Melbourne Victory 2-3 Central Coast Mariners: Late Ruiz-Diaz brace inflicts club-record loss

Dylan Ruiz-Diaz’s first A-League goals condemned Melbourne Victory to a club-record fifth successive loss as Central Coast Mariners claimed a late 3-2 triumph, ending a lengthy winless run of their own.

Rock-bottom Mariners looked set to conclude their A-League season with a sequence of 13 matches without a victory, but 19-year-old substitute Ruiz-Diaz turned things around in the final five minutes to earn them a first win since January 12, when they also beat Monday’s opponents 3-2.

Marco Rojas’ brace either side of Dylan Fox’s effort early in the second half had Victory in charge, but Ruiz-Diaz – brought on just before the hour-mark – levelled in the 85th minute with an emphatic finish.

He then clinched the three points four minutes later, slotting in after latching onto Milan Djuric’s throughball to end the Mariners’ winless streak and inflict an unwanted club record on second-bottom Victory.

.@dylan_ruizdiaz wins it for @CCMariners! 

 @FOXFOOTBALL #MVCvCCM #ALeague #FootballReturns #MVFC #CCMFC pic.twitter.com/qWpIjNlcSz

— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) August 3, 2020