The Bulls ended their wet Friday evening at Campbelltown Stadium by sharing the points with Melbourne Victory after a tough battle.
The Bulls started off strong, taking every counter attack opportunity they could, with Jed Drew and Matthew Millar tearing up the wings while Ulises Davila conducted the midfield with ease.
The Bulls capitalised on their counter attack early with Davila threading the ball beautifully towards Matthew Millar and Millar taking it to go head to head with Victory’s keeper Izzo. Millar calmly slots the ball into the back of the net and opened the scoring for the Bulls in the 11th minute.
The remaining minutes of the first half saw some fantastic chances for the Bulls, including Drew’s rocket of a shot hitting the crossbar. Goalkeeper Filip Kurto had an amazing performance, producing some great saves to deny Victory’s advances. Kurto’s quick reflexes denied Fornaroli’s shot at goal with a fingertip save, leaving the Victory striker perplexed at how the ball didn’t go in.
The second half put the Bulls’ defensive efforts into the spotlight as the Bulls fought bravely to keep the lead. In the 61st minute Victory were reduced to 10 men after Adama Traore was sent off with a second yellow. The Bulls capitalised on this, and started their comeback.
This comeback saw some great chances for the Bulls, with Raphael, who was subbed on in the 61st minute, Davila and Hollman all taking turns at shots at goal.
Daniel De Silva and Jerry Skotadis made their first appearances for the Bulls in the 2023/24 A-League Season, replacing Clayton Lewis and Valerie Germain in the 84th minute. Jake Hollman and Ali Auglah also made appearances, subbing on in the 75th minute.
However, it was heartbreak for the Bulls in the dying seconds of the match. Melbourne Victory managed to secure the equaliser in the 95th minute, after Fornaroli’s shot was deflected and rolled into the back of the net.
The match ended in one all draw, with the Bulls sharing the points with Victory.
