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Heartbreaker ... John Aloisi sunk his hometown team with a sensational late goal. (Getty Images: Morne de Klerk)
Adelaide's favourite son became its worst enemy as local product John Aloisi's late winner handed Melbourne Heart an upset 2-1 win over the Reds at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
The Heart broke their six game A-League losing sequence in sensational style, with two goals in the final five minutes.
Simon Colosimo guided a corner kick from the middle of the box into the bottom left corner of the net to level things up in the 88th minute.
After Colosimo's scrambled headed goal, Adelaide-born striker Aloisi accompanied Wayne Srhoj on a forward sortie and the two found themselves with time and space near goal.
Aloisi pounced and drove a low shot into the right corner net which lifted the Heart into sixth spot on the ladder.
The loss was Adelaide's first in eight matches on their home turf, and came after the Reds controlled the majority of the contest.
Heart coach John Van't Schip praised his side's resilience in its comeback win.
"It doesn't happen that much but we know that a game of football is longer than 90 minutes," he said.
"And today was a big example of that.
"We showed a lot of character ... coming back from 1-0 (down) in a difficult away game, and then going back to Melbourne with three points, that should give us a lot of confidence for the coming games."
Adelaide United coach Rini Coolen said his side had to be more assured than they were in the final minutes, when they conceded two goals.
"It was not what we need in our team, if you prefer to take the next step you have to be a little bit more smarter," Coolen said.
Adelaide defender Daniel Mullen will have scans on Saturday to determine the extent of his knee injury, which forced him from the side in the first half.
Adelaide striker Sergio van Dijk headed his side into the lead in the shadows of half-time, but the Heart courageously climbed from the canvas with late strikes.
The Heart's goals came against the tide, with Adelaide seemingly in command once van Dijk headed his ninth goal of the season - one fewer than the league's leading scorer, Melbourne Victory's Robbie Kruse.
Van Dijk's goal in the 46th minute was superbly crafted by Adelaide's two chief playmakers - Argentinian Marcos Flores and captain Travis Dodd.
Flores delivered a deft through pass which was centimetre perfect for Dodd, streaming forward, to reach just before the goal line.
The skipper hooked back a precise cross to van Dijk, whose header into the low right corner of the net wrong-footed Heart 'keeper Clint Bolton.
The Heart, despite their attacking intent, created few goal scoring chances until their stunning last stanza pinched the points.
Melbourne Heart: 2 (S Colosimo 88', J Aloisi 90')
Adelaide United: 1 (S van Dijk 45')
- ABC/AAP
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