Adelaide’s finals hopes dive after ALM draw with Roar

Adelaide have played one more match than the rest of the competition and must now win their final game away against Melbourne City and hope other results go their way to play finals.

The race for positions in the top six is set to go down to the final round of the regular season in the first weekend in May.

Just four points separate third from seventh, with Western United (41), Western Sydney (40), Melbourne Victory (39), Sydney FC (37) and Adelaide (37) fighting it out.

Adelaide coach Carl Veart will leave the club at the end of the season and said winning their next match and going on a dream run in the finals would mean everything to him.

“We have one more game and we will give it everything we’ve got and hopefully things fall our way,” he said. 

Adelaide opened the scoring in the 11th minute on Tuesday night, with Dylan Pierias slamming home a wonder cross from Yaya Dukuly, who provided the pinpoint pass across the face of goal after a scything run down the left.

The hosts had their chances to score in the first half but were frustrated.

Roar midfielder Jacob Brazete lobbed a shot inches over the crossbar in the fifth minute. 

There was a controversial moment in the 15th minute when the 19-year-old caressed a curling right-to-left shot into the net after attracting three defenders just inside the box. VAR denied the goal for offside for the sake of several Brazete toes.    

Roar striker Asumah Abubakar, the player of the match, had a goal correctly ruled out for offside after a deft pass from skipper Jay O’Shea.

Earlier it was a Florin Berenguer miss from close range in front of an open goal that had the home fans holding their heads in dismay.

Dukuly had a thunderbolt shot well saved by Roar goalkeeper Matt Acton on the cusp of halftime.

Then  in the 59th minute, Ghana-born Abubakar lashed in a right-footer from 35m out for his fourth goal of the season.

“We are very happy with the draw. We created a lot of chances and fought until the end of the game,” Abubakar told Paramount Plus.

Striker Luka Jovanovic had a chance to take the lead for Adelaide but was unable to find the net. 

Roar’s Ben Halloran had a shot in the 88th minute well saved by goalkeeper Max Vartuli, but a winner from either side proved elusive.

The Roar are in 12th place and can avoid the wooden spoon with one win in their final two games.