Last weekend's string of unpredictable results in the English Premier League has been mirrored in Australia proving the A-League remains as competitive as ever. While Hull City were shocking Arsenal and Wigan upsetting big spending Manchester City, closer to home joint league leaders Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory both lost matches they were widely anticipated to win. With crowds down significantly on the previous campaign and the introduction of the two new Queensland teams delayed for 12 months, it was not the set of scorelines A-League doomsayers were predicting. Football's popularity is constantly tested at this time in the Australian sporting calendar. The traditional football codes - AFL and rugby league - stage their respective showpiece deciders over two weekends in late September and early October while round ball officials simply pray to come through unscathed. But Adelaide United's surprising passage to the AFC Champions League semi-finals has already propelled Australian football into continental minds this past week. And over the weekend unlikely victories for bottom-placed Wellington Phoenix and erratic Queensland Roar generated more column inches. Wellington stunned Sydney by coming from behind to register their first win of the season and their first A-League triumph in the calendar year. Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert had been given the dreaded vote of confidence during the week but despite seven personnel changes - including both first choice central defenders and No.1 goalkeeper Glen Moss - his side prevailed with Tim Brown rifling home a 76th minute winner. "It's been a difficult period and although there's a long way to go, it's a nice one given the circumstances," Herbert said afterwards. "There's a lot of belief in this group and this was a real testament to the boys. They really stood up for a cause." Queensland undid 10-man Melbourne with late goals from youngsters Michael Zullo and Tahj Minniecon, a pair of strikes which conjured up more than a hint of a similar turning point last season. 12 months ago, Zullo and Robbie Kruse scored against Wellington on their A-League debuts to propel the Roar into a 12-match unbeaten run which saw them narrowly miss winning the premiership on the final day of the season. Even coach Frank Farina recognised the parallels and remains convinced his side can push Sydney and Melbourne all the way for the title this year. "I've told the players over the past few weeks if we continue to play in the manner we have been playing things will turn. Tonight was the night that it turned for us," Farina assured Queensland supporters. Next up for the Roar is Sydney away this Friday. Meanwhile, exhausted Adelaide - playing just three days after disposing of Japanese greats Kashima Antlers in the AFC Champions League - put away champions Newcastle thanks to a second-half brace from Brazilian Cristiano. “They’ve gone through five games in 16 days and that’s a massive effort,” coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "There was a bit of doubt in my mind tonight about how they were going to come up and they were a bit flat. "But for the boys to go out and really squeeze every last bit of energy they had in their bodies was a superb effort.” The race to become the league's leading goalscorer is also closer then ever before at this stage of the season. Six players, from six different clubs, are tied for the lead with four goals apiece including 2007/08 Golden Boot winner Danny Allsopp of Melbourne. Queensland's Scottish playmaker Charlie Miller scored in each of his first four A-League appearances to break Kevin Muscat's record while Cristiano, Perth's Eugene Dadi, Mariners striker Matt Simon and Kiwi Shane Smeltz complete the list. Copyright © Marc Fox and Soccerphile.com Australian Soccer News Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

It's been an emotional couple of weeks of Adelaide's Robbie Cornthwaite. The club's foundation defender has not only found himself unwittingly dragged into a spitting storm but he's also been the target of abuse from his own supporters for scoring a horror own goal in the away leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-final against Kashima Antlers But on Wednesday night in Adelaide, Cornthwaite banished all those demons with a tie-winning headed goal which secured a 2-1 aggregate win over the 5-time Japanese champions and a passage into the final four. The relieved 22-year-old Australia defender dived to nod home Cassio's precision centre for the only goal of a pulsating ACL encounter at Hindmarsh, afterwards revealing the anguish he'd suffered after putting through his own net a week before to jeopardise Adelaide's chances of making history. No Australian club has previously reached the semi-final stage of Asia's premier club competition. “I did try to put the own goal out of my mind as much as possible but the thing is other people do not let you forget it," Cornthwaite told local football website The World Game. “Even before kick-off while I was warming up I heard one of our supporters urge me 'to score for us and not for them this time'. It's always there at the back of your mind." The player affectionately known around Adelaide as Cornflake debuted for the Reds as an 18-year-old and has steadily developed into a reliable first-teamer under coach Aurelio Vidmar. He suffered heartbreak earlier in the year when overlooked for a berth in Graham Arnold's Olympic squad for Beijing after breaking into the under-23s during May and June. But the significance of being handed the No.2 shirt last worn by retired Reds legend Richie Alagich has not been lost of the lanky defender and he described his well-taken winner against Kashima as an "amazing feeling". "It’s something I’ll remember for a long time. It was like scripted for me after what happened in the first leg," he said. The goal will have also erased the tension of a fortnight which has seen Cornthwaite embroiled in a spitting controversy involving Melbourne's Ney Fabiano. The Victory's Brazilian import was earlier this month banned for nine matches - reduced to six games on appeal - for expectorating on Cornthwaite in the sides' heated round four clash. Melbourne have since relentlessly proclaimed Fabiano's innocence, pointing to his previously clean disciplinary record and even going all CSI by enlisting a biomechanist and a speech pathologist to support their argument that spittle had been projected because Fabiano was shouting in his native Portuguese. Cornthwaite has remained tight-lipped on the latest incident in a simmering feud between two clubs which invoke a degree of hostility whenever they meet. His supporters believe Melbourne's passion to overturn their star signing's ban ignores Cornthwaite's unblemished A-League reputation and the fact that, although occasionally naïve in his defending, he remains a reliable professional. Few consider Cornthwaite a player who would, or even probably could, fake his reaction to Fabiano's discharge in his direction, whether accidental or otherwise. The challenge most likely stems from Melbourne's desire to reinforce their encouraging opening to the fourth A-League season. Top-of-the-table and unbeaten after five rounds despite twice finishing with 10 men, Ernie Merrick's former champions are clearly serious on putting a chequered 2007/08 behind them. Sydney are level with Melbourne on 11 points with Adelaide four points adrift in third. The Central Coast Mariners and reigning champions Newcastle Jets are tied for fourth place. Copyright © Marc Fox and Soccerphile.com Australian Soccer News Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Former French national keeper Gregory Coupet launched a tirade against his old boss Raymond Domenech on Monday, comparing his running of Les Bleus to a dictatorship.

Referee Rob Styles has apologised to Bolton for the penalty decision that condemned Gary Megson´s side to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United.

Former France international midfielder Ludovic Giuly is expected to be out for around three weeks because of a left thigh injury his club Paris Saint Germain announced on Monday.

Everton manager David Moyes has admitted a Football Association charge of improper conduct, the Merseyside club confirmed on Monday.

Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed to take Champions League minnows Aalborg seriously in Tuesday´s Group E clash in Denmark after admitting he is still scarred by the memories of Manchester United´s embarrassment in Copenhagen two years ago.

The leadership of Poland´s scandal-mired PZPN football federation was on Monday suspended by the Polish Olympic Committee, which named an administrator in its place, the newly-appointed official said.

Arsenal defender Kolo Toure has told his team-mates to use the bitter memory of their embarrassing defeat by Hull to spark a backlash against Porto on Tuesday.

Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder plans to have a talk with fellow countryman Robin van Persie, to make clear once and for all who takes the free kicks for the national side.

If it's up to FC Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, Dutch forward Ryan Babel should be showing more of his skills in the near future.

Chelsea will be without Joe Cole for their Champions League clash with CFR Cluj. The midfielder reportedly suffers from a hip injury.

Brazilian striker Ailton has been fined by Austrian side SCR Altach after accusing his fellow teammates of a lack of professionalism.

Iraq will definitely not make an appearance at the 2010 World Cup. Their chances were slim, but did exist as long as FIFA hadn't replied to an appeal concerning their qualifier with Qatar in March.

Goalkeeper Gregory Coupet has revealed his view on French national team boss Raymond Domenech in an interview with France Football, to be published on Tuesday.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has called for calm following his team´s 1-0 victory over cross-city rivals Inter in Serie A action on the weekend.

Espanyol plan to make an official protest over the "anti-sporting" behaviour of some Barcelona players during incidents in the derby match at the weekend.

Everton on Monday launched an appeal over Australia midfielder Tim Cahill´s red card against Liverpool.

Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville have been left out of Manchester United´s squad for their crucial Champions League clash against Aalborg on Tuesday.

Bolton captain Kevin Nolan has revealed that even Manchester United´s players couldn´t believe Rob Styles gave them a penalty on Saturday.