City Fightback For Vital Draw

The Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City faced up in Parramatta for a match that could potentially determine the Premiership race for the 2024/25 A-League Season, playing out a 2-2 draw as the Wanderers scored two early then City hit back with two and a huge shift in momentum in the second half.

Melbourne City needed a win to stay in with a chance of overtaking the new kids on the block Auckland FC, while a Wanderers win would secure a maiden Kiwi Premiership, mirroring the Wanderers run in their inaugural season all those years ago. Three points for the Wanderers would also give them a huge chance of finishing in the vital 2nd position on the ladder, and would extend their unbeaten run to a double digit 10 games without loss.

The major news coming out of the two teams was the loss of midfielder Joshua Brillante for the Wanderers, an apparent hamstring strain that meant Dean Pelekanos made his 5th start of his A-League career as Juan Mata continued his impact sub role off the bench. City suffered another injury with star attacker Mathew Leckie ruled out with a hamstring issue of his own.

Melbourne City had the opening chance of the game, a fast break where Nicolas Milanovic lost the ball trying his classic cut back move onto to lose the ball, City sprung forward with Max Caputo on the end of a through ball with his first time shot turned away for a corner by the foot of Lawrence Thomas. Caputo had another chance minutes later following a rebounded strike that he couldn't get past the cover defence. Sapsford broke on a counter-attack on his own from halfway to the edge of the City area but his shot was tame and easily saved.

Milanovic continued his brilliant form by scoring one and creating a second. An incredible diagonal ball from Anthony Pantazopoulos found the Gabriel Cleur one out with Aziz Behich, the fullback using his strength to retain possession in a challenge, found Milanovic and after holding off Behich he had space in front to aim on his golden left foot, curling the ball past the static defence and the flying goalkeeper at the far post.

3 minutes later and Milanovic tore the City defence to shreds, making it 2-0 and despite not being awarded the goal he was certainly the cause of it. This time he began the attack by beating Kai Trewin to find room in the box, gave Behich an NBA style ankle-breaker to put the ball on his right foot and his cross into the middle for Sapsford was kicked by Trewin right between the legs of Patrick Beach the hapless City keeper.

Cleur was throw into the referee's notebook in the 17th minute, a full blooded challenge where Cleur came across and clearly took the ball, his City opponent falling in fake agony after not being touched and having tripped over Cleur. A Wanderers corner almost turned into the 3rd goal in the 25th minute, a long curler to the far post that beat Beach and the City defence to find Borrello who couldn't get under it properly and somehow missed making contact from point-blank range.

City came back into the match around the half-hour mark, Marco Tilio & Caputo combining for a run to the edge of the 6 yard box. Thomas smartly engaged forward but not far enough to get dribbled around, blocking the shot out for a corner. Unfortunately for the Wanderers that corner ended up in the back of the net, a routine with Trewin stretching the laws of the game to the maximum to get away from his marker Cleur, there was no-one on the back post and Thomas was deceived by the flight, it left no-one to attack the ball and clear it, and Trewin struck a simple header down into the net to bring it back to 2-1 ten minutes from half-time.

The Wanderers held off City pressure in the three minutes of stoppage time, with both sides getting antsy after a series of midfield challenges and calls not going their way. Eventually they headed into the sheds with the match delicately poised in favour of the home team. City continued their good chances, Steven Ugarkovic getting on the end of a free kick in a contest with Bozhidar Kraev and for a moment it looked like the former Wanderer might get over the top of the big Bulgarian striker, the ball eventually deflected out for a goal kick.

The typical hour mark substitutions came from both teams. Aydan Hammond on for Sapsford & Lawrence Wong on for City with Andreas Kuen departing. The wanderers finally regained a foothold in the 69th minute after compressing under yet more City pressure. Milanovic had a chance from a through ball by Pelekanos, the save eventually popped up to Gabriel Cleur who hammered a right foot strike wide of goal.

Wong found himself in the notebook as well after he chopped down Cleur from behind as he was about to cross into the box, giving the Wanderers a chance for Milanovic almost certain to shoot directly for goal, and he did so, up and over the wall but placed perfectly for Beach to stop the shot without barely having to move his feet. Aurelio Vidmar made three more subs in the 77th minute, Callum Talbot, Medin Memeti & Kavian Rahmani on with the dangerous Tilio, Caputo the scorer and Yonatan Cohen making way. Alen Stajcic introduced Mo Al-Taay for Pelekanos, who was immense in the midfield during the first half in particular. Stajcic made his final sub in the 84th minute, Milanovic getting a standing ovation for his work putting the Wanderers ahead with Marcus Antonsson on to play up front.

Seconds after the sub City were handed a Premiership life line from the penalty spot, a soft trip from Pantazopoulos with Trewin up against Thomas, who dived the right way, got his body in the way but allowed the ball to squeeze under his body and drizzle into the net to level the scores with 5 to play. Talbot was booked after dragging down Gersbach to prevent him running into the box, the 92nd minute free kick ending in the stands after Al-Taay & Pantazopoulos couldn't find a clear sight of goal. The home team got another free kick and yellow card to Nathaniel Atkinson for a handball that blocked a run from Antonsson.

This free kick came in from Gersbach again on the opposite side, the Wanderers crowded the 6 yard box, fired in the free kick and it was headed home to jubilation from the crowd by Antonsson. The celebrations were cut short by the offside flag, and VAR quickly intervened to confirm that Pantazopoulos was offside despite it appearing to come off Antonsson and the game continued at 2-2. The final injustice came as the Wanderers broke clear on a 3 v 2 counter off a corner, only for Adam Kearsey to blow full time as the attackers streamed forward seeking a winner.

There were some yellow cards handed out in the final washup as the Wanderers remonstrated with the officials, eventually Stajcic made his way over and called his team back into the sheds. It was another unfortunately typical game for Western Sydney, dominating early, scoring but dying in the second half and letting their opposition finish all over them. The usual controversial officiating should have been irrelevant, if Thomas had held onto a penalty that was shot straight at him, if Pantazopoulos hadn't strayed offside from a dead ball and if the team had taken any of the multitude of chances to score a 3rd or 4th goal. The draw has likely ended any hope of a top two finish for the Wanderers, with Western United & City to battle it out there, and also puts Melbourne Victory in with a real shot of stealing away 4th place and a home semi-final.

The Wanderers next match is against Newcastle Jets on Saturday the 26th of April, in Newcastle with kikc-off at 5:00PM.