The first week of the 2010/11 A-League finals series has come and gone with two teams biting the dust and saying goodbye to the competition.
Two-time champions Melbourne Victory and New Zealand's sole representative Wellington Phoenix were both knocked out as Gold Coast United and Adelaide United moved through to the second week.
In the two-legged semi-final between top two sides Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners, the Premier's Plate winners took their unbeaten run to 26 matches with a 2-0 away win over the Mariners.
The Roar are in pole position to qualify for the Grand Final when they meet the Gosford club in the return leg on Saturday.
Friday night saw Adelaide get over the top of a dominant Phoenix side in horrible conditions at Hindmarsh Stadium. Persistent rain made life very tough for players of both sides with Wellington enjoying more possession and the better of the chances but not making the most of their opportunities.
Reds skipper Travis Dodd landed the killer blow in the 70th minute after a brilliant piece of skill by Marcos Flores before Sergio van Dijk played the final through ball.
On Sunday, Gold Coast took 91 minutes to dispose of the Victory when central defender Dino Djulbic headed home Peter Perchtold's injury-time corner.
They were unlucky not to score on a few occasions earlier in the match and if it wasn't for Melbourne goalkeeper Michael Petkovic, it would have been a far more comfortable win to Miron Bleiberg's men.
The second week will see Adelaide host Gold Coast at Hindmarsh on Sunday whilst Brisbane are at home against the Central Coast on Saturday night.
Adelaide United:1 (Travis Dodd 70') Wellington Phoenix: 0 Date: Friday, 18 February 2011 Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Referee: Jarred Gillett Crowd: 10,285 Yellow cards:AU - Cameron Watson 23', Marcos Flores 36' WP - Manny Muscat 4', Nick Ward 29'
Central Coast Mariners: 0 Brisbane Roar:2 (Kosta Barbarouses 52', Matt McKay 73') Date: Saturday, 19 February 2011 Venue: Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford Referee: Matthew Breeze Crowd: 10,166 Yellow cards:CCM - Patrick Zwaanswijk 65', Pedj Bojic 88' BR - Henrique 54'
Gold Coast United:1 (Dino Djulbic 90+1') Melbourne Victory: 0 Date: Sunday, 20 February 2011 Venue: Skilled Park, Robina Referee: Strebre Delovski Crowd: 3,281 Yellow cards:GCU - Steve Pantelidis 83' MV - Marvin Angulo 86'
