An unbelievable 10-goal draw highlighted an action-packed Round 5 in the E-League as two heavyweight players had their perfect runs ended.
Mark Brijeski remains the only competitor to have won all five matches after helping Sydney FC stay top, with the Sky Blues ahead of Central Coast Mariners on goal difference.
Elsewhere, a last-gasp equaliser in the final match of the night forced the first aggregate draw in the competition’s history.
And that was far from the most dramatic encounter of the night as the E-League passed the halfway mark in spectacular style.
Sydney FC 5-1 Brisbane Roar
- Sydney FC remain top of the table after back-to-back victories against Brisbane Roar improved their goal difference.
Xbox: Samer ‘Samer96_’ Elbadar 3-1 James ‘Cripsy’ Williams
Adrian Mierzejewski was on target for Samer Elbadar as he opened the night with a 3-1 win over James Williams.
Elbadar scored twice after half-time to snuff out Williams’ threat and secure a comfortable victory.
The Sky Blues earlier had a 21st-minute lead cancelled out, but the eventual two-goal buffer made for a sizeable advantage.
PS4: Mark ‘xMarkoHD’ Brijeski 2-0 Dino ‘ol_Mate_’ Flocco
Mark Brijeski held up his end of the bargain for Sydney FC, easing past Dino Flocco 2-0 on PS4.
Buoyed by a two-goal lead from the first leg, Brijeski put any thoughts of an upset to bed by netting twice in the first 10 minutes – the first an intelligently-worked free-kick and the second via an almighty goalmouth scramble.
Flocco steadied to keep it scoreless thereafter, but in truth Brijeski was never troubled as he won for the fifth straight week.
Melbourne Victory 4-6 Central Coast Mariners
- Kiran Gupta suffered a maiden E-League defeat, but Central Coast Mariners still did enough to overcome Melbourne Victory across two legs.
Xbox: Mitch ‘ALCRATRAZZ_2025’ Austin 0-3 Matthew ‘StrawHat Camels’ Camilleri
Matthew Camilleri helped Central Coast into a commanding position with a clinical 3-0 victory over Mitch Austin.
Austin dominated the opening 40 minutes but was made to pay for his profligacy, with Camilleri burying a pair of sucker-punches late in the first half.
And it was 3-0 within five minutes of the restart as the Mariner rounded out a professional performance.
PS4: Mouad ‘MuadZwed’ Zwed 4-3 Kiran ‘KyrenFIFA’ Gupta
Mouad Zwed inflicted a first defeat on Kiran Gupta in a stunning 4-3 victory highlighted by a string of fine finishes.
Zwed immediately pulled back the first of a three-goal deficit with a sublime finesse effort from the edge of the area that curled in off the upright.
Gupta appeared rattled as he saw a contentious penalty saved, but the disappointment didn’t last long with scores levelled by half-time.
The entertainment took on explosive new life from there with both players on target twice in a see-sawing four-goal sequence, before an exquisite late volley from Zwed confirmed the end of Gupta’s unbeaten record.
Wellington Phoenix 4-5 Newcastle Jets
- Bohdan Ling was the hero for Newcastle Jets as his big second-leg triumph snatched three points from Wellington Phoenix’s clutches.
Xbox: Justin ‘justmanutd12 Josevski 4-2 Dane ‘Bossierhickory8’ Crow
Wellington’s Justin Josevski compiled a three-goal second half to dominate Dane Crow in a confident 4-2 victory.
Josevski sliced through the heart of defence to make the early breakthrough, only for a goalkeeping error to help Crow restore parity.
The goals flowed freely in the second half with Josevski adding another three to put Phoenix in the box seat, although a consolation for Crow kept the Jets within reach.
PS4: Christian ‘Fweshest’ Bartolilo 1-4 Bohdan ‘BLfifa’ Ling
Bohdan Ling came up clutch as a 4-1 defeat of Phoenix’s Christian Bartolilo completely swung the tie in Newcastle’s favour.
Ling dragged the Jets back into the contest with two vital goals midway through the half that squared the ledger on aggregate.
Bartolilo then scrambled one home to inch Phoenix back into the ascendancy, but Ling came back from the dead to strike twice more and steal all three points.
Western Sydney Wanderers 10-5 Perth Glory
- After a sensational first leg ended all square, Rick Tran emphatically fired Western Sydney past Perth Glory.
Xbox: Joseph ‘OhNoAGoat’ Nassar 5-5 David ‘HighFly357’ Cook
Joseph Nassar and David Cook combined for a crazy 5-5 draw as Western Sydney’s Xbox representative failed to win for the first time in chaotic circumstances.
The underdog Cook was on fire early, scoring either side of a Nassar equaliser for a shock 2-1 lead inside the first 15 minutes.
And the boilover was truly on when he made it a two-goal cushion just five minutes later.
Two further strikes at either end saw Cook ahead 4-2 at the interval, which Alvaro Cejudo cut once more in the thick of a rollercoaster encounter.
Nassar looked set to overrun his Perth opponent when he completed the fightback, only for Cook to again defy the odds by restoring his advantage.
But there was still time for more drama – Western Sydney capping the game of the season by notching an unthinkable equaliser in the 90th minute.
PS4: Rick ‘RDOUBLETTT’ Tran 5-0 Peter ‘saisanas’ Saisanas
Rick Tran stunned Peter Saisanas 5-0 in a one-sided second leg between Western Sydney and Perth.
Tran started well with two early strikes and then denied Saisanas from the penalty spot to have the tie under control.
And the result became a rout in a blistering three-goal burst from the Wanderer, who never afforded his opponent a moment of peace in his finest individual display to date.
Adelaide United 4-4 Melbourne City
- Josh Wood’s late equaliser in the PS4 leg helped Melbourne City avoid an upset against Adelaide United in the E-League’s maiden aggregate draw.
Xbox: Jamie ‘FUTWIZ Jamie’ O’Doherty 1-1 Marcus ‘SoccerStar00777’ Gomes
Jamie O’Doherty recovered from an early deficit to earn a confidence-boosting 1-1 draw with Marcus Gomes.
O’Doherty had reason to believe an upset was brewing when he drew level on the stroke of half-time, Gomes’ typically patient build-up having secured him an earlier lead.
Gomes went close to a winner late in the match, but an exceptional save from the goalkeeper proved the only real reprieve O’Doherty needed to bank an impressive result.
PS4: Zachary ‘vDreamz-Shooter’ May-Burgess 3-3 Josh ‘Joshingwood’ Wood
Josh Wood scored with the last kick of the night to snatch a 3-3 draw with Zachary May-Burgess and seal an overall point for City.
May-Burgess was on song from the outset with two goals either side of half-time.
Wood launched a quickfire comeback to restore parity, but the Reds looked to have secured a match-winning reward for a delightful one-two with 15 minutes to play.
However, last week’s star performer dug out one last goal deep into stoppage time to secure a share of the points.
This article was originally published at: www.a-league.com.au/news/10-goal-cracker-amid-upsets-and-history-e-league-round-5-wrap
