The Original Rivalry

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The Original Rivalry
Hindmarsh Stadium Panorama from Away End, October 2016.jpg
Panorama of Hindmarsh Stadium from the away end during an Original Rivalry match in 2016
Teams Adelaide United
Melbourne Victory
First meeting7 May 2005
OFC Club Championship
United 0–0 Victory
Latest meeting29 March 2025
A-League Men
Victory 5–3 United
Stadiums Hindmarsh Stadium
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total75
Most winsMelbourne Victory (34)
Top scorer Archie Thompson
13 goals
All-time recordAdelaide United: 24
Drawn: 17
Melbourne Victory: 34
Largest victoryVictory 6–0 United
(18 February 2007)
Longest win streak10 games
Melbourne Victory
(12 September 2008 – 29 October 2010)
Longest unbeaten streak10 games
Melbourne Victory
(12 September 2008 – 29 October 2010)
Current win streak1 game
Melbourne Victory
(29 March 2025 – present)
Current unbeaten streak1 game
Melbourne Victory
(29 March 2025 – present)
Australia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Adelaide United
Dark blue pog.svg
Melbourne
Victory

The Original Rivalry is a rivalry between South Australian-based club Adelaide United and Victorian-based club Melbourne Victory. It is also referred to as 'The Original Derby'. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Early matches (2005–2006)

The two teams first met in a 2005 Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament match on 7 May 2005 with Adelaide progressing to the next round of qualifying, winning a penalty shootout after the match remained 0–0 after extra time. [3] The teams met again in a friendly match on 26 June 2005 in Bendigo, with the teams finishing 0–0 at full time.

Beginning of rivalry (2007–2009)

However, a proper rivalry between the two teams did not begin until 2010, when Adelaide United were defeated twice in an A-League Grand Final both in 2007 and 2009. In the 2007 Grand Final in front of a sold-out crowd of 55,436 at the Telstra Dome Victory would defeat Adelaide 6-0 with 5 of the goals scored by Archie Thompson. [4] On top of the scoreline, in the 34th minute, Adelaide captain, Ross Aloisi, was given a second yellow card. During the 2008–09 season, they both finished on the top of the ladder equal on both points and the goal difference. The rivalry between both sets of fans remains very strong, [5] [6] since the majority of the matches get an attendance of at least over 12,500.

in 2009, Melbourne Victory would once again win the Grand Final, claiming a hard-fought 1–0 win in front of 53,273. The match, however, was marred by controversy, as Adelaide United striker, Cristiano, was given a straight red card in the 10th minute. [7] Cristiano was adjudged to have elbowed Rodrigo Vargas whilst contesting an aerial ball. Former Socceroo, Robbie Slater, remarked that he "thought it was a disgraceful decision and the Grand Final was ruined", whilst calling for Football Federation Australia to appoint international referees for the sake of neutrality. [8] The sending off of Danny Allsopp was also controversial, as he was given a straight red for an apparent headbutt during an altercation with Robert Cornthwaite. [9]

Another event that helped start the rivalry was in the 2006-07 season on the field included at the time Adelaide coach John Kosmina and Melbourne Victory Captain Kevin Muscat. The ball rolled out near the Adelaide technical area, Kosmina went to pick up the ball, only to be pushed to the ground by Muscat also trying to retrieve the ball himself. Kosmina responded by getting to his feet and grabbing the Victory captain by the throat. Kosmina was sent off by referee, Matthew Breeze, [10] and was later handed a five game suspension. [11] It’s an incident that has set the tone for what has followed in this fiery fixture. [12]

2010s

Following the Grand Final, Victory now had six consecutive wins against Adelaide. During the 2009–10 season, The Reds plummeted down the table, claiming the wooden spoon. Melbourne continued their form, finishing second on the ladder, losing out to Sydney on the final day. [13] Melbourne took a clean sweep of derbies during the season: winning 2–0 in Adelaide, [14] 3–1 at Docklands, [15] and 2–0 at home to momentarily go top of the table. [16] Victory extended their streak to ten consecutive wins in October 2010, coming from behind to win 2–1. [17] Adelaide finally broke Victory's streak with a 4–1 win in Melbourne in January 2011, their first win against them in almost three years, and their equal largest win in the fixture. [18] Adelaide would beat Victory again on the final day to secure third spot, and qualification for the Champions League. [19] The 2011–12 season saw both clubs drop into the bottom half of the ladder.

2020s

In March 2021, Adelaide United striker, Kusini Yengi, was subject to racial abuse from some Victory fans online after scoring in their 3–1 win. [20] In January 2022, Melbourne Victory were fined $5,000 after some of their fans directed homophobic abuse at Adelaide United player, Josh Cavallo, during a game earlier that month. [21]

Following the release of the 2023–24 A-League Men fixtures, Adelaide Venue Management, the company that own and operate Coopers Stadium, announced that Melbourne Victory supporters would not be allowed into the ground for the round 20 match, due to the incident in last year's Melbourne Derby, and previous incidents between Adelaide and Victory supporters. [22] They backtracked a few hours later, deleting the announcement and publicly stating that the decision had been reversed. [23] The CEO of AVM, Anthony Kirchner, was stood down three days later, [24] and sacked in late September. [25]

During a match on 4 November 2023, in the fifth minute of stoppage time with the scores level, Adelaide player, Nestory Irankunda, received the ball on the right wing. Victory player, Chris Ikonomidis, pulled his shirt and bumped him to the ground, causing Irankunda to lash out after a foul wasn't given. The referee, Alex King, sent Irankunda off with a second yellow card. [26] Former Adelaide United player, Bruce Djite, called the sending off an "absolute joke", stating that the referees "need to get their act together" and should be "protecting the hottest, brightest prospects in Australian football." Former Victory forward, Archie Thompson, agreed with Djite's comments, adding that "the linesman should've been helping (Alex) King, because the players were right in front of him." [27] Adelaide coach, Carl Veart, said that "Nestor has to be better" and that "he has to learn to be able to control them (his frustrations) a little bit better." Veart stated that he asked King why he didn't give the foul, and that the referee said that "he told him, he has to be stronger." [28] [29]

Cup knockouts and title deciders

Melbourne Victory celebrating after the 2007 A-League Grand Final. Melbourne Victory 2007 A-League Grand Final.jpg
Melbourne Victory celebrating after the 2007 A-League Grand Final.

Adelaide and Melbourne have met twice in an A-League Grand Final, there have also been Original Rivalry games in the FFA Cup which have significantly contributed to one of the two clubs winning a trophy. These include:

Results

Adelaide United vs. Melbourne Victory

VenueDateCompetitionScoreHome goalscorersAway goalscorersAttendance
Hindmarsh Stadium 7 May 2005 OFC Club Championship qualification 0–0
(4–1 pen.)
7,254
9 September 2005 A-League 1–0 Brain 1'8,785
5 January 2006 A-League 1–0 Dodd 14'13,427
1 December 2006 A-League 1–3 Fernando 42' Muscat 16' (pen.), Allsopp 61', Fred 86'16,378
28 January 2007 A-League Finals 0–015,575
7 September 2007 A-League 1–1 Dodd 83' (pen.) Vargas 80'12,231
12 October 2007 A-League 4–1 Milicevic 14' (o.g.), Dodd (2) 15', 54', Pantelis 90' Thompson 45'13,372
31 October 2008 A-League 2–3 Dodd 28' (pen.), Cássio 67' Muscat 55' (pen.), 81' (pen.), Celeski 84'13,191
7 February 2009 A-League Finals 0–2 Hernández 13', Allsopp 89'14,119
18 September 2009 A-League 0–2 Ward 7', Brebner 90'15,038
Adelaide Oval 11 February 2011 A-League 2–1 Reid 6', Dodd 78' Thompson 65'21,083
Hindmarsh Stadium 14 October 2011 A-League 1–0 Van Dijk 52'14,573
7 December 2012 A-League 4–2 Kostopoulos (2) 3', 32', F. Ferreira 22', Carrusca 25' Nabbout 6', Rojas 47'14,115
8 February 2013 A-League 1–0 Jerónimo 43'12,029
18 October 2013 A-League 2–2 Cirio 21' (pen.), Jerónimo 25' Finkler 79', Troisi 90+3'16,504
Adelaide Oval 17 October 2014 A-League 1–1 Cirio 85' Khalfallah 89'33,126
Hindmarsh Stadium 21 March 2015 A-League 2–2 Sánchez 43', McGowan 75' Khalfallah 9', Thompson 77'16,077
Adelaide Oval 9 October 2015 A-League 0–019,079
Hindmarsh Stadium 22 October 2016 A-League 1–2 Elrich 68' Berisha 20', Rojas 90+3'14,908
7 January 2017 A-League 0–2 Troisi 22', Berisha 68'10,036
Marden Sports Complex 23 August 2017 FFA Cup 3–0 Absalonsen 53', Blackwood 66' (pen.), N. Konstandopoulos 89'3,342
Adelaide Oval 20 October 2017 A-League 2–2 Lia (2) 23', 62' Berisha 13', Austin 82'19,415
Hindmarsh Stadium 9 January 2019 A-League 2–0 C. Goodwin 18', Ilsø 21'12,115
19 April 2019 A-League 1–0 Blackwood 81'12,866
23 November 2019 A-League 3–1 McGree (2) 23', 68', Maria 63' Toivonen 61'12,198
17 January 2020 A-League 1–0 Halloran 32'11,412
23 January 2021 A-League 1–0 M. Toure 53'8,133
11 December 2021 A-League Men 1–2 Spiranovic 70' (o.g.) Margiotta 59', Velupillay 78'8,145
5 January 2022 FFA Cup 1–2 C. Goodwin 33' Brillante 62', Margiotta 79' (pen.)3,156
2 April 2022 A-League Men 0–1 Rojas 7'8,044
11 November 2022 A-League Men 3–0 Ibusuki 37', C. Goodwin 86' (pen.), Warland 90+1'13,504
14 January 2023 A-League Men 1–1 C. Goodwin 7' D'Agostino 49'11,168
9 March 2024 A-League Men 2–1 Irankunda 51' Fornaroli (2) 33', 57' (pen.)8,731
18 January 2025 A-League Men 3–2 Mauk 31', Miranda 45' (o.g.), E. Alagich 71' Teague 18', Santos 66'14,131

Melbourne Victory vs. Adelaide United

VenueDateCompetitionScoreHome goalscorersAway goalscorersAttendance
Olympic Park 8 August 2005 Pre-Season Challenge Cup 0–04,687
28 October 2005 A-League 0–1 Veart 83'16,201
Aurora Stadium 16 July 2006 Pre-Season Challenge Cup 0–1 Veart 65'6,834
Olympic Park 25 August 2006 A-League 2–0 Muscat 29', Claudinho 78'15,781
Docklands Stadium 15 October 2006 A-League 0–1 Owens 83'32,368
4 February 2007 A-League Finals 2–1 Allsopp 48', Robinson 90+2' Dodd 4'47,413
18 February 2007 A-League Finals 6–0 Thompson (5) 21', 29', 40', 56', 73', Sarkies 90+3'55,436
Aurora Stadium 15 July 2007 Pre-Season Challenge Cup 1–1 Allsopp 74' Dodd 9'8,061
Docklands Stadium 8 December 2007 A-League 2–2 Muscat 71' (pen.), R. Alagich 90' (o.g.) Agostino (2) 18', 50'22,466
Aurora Stadium 20 July 2008 Pre-Season Challenge Cup 1–2 Ney Fabiano 8' Cristiano (2) 21', 90'4,720
Docklands Stadium 12 September 2008 A-League 1–0 Muscat 63'24,812
6 January 2009 A-League 1–0 Ward 58'27,196
14 February 2009 A-League Finals 4–0 Thompson 10', Hernández 24', Allsopp 44', Pondeljak 48'34,476
28 February 2009 A-League Finals 1–0 Pondeljak 60'53,273
24 October 2009 A-League 3–1 Dugandzic (2) 18', 56', Leijer 90' Hughes 64'21,182
23 January 2010 A-League 2–0 Pondeljak 1', Muscat 90' (pen.)20,351
29 October 2010 A-League 2–1 Kruse 22', Hernández 68' Fyfe 2'16,269
AAMI Park 9 January 2011 A-League 1–4 Dugandzic 90+4' Flores 12', Van Dijk (2) 57', 78', Barbiero 75'18,558
Docklands Stadium 10 December 2011 A-League 1–1 Thompson 58' Barbiero 81'16,562
AAMI Park 13 January 2012 A-League 1–1 Thompson 6' Van Dijk 53'20,959
Docklands Stadium 19 October 2012 A-League 2–1 Milligan 52', Rojas 67' Vidošić 49' (pen.)19,174
23 November 2013 A-League 3–0 Barbarouses 14', A. Thompson 68, Nichols 76'20,064
AAMI Park 22 February 2014 A-League 4–3 Finkler (2) 15', 56', A. Thompson 66', Barbarouses 75' Cirio (3) 3', 45', 83'18,341
28 November 2014 A-League 3–2 Boogaard 7' (o.g.), Cirio 16' (o.g.), Broxham 32' Mabil 14', Carrusca 37'22,334
22 September 2015 FFA Cup 3–1 Finkler 10', Barbarouses 45+1', Berisha 82' (pen.) Carrusca 78' (pen.)10,521
Docklands Stadium 28 November 2015 A-League 2–1 Berisha 14' (pen.), Bozanic 30' Carrusca 87' (pen.)23,415
AAMI Park 19 February 2016 A-League 0–1 Kamau 90'18,924
25 February 2017 A-League 2–1 Rojas 66, Berisha 82' Elrich 90'19,035
Docklands Stadium 8 December 2017 A-League 1–2 Milligan 56' Diawara 17', Blackwood 72'16,778
AAMI Park 24 February 2018 A-League 3–0 Regan 22' (o.g.), George 29', Berisha 59'18,924
22 April 2018 A-League Finals 2–1 George 63', Berisha 89' Mileusnic 57'15,502
Docklands Stadium 8 December 2018 A-League 2–0 Barbarouses 62', Toivonen 81'20,629
29 February 2020 A-League 2–1 Rojas 57', Nabbout 90+1' Opseth 7'14,414
13 March 2021 A-League 1–3 Brimmer 28' Mauk (2) 35, 77', Yengi 61'5,217
AAMI Park 23 May 2021 A-League 0–1 C. Goodwin 39'5,413
8 January 2022 A-League Men 1–1 D'Agostino 84' C. Goodwin 90+1'6,912
26 February 2023 A-League Men 1–1 Fornaroli 81' (pen.) Irankunda 87'8,838
4 November 2023 [35] A-League Men 1–1 Fornaroli 28' Ibusuki 59'15,229
30 December 2023 A-League Men 2–0 Machach 73', Fornaroli 90'15,216
21 September 2024 Australia Cup 1–0 Valadon 88'5,131
29 March 2025 A-League Men 5–3 Arzani (2) 29', 71' (pen.), Velupillay 39', Vergos (2) 88', 90+1' Yull 12', A. Goodwin 47', Clough 57' (pen.)10,273

Statistics

Head-to-head record

As of 29 March 2025
CompetitionMatchesMelbourne winsDrawAdelaide wins
A-League Men regular season59251321
A-League Finals 7610
FFA Cup/Australia Cup 4301
Pre-Season Challenge Cup 4022
OFC Club Championship qualification 1010
Total75341724

Comparative league placings

pos 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
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222222
3333333
444444
555555
66666
777
888
999
101010
1111
1212
13

Players who played for both clubs

Thirteen players have played for Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory since 2005. The first player to have played for both clubs was Matthew Kemp who joined Adelaide United in 2005 and Melbourne Victory in 2007 Statistics are sourced from ALeagueStats.com [36] and updated as of 27 June 2021.

Adelaide United, then Melbourne Victory

NamePosAdelaide UnitedMelbourne Victory
CareerAppsGoalsCareerAppsGoals
Matthew Kemp DF2005–074712007–12962
Daniel Mullen DF2008–12795201390
Marcos Flores MF2010–113892012–13244
Paul Izzo GK2011–15, 2017–20209902022–250
Tomi Juric FW2013, 2020–202125112022–202371
Noah Smith DF2020–20211002022–202370
Nathan Konstandopoulos MF2014–2016, 2017–20227772022–2024110
George Timotheou DF2020–20222202022–202370
Bruce Kamau FW2014–2016293202390

Melbourne Victory, then Adelaide United

NamePosMelbourne VictoryAdelaide United
CareerAppsGoalsCareerAppsGoals
Vince Lia MF2005–073102017–19433
Kristian Sarkies MF2005–074532007–09443
Eugene Galekovic GK2005–072202007–20172850
Joe Keenan MF20071702010–11171
Mate Dugandzic MF2009–104082015–16211
James Jeggo MF2011–143432014–16514
Scott Galloway DF2013–166512018–19341
Jesse Makarounas FW2013–165432016–17131
James Troisi MF2013–19126322019–20131
Nick Ansell DF2012–2017, 2018–2019, 2020–20219212021–20241133

Honours

As of 8 February 2022
National Competition Adelaide United Melbourne Victory
A-League Premiership23
A-League Championship14
Australia Cup 32

Highest attendances

See also

References

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  4. Greenwood, Rob (21 April 2018). "Plenty of history between Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory as bitter rivals prepare to do battle again". News.com.au . Archived from the original on 10 May 2018.
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  6. Unwin, Dominic (7 December 2018). "Five of the best Original Rivalry clashes". My Football. Football Federation Australia.
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