Soccer: Victory join Phoenix as early A League playoff casualties

Dylan Macallister of the Phoenix is tackled by Rodrigo Vargas of the Victory. Photo / AP

Melbourne Victory joined the Wellington Phoenix as the early casualties in the opening round of the Hyundai A-League playoffs.

Both were beaten 1-0 with late second half goals ending their seasons in the first of the elimination semifinals.

While the Phoenix bowed out to Adelaide United with a 71st minute goal scored by United captain Travis Dodd in front of 10,000-plus at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night, the Victory played their last game of the season in front of 3000 at Skilled Park on Sunday.

Dino Djulbic's header that gave Gold Coast United their first finals win was the fruit of a set play plucked straight from the training paddock designed to exploit the Victory's biggest weakness, said stand-in Gold Coast captain Michael Thwaite. The Gold Coast were thanking the inside knowledge of former Victory defender Thwaite and the tact of assistant coach Mike Mulvey for the thrilling win.

It was Thwaite and Mulvey who knew the way to make the most of one of Melbourne's notorious downfalls, and they left it to German import Peter Perchtold to send in the perfect cross for Djulbic to rise and nod home in the dying moments.

"It was a set play. We were working on it towards the end of the week and I give credit to Mike Mulvey for that," Thwaite said.

"We knew that Melbourne don't put players on the posts and we just set them up a little bit and either side of the goalkeeper you're pretty much guaranteed to score.

"It was a set piece, you get a bit of luck but we'll take that."

"We know and they know that they have weaknesses in defending set pieces and we are strong in set pieces," added coach Miron Bleiberg, who was also full of praise for China-bound defender Djulbic after his headline-stealing moment of glory.

In the first of the major semifinals, minor premiers Brisbane Roar continued their winning run with a no-nonsense 2-0 away to Central Coast Mariners. Kosta Barbarouses fired the Roar into the lead in the 52nd minute before skipper Matt McKay had a free header to kill off the match in the 73rd minute.

While far from their best, the Roar always looked dangerous and took a major step to securing a home grand final.

The home team came close several times, hitting the post once in the first half and twice in the second.

The Mariners now face a monumental task of at least matching the result in Brisbane on Saturday night.

But Central Coast coach Graham Arnold has not given up.

"That's the benefit of coming second, we get another chance and we'll go for it," he said.

"The boys are a bit down but the effort was there."

The Mariners will need to adopt an attacking game plan to have any hope of scoring three goals next week, but Arnold has ruled out mass changes.