Melbourne Victory’s hopes of advancing to the A-League grand final have suffered a significant blow after midfielder Zinédine Machach was handed a two-match ban by the A-League Match Review Panel. The French-born player was shown a straight red card in the 38th minute of Victory’s thrilling penalty shootout win over their arch-rivals Melbourne City in the quarterfinal match.
The incident occurred when Machach lashed out his foot towards City winger Leo Natel, who was lying on the ground after a challenge. The Match Review Panel deemed Machach’s actions to be “Assault on a player (e.g. violent conduct when not challenging for the ball) or against any other person other than a Match Official, including an attempted assault”, resulting in the two-match suspension.
As a consequence of the ban, Machach will miss both legs of Victory’s semifinal clash against Wellington Phoenix, leaving a significant void in the midfield for head coach Tony Popovic to fill. The 29-year-old has been a key player for Victory this season, contributing with his creativity and technical ability in the center of the park.
Machach has the option to refer the matter to the independent Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, but he must inform Football Australia of his intention to do so by 2pm (AEST) on Tuesday. If he chooses not to appeal, or if the appeal is unsuccessful, Victory will have to rely on their squad depth to cover for Machach’s absence in the crucial semifinal fixtures.
In the other semifinal matchup, Central Coast Mariners, who are riding high after their recent AFC Cup victory, will face off against Sydney FC. The Mariners will be looking to carry their winning momentum into the domestic competition as they aim to secure a spot in the A-League grand final.
With the semifinal fixtures set to commence in the coming weeks, football fans across Australia are eagerly anticipating two highly competitive ties that will determine which teams will have the chance to lift the A-League trophy this season.