The 3rd Sydney Derby of the A-League regular season was a massive one in terms of the finals picture with Sydney FC scoring a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time just went it looked as if the Wanderers had pulled it back for a draw.
Josh Brillante returned to the starting line-up for the first time in 6 weeks following a hamstring injury while Lachlan Brook and Nicolas Milanovic were both absent due to their Australian U23 call up.
The opening 20 were dominated by the hosts but neither team managed to cleanly create a chance. The best was a Joe Lolley trademark left foot cutback shot that lacked power but still forced Lawrence Thomas to paw it wide. Against the run of play Marcus Antonsson had a wonderful chance after a Sydney mistake but his shot was weak and straight at the keeper. Brandon Borrello went down clutching his right hamstring, replays showing it happened during his back heel pass to release Antonsson. The injury was severe enough Borrello saw no point trying to run it off, and he made way for Zac Sapsford.
Antonsson should have opened the scoring moments later, Sapsford released Pierias down the right wing and his first time cross flew across the pitch and into the path of the out of form Swedish striker, 6 yards and directly in front of goal with Redmayne diving to his right, Antonsson went back across from whence it came. He beat Redmayne but somehow missed hitting the back of the net, smashing the post so hard the ball would have made it back out of the area without a defensive intervention.
Fabio Gomes had a good chance for Sydney FC from a cross, he rose above Marcelo but his looping header wouldn't fall quickly enough. He had another chance on his right peg on the half hour, he was picked out by Lolley but with Simmons and Beadling blocking his passing lane he wasn't able to get the direction to trouble Thomas. Antonsson had a chance to make amends for his failure when Sapsford found him, and once again the striker failed, he made the space well to shoot on his left but he was leaning back and blasted it over the bar.
Sapsford had been the provider in the first half but he almost turned scorer with 5 in the half, Pierias found him with a cutback but a desperate lunge across from a defender blocked the shot.
Rhyan Grant thought he had forced the opening goal of the game in the 43rd minute, one of Sydney FC's classic diagonal long balls with Grant a mile offside, play continued as is the style of the times until his cross was turned into the back of the net by Beadling. His blushes were relieved seconds later as the flag finally went up, a quick VAR confirmation and the game continued unabated until half-time, with the score at 0-0 despite the huge chances at either end. Sydney FC arguably shading the match beyond the score, with 60% possession and their high press causing havoc amongst the Wanderers defence.
Marko Rudan went to his bench at the break with Jack Clisby coming off for Tate Russell, with no apparent tactical reason it may have been another injury.
Pierias continued his excellent match with another fast break down the right, he ignored the inside runs and hit a half-volley that flew past Redmayne and thumped into the post. He was called offside but the replays showed that it would have counted once VAR took a look at it. Shortly before the hour mark the Wanderers suffered yet another injury, with Tom Beadling going down without any apparent contact from an opponent, with Cleur replacing him.
Sydney fashioned another gilt edge chance for Fabio, a deep in-swinging cross to the back post where Fabio was free as a bird, he lined up a flying head but struck it right into the stomach of Thomas. With 75% possession in the second half it felt inevitable that Sydney FC would eventually convert one of their chances. Rudan emptied his bench with his last sub window, young gun Marcus Younis & combative midfielder Sonny Kittel entering for Antonsson and Ninkovic.
It took 71 minutes but Sydney FC finally scored. Dylan Pierias got his foot on the ball and burst down the left, and with Younis screaming for the ball in open space Pierias didn't see him, lost the ball and let the opposition start a lightning counter attack, it ended with Joe Lolley on the sideline, and everyone in the stadium except for Tate Russell knew he was going to do nothing but cut back onto his left and shoot from the edge of the area. And that he did, shooting on his left, the ball bouncing in front of Thomas who flapped at the ball, spilling it into Marcelo's leg and from there to Fabio who controlled it well enough that he could prod it home for an easy finish to make it 1-0.
A combination of the tiring players and needing to pull a goal back opened the game up and the Wanderers regained a semblance of control on the ball, the high press less effectively after 90 minutes, with 7 minutes of stoppage time Western Sydney began to pile on the pressure and it told in the 96th. After SFC couldn't get the ball clear Aidan Simmonds strode forward and with four Red & Black players in the box waiting his cross was perfect to the back post. Rhyan Grant the lone defender only managed to take out Younis, leaving Sapsford free to knock in a header to draw the teams level.
Just when it looked like the Wanderers had done enough to take a point, the defence fell to pieces yet again with Tate Russell again leaving more than enough space for Caceres to cross over his leg, Aidan Simmons was ball watching at the back stick instead of marking Jaiden Kucharski and he bounced a left footed volley into the turf, up & over Marcelo & Thomas into the side netting on the other side.
It was the least SFC deserved after dominating the entire match. Western Sydney were awful in attack, Tate Russell in particular was a defensive liability and the midfield that couldn't hold onto the ball for more than three passes in a row. An inept display punctuated by losing multiple players to injury, then having finally earned a goal to bring the match level Russell showed a lack of desire to get a block in & then Simmons was caught out hoping someone else would do the work for him. With two rounds to go the Wanderers look certain to drop out of the top 6, and if by some miracle they make it anyway, with no Borrello, Brook or Milanovic & an unsettled defensive unit it would be unlikely for them to get through the first week in any case.
The Wanderers next match is against Melbourne City in Parramatta on Saturday the 20th with kick-off at 3:30PM.
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