Coming to the Isuzu UTE A-League with the surname Berisha put a certain amount of pressure on Melbourne City’s new signing to perform.
But Valon Berisha looked comfortable from the get-go on his league debut. His charismatic introduction to the Isuzu UTE A-League hit all the right notes, as City recorded an impressive 2-1 win over champions Western United to kick off the 2022-23 campaign at AAMI Park on Friday night.
MATCH REPORT: CITY TAKE HONOURS IN GRAND FINAL REMATCH
City enacted grand final revenge in the season opener, with a first-half own goal from Leo Lacroix setting the premiers on course for victory.
Jamie Maclaren doubled the advantage in the second 45, before Nicolas Milanovic scored a late consolation to make the hosts sweat late in a 2-1 win.
Berisha was elated in the aftermath of his A-League Men debut.
“Well, what (could be) better – a debut and win against the team they lost against in the Grand Final!” Berisha told Paramount+ post-match. “I’m very happy. Very happy with the team.
“We played a very good game. We know they scored… but still, it was a comfortable win for us. We should have scored even more goals.
“This was a very good beginning after a very long pre-season, very hard. I’m feeling well with the team already, he guys have taken me in, it’s like a family here. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Berisha was well aware of what was at stake in the battle between premiers and champions at AAMI Park, after spending a lengthy pre-season in a City squad full of players seething at last season’s grand final result.
“I want to win. I wanted the revenge for the team,” he said.
They were talking about it all the time, and I said: ‘F****** hell, this is a big game for us, and I want to win it’.
Every game is a big game, but of course when you think about for them, thinking about the season and losing the grand final, I just wanted the team help to win today.
Berisha took 52 touches, engaged in 12 duels and played 31 passes at 87.1% accuracy, creating one chance and playing a heavy hand in City’s initial opener, which was eventually ruled out by referee Shaun Evans after a VAR check due to a foul from Berisha on Ben Garuccio in the build-up.
It was an impressive debut for the 29-year-old. His new head coach was asked to assess his new signing’s performance, and gave a blunt summary in typical Patrick Kisnorbo fashion.
“Okay,” Kisnorbo said.
“I think there’s a lot of improvement from him. I was happy with what he did tonight – but he needs to improve a lot.”
Lacroix’s “uncharacteristic” start to the new campaign
Leo Lacroix had a night to forget at AAMI Park.
He was one of the signings of the season in 2021-22, slotting straight into John Aloisi’s Western defence and helping transform the eventual champions into a clean sheets machine.
In the season opener on Friday night, the towering Swiss defender looked a beat off the pace from the first whistle.
In the first half, Lacroix and Tomoki Imai got tangled in the goal mouth when attempting to clear the latter’s header dropping toward goal, with Lacroix bundling the ball over the line to concede the advantage to City.
In the second 45, Jamie Maclaren caught Lacroix napping in possession deep in his own defence, reading the centre-back’s attempt to turn, picking his pocket and dinking the ball in for City’s second.
“So uncharacteristic for him,” said former A-Leagues striker Daniel McBreen on the Paramount+ post-game show.
“He came out last year like a house on fire and just continued that all the way through the season.
“Tonight, it was a blip – hopefully for him – because that was (a performance) to put in the bin.”
Late in the game, Marco Tilio’s pace helped him get to a loose ball ahead of Lacroix, and a late and reckless challenge had some calling for his dismissal; a yellow card was all that came out of the pocket of referee Evans.
“Melbourne City pressed and they pressed well,” McBreen added. “We saw, especially in the second half Western United didn’t have anything going forward.
“(Lacroix) dwelling on that ball was a symptom of that, because it kept happening and happening.”
