Swedish striker Ola Toivonen warned Melbourne Victory fans early in the A-League season that he wasn’t a prolific goalscorer.
But after finding the net in their 2-0 win over Adelaide United and setting up their other goal with a superb header on Saturday, he’s doing little to convince them he’s speaking the truth.
It was Toivonen’s second goal from four games, after missing the opening three rounds with a calf injury, and was his first 90 minute performance for his new club.
The 32-year-old looked a class above most players at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, unsurprising given his 64 caps for Sweden.
In this year’s World Cup he scored the first goal of the match in a 2-1 loss to Germany.
Toivonen said he was pleased with his contribution on Saturday.
“It was a solid performance,” he said. “It was a tough first half but we tired them out and kept patient so overall a good performance.”
Stretching their winning streak to five matches, Victory’s first goal was scored by Kosta Barbarouses, who pounced on a rebound of Toivonen’s header.
Toivenen felt the chemistry between the two was building.
“It’s natural that the more games you play the more you get to know each other,” he said.
Victory coach Kevin Muscat said while Toivonen was the star, the win came from a real team effort.
He made special mention of Terry Antonis, who played a pin-point ball in for Toivonen’s header, with the second goal coming off a backheel flick to the big Swede.
“Ola gets to perform the way he does because of the people around him,” Muscat said.
“His finish was exceptional and he caused problems all evening for United.”
The only blight on Melbourne’s night was another injury to German defender Georg Niedermeier, who limped off after nine minutes after badly rolling his ankle.
Niedermeier sat out last round with lingering effects of concussion and was forced off in round two after an accidental punch to the head. Muscat said he wasn’t sure on the seriousness of the latest injury.
Tagged with: betting news • football • footballnews • sport betting
