Kamau a stumbling star
City’s winger nearly takes a tumble, but scores a double
BRUCE Kamau scored a double for Melbourne City in a winning start under new coach Warren Joyce with a 2-0 triumph over Brisbane in the ALeague season opener.
Kamau bagged a goal in each half to secure all three points for the hosts in an otherwise dour affair.
He opened the scoring at the end of an opening period that proved not even a sixmonth off-season was enough for City and the Roar to blow out all their cobwebs.
Play was disjointed, movement static, touches heavy and passing awry. Both teams had new strikers up front — onloan Aston Villa marksman Ross McCormack led City’s attack, while it was Italian veteran Massimo Maccarone for the Roar on debut.
Neither enjoyed the kind of silver service they would have been used to in Europe.
Kamau was responsible for a couple of the more embarrassing early blunders, including one moment when he almost tripped over his own feet as he shaped to cross.
By the time a cleared corner kick reached him at the top of the penalty box in the 45th minute, the frustrated crowd of 9589 stopped groaning and urged him to shoot immediately.
The 22-year-old winger obliged and was rewarded with the first goal of the new season, his attempt sailing past a mass of bodies and into the bottomright corner of the net.
The game soon opened up and Kamau had his brace in the 74th minute — the result of a lovely passage of build-up play involving McCormack, who found his groove as the game wore on.
An injury replacement player for the sidelined Bruno Fornaroli, McCormack sent the ball out wide to Nick Fitzgerald and Kamau guided his cross home via a deflection.
Brisbane was missing four likely starters — Brett Holman, Thomas Kristensen, Corey Gamiero and French recruit Eric Bautheac.
The Roar’s new-look attack failed to fire and they were outgunned in midfield but teenager Nick D’Agostino almost drew first blood in the 19th minute, hitting the post after a neat one-two with Fahid Ben Khalfallah.