A long-range piledriver from Catherine Zimmerman secured defending champions Melbourne Victory a 2-2 draw with Adelaide United in their Liberty A-League first Pride Cup contest.
Placed in an early deficit by Melina Ayres’ seventh-minute opener, Adelaide rallied and led at half-time thanks to goals from Meisha Westland and Chelsie Dawber, all the while repulsing numerous Victory attacks on Sunday.
But with pressure mounting at AAMI Park, Zimmerman found space in the 71st minute and launched an effort from more than 30 yards out from goal that soared over the head of goalkeeper Annalee Grove and into the top corner.
Attempting to rally again but this time unable to find a response, the visitors remain in ninth with the draw and are now nine points back of the playoff places with five games remaining in their season – all but ending the Reds’ top-four chances.
Adding further difficulty, fifth-placed Canberra United and and sixth-placed Perth retain games in hand.Â
Victory, meanwhile, maintain a three-point gap on the side from the nation’s capital, albeit having played one game more.
They had more than enough chances to put the Reds away on Sunday but time and time again failed to convert.
Zimmerman, Elise Kellond-Knight, Alana Murphy, Beattie Goad and Ayres all spurned first-half chances after the latter sent in a ball that Annalee Grove put into her own net.
Between these, the Reds equalised in the 17th when Westland got to a Mindy Barbieri cutback and then led in the 27th when Victory failed to clear a corner and it fell to Dawber for a close-range finish.
Zimmerman had the ball in the back of the net twice early in the second half only to be denied by the offside flag before she fired from range.
Both sides pressed with desperation to find a winner but couldn’t break through.
