Who stood head and shoulders above the rest in Hyundai A-League Round 3?
We’ve assessed the strongest contenders and gone with a 4-4-2 formation to house the weekend’s best.
Do you agree with our selections? Let us know!
Goalkeeper
Daniel Lopar (Western Sydney Wanderers)
The Swiss Superman produced a string of stunning stops to preserve the Wanderers’ Sydney Derby clean sheet.
The most important save was executed on 75 minutes when Kosta Barabarouses ran clean through on the Western Sydney goal. Lopar raced off his line and make a block which must have mentally shattered the Sky Blues’ hopes of a comeback.
He denied Le Fondre and Ninkovic in the first-half, clawed Barbarouses’ 51st-minute header ‘off the goal-line’ and provided a calming presence rarely felt in the Wanderers’ backline in recent years.
Defenders
Daniel Georgievski (Western Sydney Wanderers)
“I just knew we weren’t going to concede,” said Georgievski of Western Sydney’s Sydney derby defiance.
The fullback – who made a whopping nine tackles – was a critical part of his side’s gritty 1-0 victory which secured bragging rights and maintained Wanderers’ perfect start to the new campaign.
Michael Jakobsen (Adelaide United)
It takes big shoes to fill the role of Adelaide captain but the Danish stopper’s commanding display against Newcastle Jets shows he is more than up to the task.
Jakobsen won 70% of his 10 duels and recorded an astonishing 11 clearances as the visitors soaked up the pressure at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Matt Jurman (Western Sydney Wanderers)
The former Sydney FC defender repelled the ball every time it was near a Sky Blue jersey in a colossal performance at the heart of the Western Sydney Wanderers backline.
Jurman shut down Le Fondre, aside from one half-chance, recorded the joint most clearances in the Sydney Derby – Dylan McGowan also had eight – and added a pair of vital interceptions to protect his goal.
Kim Soo-beom (Perth Glory)
Stepping into Jason Davidson’s role was going to be a tough ask for the now-departed Australian’s replacement. Korea Republic international Kim Soo-beom looks up to the task.
Kim enjoyed his finest showing for Glory so far in the club’s 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix – in which he made two key passes, won three tackles and was only denied a debut Hyundai A-League goal by a flying Stefan Marinovic.
Midfielders
James Troisi (Adelaide United)
Supposedly short on fitness, Troisi immediately looked at home in the Adelaide midfield and changed the game with a superb assist for Riley McGree’s equaliser.
Dropping into a deeper role, the debutant controlled the tempo of the Reds’ second-half resurgence, led his team in passes, and created a team-high three chances.
Leigh Broxham (Melbourne Victory)
He may be into his 14th season in the Hyundai A-League but ‘DJ Brox’ is showing no signs of slowing down.
The 31-year-old played a key role in the middle of the park against Roar, protecting his back for with some key tackles and expert positioning.
Broxham was also tidy on the ball, passing at almost 80% over the 90 minutes.
Pirmin Schwegler (Western Sydney Wanderers)
An all-action display in the Wanderers’ engine room earned the Swiss midfield general endless plaudits on a historic night at Bankwest Stadium.
A driving force in possession and a commander-in-chief without the ball, Schwegler made five tackles, six clearances, two interceptions, created two chances and left a lasting impression on the Red and Black faithful.
71% of the world's surface is covered by water.
The rest is covered by Pirmin Schwegler.#WSW #SydneyDerby pic.twitter.com/2D46nwNadt— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) October 26, 2019
Diego Castro (Perth Glory)
Castro was at his mercurial best in Perth’s triumph over Wellington Phoenix, the Spaniard’s 100th Hyundai A-League match for Glory.
Fittingly, it was a milestone celebration of everything that makes the former La Liga attacker so good.
The 37-year-old weaved his way past two Phoenix defenders to set up Bruno Fornaroli’s opener, and it was his gorgeously clipped ball that took eight Phoenix players out of the equation in the lead up to Chris Ikonomidis’ second.
Forwards
Jamie Maclaren (Melbourne City)
Is there a hotter striking product in the Hyundai A-League right now than Jamie Maclaren?
The Caltex Socceroo continued his incredible hot-streak for both club and country by scoring two brilliant goals in City’s 2-1 win over Western United on Sunday.
Mitchell Duke (Western Sydney Wanderers)
While Duke created history by producing the defining moment of a Sydney Derby for the ages, an equally big contribution was his relentless work ethic off the ball.
The captain showed quality in possession but also exemplified what it meant to be a Wanderer by making three clearances, three interceptions and charging down a shot.
He also made his only opportunity of the game count, scoring a spectacular diving header to officially achieve Western Sydney hero status.
