Adelaide United have got the points over the Melbourne Heart with a 3-2 result at a wet Hindmarsh Stadium. An early goal to Mathew Leckie and two second half strikes from Iain Ramsay got the points for the Reds who overcame goals from Rutger Worm and Eli Babalj for the Heart.
A-League Round 3Adelaide United: 3 (Mathew Leckie 2', Iain Ramsay 52', 88') Melbourne Heart: 2 (Rutger Worm 42', Eli Babalj 74')
Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Crowd: approx. 6,000 Referee: Ben Williams Yellow card:AU Iain Fyfe 5' MH - Rutger Worm 45+2', Wayne Srhoj 64', Jason Hoffman 75', Michael Beauchamp 84'
GOAL The match started perfectly for the home side when Heart defender Michael Marrone made a poor backpass and Reds young gun Mathew Leckie intercepted before burning off Michael Beauchamp and slotting past Clint Bolton in just the 2nd minute to open the scoring.
Melbourne had more possession in the first half but could not conjure much in the way of goalscoring chances as Adelaide were enjoying the better of their forward forays with Leckie a real danger.
However, GOAL it was the Heart who grabbed the second goal when Dean Heffernan found Rutger Worm in the area with a pinpoint cross and the Dutch midfielder powered home a header to make it 1-1 just prior to the break.
Seven minutes after the re-start, Adelaide again took the lead and it again came from a defensive error from the Heart. Lucas Pantelis was allowed to slip through and get a shot on goal which was brilliantly saved by Bolton but he could only parry it into the path of GOAL Iain Ramsay who tucked it home from close range for his first A-League goal to make it 2-1.
The Reds could smell blood as they searched for a third goal but their desperation proved to be their downfall as the Heart managed an equaliser. Matt Thompson took on and beat Daniel Mullen down the left flank before cutting into the box before teeing up GOALEli Babalj who finished calmly past Eugene Galekovic to make it 2-2.
Adelaide thought they had scored nine minutes from time when Lucas Pantelis played a deft ball to Marcos Flores who rounded his opponent before shooting home past Bolton but the linesman adjudged the Argentinean to be off-side and the Heart lived to fight another day.
GOAL Two minutes from time, Ramsay put Adelaide ahead for a third time when he ran onto a beautifully weighted pass by Flores and finished through the legs of Bolton to make it 3-2 and give the Reds all three points.
Starting Line-Up
AUEugene Galekovic (gk), Iain Fyfe, Daniel Mullen, Cassio, Lucas Pantelis, Iain Ramsay, Marcos Flores (Monterosso 90+2'), Paul Reid, Inseob Shin (M.Mullen 67'), Mathew Leckie, Cameron Watson
Subs - Mark Birighitti (gk), Francesco Monterosso (90+2'), Joe Costa, Matthew Mullen (67')
MH Clint Bolton (gk), Michael Marrone, Simon Colosimo, Michael Beauchamp, Matt Thompson, Rutger Worm, Gerald Sibon, Wayne Srhoj, Nick Kalmar, Dean Heffernan, Aziz Behich (Hoffman 73')
Subs - Peter Zois (gk), Brendan Hamill, Jason Hoffman (73'), Eli Babalj
