Tomi Juric made a dream debut for the Western Sydney Wanderers with a late equaliser that gave the reigning Premiers a valuable away point in their opening game of the season.
A late afternoon kick-off in Gosford saw the first half played in scorching temperatures. The Wanderers supporters travelled in large numbers yet again, with much of the stadium covered in the red & black colours that unite Western Sydney. After a period of feeling each other out it was the Wanderers with the best early chance, in the 14th minute. Mark Bridge was given acres of space on the left flank, and driving into the box he delivered a low shot at the front post. Mariners keeper Justin Pasfield stuck out a left boot to block, only to see the ball fall to the feet of Bridge who unleashed a close range effort that Pasfield blocked again. With bodies falling over each other in their attempts to clear or score, it fell for Youssouf Hersi but his shot deflected over the bar off Labinot Haliti who was lying prone on the turf.
The Wanderers were the dominant team in the first half but on attack they weren't able to find a killer ball or collected finish. Mateo Poljak took a volley snap-shot from well beyond the edge of the box that flashed just wide. Haliti in particular was unlucky, as a timely intervention from Zac Anderson took the ball away from him as he was preparing to volley the ball home. 5 minutes before half-time he skipped a glancing header just over the bar.
The second half saw the sun dip below the Bluetongue grandstand and 10 minutes after the break the Mariners scored against the run of play to take the lead. Ante Covic declined to properly clear a back pass and he turned the ball over well into the Wanderers half. The Mariners worked the ball to Flores who found Mitch Duke with a brilliant through ball that left Adam D'Apuzzo square and stranded. Duke's neat finish saw him lift the ball over the oncoming Covic.
The goal brought the Wanderers to life and Tony Popovic decided he had seen enough. The Premiership winning manager called for a double change. Tomi Juric & Shinji Ono were brought on in place of Haliti & Poljak. It had an immediate effect, the team lifted and began to reassert dominance on the match. The Juric equaliser came on the end of pace and trickery from Hersi. Polenz released the flying winger who beat his man and delivered a wicked cross into the box. Despite his marker being between him and the cross, Juric's brilliantly timed run saw him use his strength to make solid contact on the volley and power a shot home.
Western Sydney chased a winner in the final few minutes of the game, with several set pieces providing opportunity that wasn't taken. Mooy was unable to beat Pasfield from a free kick and the last chance of the game, a corner, was delivered poorly by Ono. On the face of it a draw was a solid result for a first game away from home against the team who finished 2nd in the Premiership last season. However it was clear from the reaction of the players and coaching staff that they wanted more out of the match than the solitary point.
The Wanderers next match is at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday the 20th of October, against the Wellington Phoenix. Kick-off is at 5:30PM EDST.
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