A 3-0 defeat at home looks bad, but it could have been much worse for Macarthur FC yesterday afternoon at Campbelltown Stadium.
There was absolutely nothing Bulls goalkeeper Filip Kurto could have done to prevent the Central Coast Mariners from scoring those three goals.
But some incredible saves in between prevented what may have been a massacre.
They included a penalty, conceded by Macarthur FC two minutes into the second half for handling the ball.
Kurto, pictured above during the match, kept his cool and waited till the very last moment to dive to his right and stop the ball from going into the back of the net.
Seven minutes later the visitors scored anyway, to add to two first half goals.
The first came in the seventh minute and off the back of almost total share of possession from the kick off.
It woke up the Bulls, for a while anyway, until captain Ulises Davila lost possession just outside his own penalty box – and the Mariners pounced to grab a 2-0 lead inside 18 minutes.
It’s fair to say the reigning A-League premiers were too good for the Bulls on the day and deserved their victory.
But Macarthur contributed to their own downfall with one of their worst performances of the 2023-24 season.
It wasn’t a horrible effort as such, more like a lethargic one.
There wasn’t much energy in the Bulls, who seemed to be going through the motions in the round 20 fixture.
Signs of fatigue have been there for a few weeks, and no doubt head coach Mile Sterjovski is aware of what’s going and will act accordingly to get the Bulls back on track for a finals appearance.
It’s going to be tricky, but Macarthur hold their destiny in their own hands.
Put simply, they need to get as many points as possible from their last five matches, starting in Brisbane this Saturday against the Roar.
The Bulls are in fourth spot with 32 points, and unlikely to be able to challenge for a top two spot.
However, they only have a six point buffer with teams just outside the top six, so any more losses and they could easily slip down the ladder.
