Melbourne Metropolis’s gamble to play injured striker Jamie Maclaren has did not repay, with the A-League leaders held to a 1-1 draw by Macarthur FC at Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday night time.
Regardless of not being chosen by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold for Australia’s two-games sequence towards Ecuador beginning in Sydney on Friday night time due to a damaged toe, Maclaren was nonetheless deemed match sufficient to play for a Metropolis facet hit by harm.
It’s understood Arnold gave Maclaren and Metropolis coach Rado Vidosic his blessing to choose the Socceroos striker regardless of him lacking nationwide responsibility.
Nonetheless, whereas Maclaren labored onerous, he struggled at occasions along with his harm and wasn’t his standard potent self in entrance of objective.
He additionally wasn’t helped by some peculiar service, significantly in stoppage time when he was completely unmarked within the Bulls’ penalty space however was let down by a poor go from teammate and fellow Socceroo Marco Tilio.
Maclaren was additionally left annoyed early within the second half when he thought he had earnt a penalty for Metropolis after being fouled by Macarthur defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis.
Nonetheless after initially pointing to the spot, referee Chris Beath rescinded the penalty after a VAR verify confirmed the Maclaren was in an offside place.
With the scores locked at 1-1 within the 89th minute, Metropolis thought they’d an opportunity to attain a winner when Beath once more pointed to the penalty spot, this time for what he thought was a foul from Macarthur’s Ivan Vujica on Aiden O’Neill.
Nonetheless, fortune was to once more favour the Bulls when Beath once more overturned his determination after being suggested by the VAR to evaluate footage of the incident.
Metropolis subsequently needed to accept a share of the factors.
Having led second-placed Adelaide United by six factors in the beginning of the spherical, Metropolis’s benefit over the Reds has now been decreased to 4 factors, however Vidosic’s males nonetheless have a sport in hand.
“I’m so happy with my boys. They tried so onerous,” Vidosic informed Paramount +.
“You make your individual luck and it was simply a type of nights the place the go was possibly a bit bit too onerous, or we had been a bit bit egocentric in these conditions, or the photographs had been blocked.”
Towards the run of play, Macarthur – whose particular pink jerseys will likely be auctioned for the Sony Basis Australia charity – went forward within the twenty sixth minute.
Some poor defending from Metropolis centre-back Curtis Good allowed Macarthur attacker Al Hassan Toure to cost ahead into the guests’ nearly empty half.
Regardless of being chased down by midfielder O’Neill, Toure confirmed nice composure to feed unmarked teammate Jason Romero, who scored his first A-League objective.
It was solely the woodwork that denied Metropolis an equaliser within the thirty sixth minute when a long-distance strike from captain Scott Jamieson struck the crossbar.
Nonetheless, Metropolis finally levelled the scores within the 66th minute when Aspropotamitis turned a low cross from younger star Jordan Bos into his personal internet.
Initially revealed as Jamie Maclaren battles toe harm as Melbourne Metropolis held by Macarthur
