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A second sweet Terry Antonis strike in as many games has lifted Melbourne Victory off the bottom of the A-League ladder and left winless Newcastle there, after Saturday's A-League Grand Final rematch. Meeting for the first time since Victory shaded the Jets almost six months ago in the season decider, Melbourne recorded another 1-0 win on Saturday night at the same McDonald Jones Stadium venue. With the exception of a goal being scored, the first half was similar to the grand final, with home side Newcastle having 10 of the first 12 shots. Venezuelan playmaker Ronnie Vargas came the closest, rocking the crossbar with a shot from next to the penalty spot. It was a different story in the second half, as the visitors made Newcastle pay for their wastefulness. Inside the first five minutes, grand final hero Kosta Barbarouses had a goal ruled out for offside, a few seconds after having a shot saved by Jets goalkeeper Glen Moss and another attempt was blocked a couple of minutes later. Antonis then produced a repeat of last week's finely judged strike against Perth. He was again set up by Keisuke Honda. The marquee man has been involved in all four Victory goals this season, tallying three assists. Newcastle's Dimi Petratos had an 84th-minute free kick saved by Lawrence Thomas, having volleyed over the bar just after the hour. But it was a typically professional effort from Victory as they largely frustrated Newcastle 's attempts to get an equaliser after soaking up plenty of first-half pressure. Thomas, in his 100th game for Victory, saved efforts from Jair, Lachlan Jackson and Matt Ridenton and the Jets had three more shots blocked. The visitors came into the game in the final 20 minutes of the half, pressing more into Jets territory without creating too many clear chances. Centre back Georg Niedermeier put a header wide from an early Honda free kick and Jai Ingham curled a shot wide after Honda pounced on a throw out from Jets keeper Moss.
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MVC
