Melbourne Victory have enjoyed a relatively comfortable initiation into the FFA Cup, defeating Bayswater City 2-0 at the WA Athletics Centre.
Still in pre-season and visibly rusty for patches of the game, goals in each half to Kosta Barbarouses and Archie Thompson were enough to seal the win, despite a gallant effort from the NPLWA ladder leaders.
Melbourne fired the first warning shot in the 7th minute, after new marquee man Besart Berisha drew a foul in a dangerous area, and Gui Finkler’s resulting free-kick was desperately tipped wide by Devon Spence.
The former Roar striker was menacing in the box, inches away from finding the opener after receiving a pinpoint Finkler pass, turning and shooting just wide with his left foot.
Bayswater were committing men deep in an attempt to keep the visitors out, but Victory found a way through in the 23rd minute.
Pre-season signing Carl Valeri started the passage of play, which ended with Barbarouses via Finkler and Berisha, and the New Zealand international tucked the ball into the back of the net.
The NPLWA table-toppers were trying to find a way on the counter or through set pieces, and threatened the visitors via a free-kick to Brian Farrell, though the ball was cleared by the defence in time.
Despite dominating possession, the two-time A-League champions were not clinical in front third, leaving ‘keeper Spence without much to do.
The first meaningful Bayswater shot on target came in the 43rd minute, when Nathan Coe was forced to palm a shot from distance over the crossbar, with the resulting corner kick also headed high by the hosts.
The visitors were close doubling their advantage on the stroke of half-time, when Barbarouses got on the end of a Finkler through ball, but hit shot hit the side netting when a cutback may have been a smarter option.
Bayswater came out of the sheds brighter in the second half, looking to find a way into the Victory box.
The Western Australian outfit nearly squared the ledger in spectacular fashion when David Heagney crossed a ball into Farrell, but the latter’s stinging volley narrowly missed.
Lacking the same intensity from the first half, Victory introduced captain Mark Milligan – whose last competitive competitive match was against Chile in the World Cup – onto the pitch to steady proceedings.
However, the contest continued to descend into a scrapfest, with few chances from either side.
The hosts were sniffing around for an equaliser, and Nathan Coe was forced into a fingertip save to deny Gustavo Marulanda’s free-kick from 30 yards.
The ball however soon found itself down the other end just as quickly, and substitute Connor Pain found Berisha in the box, who then passed off to Thompson for the neat finish.
The 77th minute strike killed off the contest, with Victory now looking ahead to the round of 16.
Bayswater City 0 defeated by Melbourne Victory 2 (Barbarouses 23, Thomson 77’) at WA Athletics Centre