Melbourne Victory edge past Adelaide United

Melbourne Victory have beaten Adelaide United in a seven-goal thriller at the AAMI Park.

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Adelaide got off to a brilliant start when Marcelo Carrusca's cross was met by Cirio, who slotted the ball past Nathan Coe in the Melbourne goal.

However, the home side were soon level. Archie Thompson found Finkler Guilherme on the edge of the box, and the midfielder hit the bottom corner with a powerful shot.

The game settled after that, with both teams happy to play the ball through midfield.

Cirio had the final say of the first half, however, with a smart finish to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Finkler was quick to equalise for a second time after the break, finding the net at the near post, and the Victory soon went ahead for the first time in the match.

Eugene Galekovic misjudged a clearance, which allowed Thompson to fire into an empty net.

Kosta Barbarouses then tapped in to give the home side a two-goal lead, but Cirio grabbed his hat-trick with seven minutes remaining.

However, the Victory defended well in the final few minutes and managed to hold on.