2021–22 Melbourne Victory FC season
Melbourne Victory 2021–22 football season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2021–22 season was the 17th in the history of Melbourne Victory Football Club. This was Melbourne Victory's 17th season in the A-League Men. In addition to the domestic league, Melbourne Victory also participated in the FFA Cup.
| 2021–22 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Anthony Di Pietro |
| Manager | Tony Popovic |
| Stadium | AAMI Park |
| A-League Men | 2nd |
| A-League Men Finals Series | Semi-finals |
| FFA Cup | Winners |
| AFC Champions League | Qualifying play-off round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Nicholas D'Agostino (10) All: Nicholas D'Agostino (12) |
| Highest home attendance | 17,754 (9 April 2022 vs. Melbourne City |
| Lowest home attendance | 5,022 (23 March 2022 vs. Western United |
| Average home league attendance | 9,473 |
The season was documented in the Network Ten, Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video series Dream Big.
Review
Background
Melbourne Victory's 2020–21 campaign had seen their first ever last-place finish in a league season, after they finished 12th forcing the club to play an FFA Cup Round of 32 play-off against ninth-placed Perth Glory. Before their 2021–22 season, Melbourne Victory announced on 19 April 2021 that Tony Popovic would be managing the club for three years.[1]
Players
First team squad
- As of 4 January 2022
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers
Transfers in
| No. | Position | Player | Transferred from | Type/fee | Contract length | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DF | Jason Geria | Unattached | Free transfer | 1 year | 14 July 2021 | [2] |
| 8 | MF | Joshua Brillante |  Xanthi |
Free transfer | 3 years | 15 July 2021 | [3] |
| 3 | DF | Jason Davidson | Unattached | Free transfer | 1 year | 16 July 2021 | [4] |
| 16 | DF | Stefan Nigro | Central Coast Mariners | Free transfer | 3 years | 19 July 2021 | [5] |
| 5 | DF | Matthew Spiranovic | Unattached | Free transfer | 1 year | 20 July 2021 | [6] |
| 7 | MF | Chris Ikonomidis | Perth Glory | Free transfer | 3 years | 21 July 2021 | [7] |
| 17 | DF | Brendan Hamill | Western United | Free transfer | 2 years | 26 July 2021 | [8] |
| 4 | MF |  Rai Marchán |
Andorra |
Free transfer | 1 year | 27 July 2021 | [9] |
| 20 | GK |  Ivan Kelava |
Xanthi |
Free transfer | 1 year | 30 July 2021 | [10] |
| 18 | FW | Nicholas D'Agostino | Unattached | Free transfer | 3 years | 14 August 2021 | [11] |
| 21 | DF |  Roderick Miranda |
Unattached | Free transfer | 2 years | 1 October 2021 | [12] |
| 9 | FW |  Francesco Margiotta |
Unattached | Free transfer | 1 year | 20 October 2021 | [13] |
| 19 | GK | Jerrad Tyson |  Green Gully |
Injury replacement | 2 months | 4 November 2021 | [14] |
| 19 | MF | Luka Prso | Unattached | Free transfer | 1.5 years | 19 January 2022 | [15] |
From youth squad
| N |
Pos. |
Nat. |
Name |
Age |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | MF | |
Lleyton Brooks | 20 | 1 year scholarship contract[16] |
| 24 | FW | |
Nishan Velupillay | 20 | 2 year scholarship contract[17] |
| 35 | DF | |
Zaydan Bello | 19 | 2 year scholarship contract[17] |
Transfers out
| No. | Position | Player | Transferred to | Type/fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | GK |  Max Crocombe |
Unattached | End of contract | 11 June 2021 | [18] |
| 2 | DF | Storm Roux |
Unattached | End of contract | [18] | |
| 3 | DF |  Adama Traoré |
Unattached | End of contract | [18] | |
| 4 | DF | Nick Ansell | Unattached | End of contract | [18] | |
| 19 | DF | Dylan Ryan |  Willem II |
End of loan | 30 June 2021 | [19] |
| 7 | FW |  Callum McManaman |
Tranmere Rovers |
Mutual contract termination | 9 July 2021 | [20][21] |
| 9 | FW |  Rudy Gestede |
Unattached | End of contract | [20] | |
| 8 | MF | Jacob Butterfield |
Unattached | End of contract | 15 July 2021 | [22] |
| 17 | FW |  Elvis Kamsoba |
Sydney FC | End of contract | 22 July 2021 | [23][24] |
| 16 | DF | Brandon Lauton | Unattached | End of contract | 11 September 2021 | [25][26] |
| 44 | DF |  Matthew Bozinovski |
Wellington Phoenix | Loan | 13 October 2021 | [27] |
| 19 | GK | Jerrad Tyson | Unattached | End of contract | 4 January 2022 | [28] |
Contract extensions
| No. | Name | Position | Duration | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Birkan Kirdar | Midfielder | 2 years | 18 June 2021 | scholarship contract[16] |
| 11 | Ben Folami | Striker | 2 years | 12 July 2021 | permanent contract following loan[29] |
| 6 | Leigh Broxham | Midfielder | 1 year | 13 July 2021 | [30] |
| 15 | Aaron Anderson | Centre-back | 1 year | 19 July 2021 | scholarship contract[31] |
| 10 | Robbie Kruse | Striker | 1 year | 21 July 2021 | [32] |
| 44 | Matthew Bozinovski | Defender | 2 years | 13 October 2021 | [33] |
| 22 | Jake Brimmer | Midfielder | 28 October 2021 | [34] | |
| 22 | Jake Brimmer | Midfielder | 2.5 years | 19 January 2022 | [35] |
| 14 | Jay Barnett | Defensive midfielder | 1 year | 1 February 2022 | [36] |
| 26 | Lleyton Brooks | Winger | 1 year | 1 February 2022 | [36] |
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Cancelled or postponed
Pre-season and friendlies
| 4 August 2021 Friendly | Box Hill United  | 0–2 | Melbourne Victory | Box Hill |
| 19:00 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: Wembley Park Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
| 30 October 2021 Friendly | Hume City | 1–3 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
| 16:00 AEDT | ?  |
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
| 3 November 2021 Friendly | Port Melbourne | 0–5 | Melbourne Victory | Port Melbourne |
| 19:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: SS Anderson Reserve Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
| 6 November 2021 Friendly | North Geelong Warriors | 0–10 | Melbourne Victory | Geelong |
| 20:00 | Report | Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
| 13 November 2021 Friendly | Avondale | 2–2 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
Overview
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| A-League | 20 Nov 2021 | TBD | Matchday 1 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 50.00 |
| A-League Men Finals | 17 May 2022 | A-League Men Finals | Semi-finals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 50.00 |
| FFA Cup | 24 Nov 2021 | 5 February 2022 | A-League play-off round | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 83.33 |
| Total | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 56 | 34 | +22 | 55.88 | |||
Last updated: 19 February 2022
Source: Competitions
A-League
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne City | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 49 | Qualification for finals series and 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage[a] |
| 2 | Melbourne Victory | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 48 | Qualification for finals series[b] |
| 3 | Western United (C) | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 45 | |
| 4 | Adelaide United | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 43 | |
| 5 | Central Coast Mariners | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 35 | +14 | 42 |
Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points per game; 5) Least red cards; 6) Least yellow cards; 7) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points per game; 5) Least red cards; 6) Least yellow cards; 7) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
Matches
The league fixtures were announced on 23 September 2021.[38]
| 20 November 2021 1 | Western United | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Geelong |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 8,120 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 28 November 2021 2 | Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Brisbane Roar | Melbourne |
| 16:45 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 13,026 Referee: Alex King |
| 5 December 2021 3 | Melbourne Victory | 0–3 | Perth Glory | Melbourne |
| 18:45 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 14,122 Referee: Kurt Ams |
| 11 December 2021 4 | Adelaide United | 1–2 | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide |
|
|
Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 8,145 Referee: Adam Kersey |
| 18 December 2021 5 | Melbourne City | 2–2 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 19,640 Referee: Chris Beath |
| 26 December 2021 6 | Melbourne Victory | 3–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 13,186 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 8 January 2022 9 | Melbourne Victory | 1–1 | Adelaide United | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 6,912 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 25 January 2022 8 | Melbourne Victory | 2–2 | Sydney FC | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 10,496 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 9 February 2022 12 | Wellington Phoenix | 1–0 | Melbourne Victory | Wollongong |
| 19:05 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WIN Stadium Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 12 February 2022 14 | Melbourne Victory | 1–2 | Newcastle Jets | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,181 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 16 February 2022 10 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 2–0 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney |
| 19:55 AEDT | Report | Stadium: CommBank Stadium Attendance: 4,321 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 19 February 2022 15 | Melbourne Victory | 1–0 | Central Coast Mariners | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 8,017 Referee: Adam Kersey |
| 4 March 2022 17 | Melbourne Victory | 3–1 | Macarthur FC | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,011 Referee: Kurt Ams |
| 9 March 2022 11 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–1 | Melbourne Victory | Gosford |
| 17:05 AEDT |
|
|
Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 2,003 Referee: Stephen Lucas |
| 19 March 2022 18 | Melbourne City | 1–1 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEDT |
|
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 18,080 Referee: Alex King |
| 23 March 2022 13 | Melbourne Victory | 1–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
| 19:05 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 5,022 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 27 March 2022 20 | Melbourne Victory | 1–1 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Melbourne |
| 18:05 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 6,014 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 2 April 2022 21 | Adelaide United | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide |
| 19:45 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 8,044 Referee: Alex King |
| 6 April 2022 22 | Perth Glory | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Perth |
| 22:05 AWST | Report |
|
Stadium: HBF Park Attendance: 3,342 Referee: Tim Danaskos |
| 9 April 2022 23 | Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Melbourne City | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEST | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 17,754 Referee: Chris Beath |
| 12 April 2022 7 | Melbourne Victory | 0–0 | Brisbane Roar | Melbourne |
| 19:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 6,127 Referee: Kurt Ams |
| 16 April 2022 24 | Newcastle Jets | 1–2 | Melbourne Victory | Newcastle |
| 19:45 AEST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium Attendance: 5,649 Referee: Jonathon Barreiro |
| 23 April 2022 25 | Macarthur FC | 1–4 | Melbourne Victory | Campbelltown |
| 17:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium Attendance: 3,188 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 25 April 2022 16 | Brisbane Roar | 1–1 | Melbourne Victory | Brisbane |
| 14:05 AEST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Moreton Daily Stadium Attendance: 7,127 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 29 April 2022 26 | Melbourne Victory | 3–1 | Wellington Phoenix | Melbourne |
| 19:45 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 8,287 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 7 May 2022 19 | Sydney FC | 1–4 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney |
| 19:45 AEST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Attendance: 11,404 Referee: Alex King |
Finals series
| 17 May 2022 Semi-final 1st leg | Western United | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
| 19:05 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,295 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 21 May 2022 Semi-final 2nd leg | Melbourne Victory | 1–4 (2–4 agg.) | Western United | Melbourne |
| 17:15 AEST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 15,349 Referee: Alex King |
FFA Cup
Preliminary rounds
| 24 November 2021 Play-off | Perth Glory | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide |
| 19:30 ACDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Marden Sports Complex Attendance: 430 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| Penalties | ||||
Final rounds
| 1 December 2021 Round of 32 | Adelaide City  | 0–1 | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide |
| 19:30 ACDT | Report | Stadium: Marden Sports Complex Attendance: 1,550 Referee: Daniel Cook |
| 30 December 2021 Round of 16 | Gold Coast Knights  | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Melbourne Victory | Gold Coast |
| 19:30 AEST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 2,417 Referee: Chris Beath |
| 5 January 2022 Quarter-final | Adelaide United | 1–2 | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide |
| 19:15 ACDT |
|
Report | Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 3,156 Referee: Alex King |
| 29 January 2022 Semi-final | Melbourne Victory | 4–1 | Wellington Phoenix | Geelong |
| 17:35 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 2,034 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 5 February 2022 Final | Melbourne Victory | 2–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Melbourne |
| 20:00 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 15,343 Referee: Shaun Evans |
AFC Champions League
Qualifying play-offs
| 8 March 2022 Preliminary round | Melbourne Victory | w/o |  Shan United | |
| Withdrawal |
| 15 March 2022 Play-off round | Vissel Kobe  | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Melbourne Victory | Kobe, Japan |
| 19:00 UTC+9 | Report |
|
Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe Attendance: 7,861 Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria) |