made his mark.

A splendid attacking move involving a series of reverse passes unlocked the Langwarrin defence, playing through Mihailidis who thumped home the finish to return Victory to the lead in the first minute of additional time.

A seismic goal in the context of the season, Mihailidis had made the vital contribution towards Victory securing all three points.

As Langwarrin searched for a second equaliser, Victory sprung a lethal counter-attack, as the first-half substitute and goal scorer Petheriotis added a second to his name by finishing off the one-on-one chance.

3-1 the full-time score, as Victory’s two late goals sealed a monumental win.

Joe Palatsides’ side are guaranteed to end Round 10 of the VPL1 season seven points clear on top in what is a glowing reflection of the team’s performances so far.

On the performance:

“We’re really pleased for the players because it was one of those tough games.”

“It ebbed and flowed a bit in terms of who had the ascendancy.”

“When you play Langwarrin, they’re a good team, they’ve got some really good players, so we always knew they were going to create some chances.”

“Overall I thought it was a good performance by the boys and a well deserved victory, albeit coming a bit late.”

On dealing with the big occasions:

“We discussed it a bit beforehand.”

“You never really know how the young lads are going to do.”

“The next three or four weeks are going to really define our season and how we’re going to progress – this was the first test.”

“Playing away from home against a really good team, I thought they stood up really well.”

“Even those difficult moments we had, we were pretty resilient as a group.”

“Then when the moment of quality needed to come, it came towards the end of the game.”

On the impact of the substitutions:

“It was a bit disappointing to have to make such an early substitution. We wanted to see Victor (Muhindo) play from the start this time. He’s been knocking on the door to get a start, it was disappointing he got injured early on.”

“But Marc Petheriotis has been playing really well.”

“Young Jack Mihailidis has been building each week. He scored against Melbourne City and he scored again today.”

“You look at all the boys who are playing and coming on, they all contribute.”

Victory head to The Home of the Matildas next Saturday afternoon, where they will take on Bulleen Lions in a contest kicking off at 3:00pm.

Langwarrin SC 1

Melbourne Victory 3 (Petheriotis 40′, 90+4′, Mihailidis 90+1′)

Melbourne Victory U23s starting XI: Christian Siciliano (GK), Linus Bourke, Josh Inserra, Matt Bozinovski, George Karvounis, Kayne Razmovski, Alex Menelaou (c), Luka Kolić, Jesse Hoey, Victor Muhindo, Adem Duratović