Soccer: Officials and rain undo the Knights

Knights defender Ronnie Bull, foreground, slides into a tackle with an Adelaide player at North Harbour yesterday. Picture / Geoff Dale

Adelaide 2 Knights 1

What the weather started, the match officials finished - ruining what promised to be a good game at North Harbour Stadium last night.

The scoreboard showed Adelaide United beat the NZ Knights to stretch their lead to four points and maintain their unbeaten start to the A-League.

But what it did not show was the real story.

Conditions underfoot, coupled with the incessant rain, were virtually unplayable.

Indeed, there were suggestions that referee Peter O'Leary considered calling the game off.

"It was farce. The A-League has set certain standards, they were not met out there tonight," said Knights coach John Adshead.

He was even more to the point in attacking the match officials.

"There were some absolutely bizarre decisions. We have been told the goal that was disallowed was 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20cm) over the line. There was the foul on Simon Yeo and the handball which kept out another shot.

"I am not upset because we lost but I am disappointed it was allowed to go on."

He should also be furious about fourth official Neil Fox's role in getting Yeo sent off with 25 minutes to play.

A replay clearly showed that Yeo was on the ground sliding out of control when contact was made, yet O'Leary, after Fox's intervention, was quick to flash the red card.

Adelaide coach John Kosmina, disagreed, saying it was a "two-footed, studs-up tackle and he had to go".

After early-half chances at both ends, Adelaide went ahead in the 33rd minute when the ball was played wide and deep then turned back. Goalkeeper Glen Moss was unable to reach the cross and the ball dropped for Travis Dodd to rifle home.

Ten minutes later it was all tied up. Sean Devine chased and beat Matthew Kemp to a loose ball and Kristian Rees' attempted tackle saw drop the ball for Yeo to push home.

Eleven minutes into the second spell the Knights appeared to have gone ahead but the ball was cleared - by an Adelaide hand - at the near post.

Yeo was sent off soon after but that only deepened the home team's resolve. But they were then cruelly punished 15 minutes from time when the ball ran loose and Shengqing Qu hit home.

He joined his team to celebrate, only to be booked by the pedantic O'Leary for taking his shirt off.

That just about summed up the bizarre night.

In Hyunadi A-League action across the Tasman, Perth Glory went to halftime with visions of a win over favoured Sydney FC.

Bobby Despotovski headed the West Australians into a deserved lead four minutes before halftime.

It could have been two but Brian Deane's shot ballooned over the goal.

Three minutes into the second spell the visitors were on level terms when Sasho Petrovski provided the final touch to a contentious freekick.

Dwight Yorke had the last say in the 66th minute when he charged on to a ball flicked on by Petrovski to snatch the winner.

Queensland beat Newcastle away in a tight affair.

The only goal, in a game in which both teams finished with 10 players, was scored by Warren Moon in the 67th minute.

Central Coast, after taking a halftime lead, were undone 2-1 by Melbourne Victory.

Dean Heffernan gave the Mariners a 34th-minute lead. With 17 minutes to go they must have thought they were worth at least a point.

But goals to Archie Thompson and Adrian Leijer earned Victory their second win of the season and third place on the table.