MELBOURNE (Interstat) — Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners played to a 1-1 draw in their competition match on Sunday at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia. Victory played most of the match with 10 men after H. Shillington was sent off in the 13th minute. The home side trailed after the hour mark but found an equalizer and held on for a share of the points. Central Coast also finished the match with a booking and a late change as both teams remained without a win in the competition. Central Coast traveled to Melbourne after a difficult start to the season and left with a point.

Central Coast broke through in the 63rd minute when Oli Lavale scored, with Ali Auglah providing the assist. The goal came after a period of pressure from the visitors and gave the Mariners a lead despite Victory’s early red card. Victory answered in the 69th minute when Jordi Valadon scored, assisted by Charles Nduka. Valadon and Nduka were among the key performers for the home side, while Auglah’s assist was central to Central Coast’s goal. Lavale’s goal came in the 63rd minute, and Valadon’s equalizer arrived in the 69th minute, leaving the final 21 minutes plus stoppage time for both teams to search for a winner.

The match grew more physical after the goals. Central Coast’s C. Donnell was booked in the 70th minute. Lavale then received a yellow card in the 72nd minute, and Victory’s P. Ziereis was booked in the same minute. Lavale, who had scored the opener, was replaced in the 87th minute. The disciplinary sequence followed the 13th-minute red card to Shillington, which forced Victory to adjust early. Shillington’s red card was the earliest major flashpoint of the match. Central Coast had to manage the final stages with Lavale off the field after his booking and substitution.

Both teams used substitutions to reshape the match. Victory brought on K. Jelacic in the 14th minute and L. D’Arrigo in the 62nd. Central Coast introduced A. Bolton in the 64th minute, then added B. Brandtman and H. Eames in the 78th. Victory made a double change in the 82nd minute with Clarismario and G. May entering. Central Coast completed its changes when Lavale came off in the 87th minute. The substitutions did not produce another goal, and the teams finished level. Victory’s early change came immediately after the red card, while Central Coast’s latter changes helped it protect a point on the road. The substitutions brought fresh legs into a match that had already seen a red card and three yellow cards.

The draw leaves both teams with 0 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws in this competition. Across all competitions, Central Coast is 0-2-2 and Melbourne Victory is 1-3-2. Both teams have played three competition matches this season. Central Coast entered the match after a loss at Wellington Phoenix, while Victory had lost at Persib Bandung in its previous outing. Earlier this season, Central Coast also lost to APIA Leichhardt and drew with Newcastle Jets. Victory had beaten Seoul, drawn with Melbourne City and lost to South Melbourne and Wellington Phoenix. The result kept both sides in search of their first competition win of the season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Melbourne Victory 3, Central Coast Mariners 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Melbourne Victory with a 94 percent probability to win. Melbourne Victory had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 3.25.