Melbourne City’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 evening.
Despite not being chosen by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold for Australia’s two-games collection in opposition to Ecuador beginning in Sydney on Friday evening due to a damaged toe, Maclaren was nonetheless deemed match sufficient to play for a City facet hit by harm.
It’s understood Arnold gave Maclaren and City coach Rado Vidosic his blessing to choose the Socceroos striker regardless of him lacking nationwide responsibility.
However, whereas Maclaren labored onerous, he struggled at instances together with his harm and wasn’t his typical potent self in entrance of aim.
He additionally wasn’t helped by some extraordinary service, notably in stoppage time when he was completely unmarked within the Bulls’ penalty space however was let down by a poor cross 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 City after being fouled by Macarthur defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis.
However after initially pointing to the spot, referee Chris Beath rescinded the penalty after a VAR examine confirmed the Maclaren was in an offside place.
With the scores locked at 1-1 within the 89th minute, City thought that they had 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.
However, 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.
City due to this fact needed to accept a share of the factors.
Having led second-placed Adelaide United by six factors at the beginning of the spherical, City’s benefit over the Reds has now been decreased to 4 factors, however Vidosic’s males nonetheless have a recreation in hand.
“I’m so proud of my boys. They tried so hard,” Vidosic advised Paramount +.
“You make your own luck and it was just one of those nights where the pass was maybe a little bit too hard, or we were a little bit selfish in those situations, or the shots were blocked.”
Against the run of play, Macarthur – whose particular pink jerseys will probably be auctioned for the Sony Foundation Australia charity – went forward within the twenty sixth minute.
Some poor defending from City centre-back Curtis Good allowed Macarthur attacker Al Hassan Toure to cost ahead into the guests’ nearly empty half.
Despite being chased down by midfielder O’Neill, Toure confirmed nice composure to feed unmarked teammate Jason Romero, who scored his first A-League aim.
It was solely the woodwork that denied City an equaliser within the thirty sixth minute when a long-distance strike from captain Scott Jamieson struck the crossbar.
However, City finally levelled the scores within the 66th minute when Aspropotamitis turned a low cross from younger star Jordan Bos into his personal internet.
