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30Dec21
Sydney's Five-Star First Half Too Much For Wellington
by Jeremy Ruane
Sydney FC consolidated their Liberty A-League lead at WIN Stadium on December 30, closing out 2021 by thrashing league newcomers Wellington Phoenix 5-0, scoring all their goals in the first half.
The visitors wasted little time in getting into their stride, Mackenzie Hawkesby slipping a pass into the penalty area for Remy Siemsen to latch onto in just the third minute. Her low cross to the near post was touched back by Princess Ibini towards Hawkesby, but the tenacious Grace Wisnewski got in a tackle which prevented her from shooting, allowing Lily Alfeld to tidy things up.
Sixty seconds later, however, Alfeld was fishing the ball out of her net after Wellington failed to clear a Jessika Nash cross. Rachel Lowe moved onto it and fair hammered a twenty yard scorcher into the top corner - a terrific strike!
It set the tone for a half in which Wellington were frequently on the back foot. Just four minutes later, Alfeld dashed off her line to pluck the ball off the head of Siemsen as she looked to work a one-two with Lowe.
The goalkeeper sparked a counter-attack from which a Saskia Vosper throw-in picked out Chloe Knott. She held the ball up well before inviting Ava Pritchard to let fly, an effort which deflected off a defender, affording Jana Whyman an easy save.
Not for the last time in the game, Wellington was the victim of a piece of officiating in the thirteenth minute which left a great deal to be desired. Ibini went to ground off the ball in the penalty area after tangling legs with Wisnewski as they made contrasting angled runs, and referee Lara Lee ludicrously found reason to award Sydney a penalty as a result!
Hawkesby duly doubled Sydney's lead from twelve yards in the fourteenth minute, but how this was even given … it doesn't say a great deal for the overall quality of Australia's match officials if Lee is getting appointments at this level of the game, because this wasn't her only blunder in this match - more codswallop of this calibre was still to come!
Sydney should have further increased their lead five minutes later, Vine's cushioned volley into the gloves of Alfeld a poor return on Ally Green's industrious run and inch-perfect cross from the left-hand byline.
Two minutes later, Vine squandered another gilt-edged opportunity, this one fashioned by an enterprising interchange between Nash and Siemsen. Her exquisite lay-off invited Vine to race past Vosper before charging into the penalty area, Alfeld standing between the winger and a third Sydney goal.
Racing up in support with a run towards the far post was Ibini, and her presence may have put doubt in Vine's mind - do I shoot or set her up? What resulted was something betwixt and between - an effort which flew past Alfeld but across the bows of Ibini, who ended up in the back of the net as the ball careered past the far post.
The 2020 champions made amends on the half-hour. Vine's throw-in allowed Siemsen to dart in behind Vosper and dash along the by-line towards goal before setting up the unmarked figure of Hawkesby - where was the tracking runner from midfield? - for a far post tap-in.
A fourth Sydney goal was ruled out by the offside flag soon after, much to Siemsen's dismay, but the striker didn't let that deter her. She caught Kate Taylor napping ten minutes from time, darting around the defender to keep the ball in play as Wellington's vice-captain looked to shepherd it out for a goal-kick.
That initiative allowed Vine another chance to find the net, but Vosper was her nemesis on this occasion, blocking her effort for a corner. Hawkesby's delivery to the far post invited Ibini to let fly, but Alfeld tipped her shot over the bar.
Seven minutes before half-time, the visitors struck their fourth goal, Vine's unerring finish into the far corner due reward for taking on and beating Vosper once more - the fullback will be pleased to know that she won't have to endure Vine running at her again this season!
There was no respite from the league leaders - they wanted a fifth goal before the interval. A delightful five-man move culminated in Taylor Ray inviting Siemsen to unleash a shot on the turn which fizzed past the far post in the 41st minute, while two minutes later, the crossbar twice came to Wellington's aid.
Green clipped a free-kick into the area which Sydney captain Nathalie Tobin met with a looping header. This hit the bar, the rebound from which
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invited Vine to lob the ball goalwards. The backpedalling figure of Alfeld tipped this attempt onto the bar, from which the under siege Wellingtonians scrambled the ball clear.
Albeit briefly, for on the stroke of half-time, Sydney went nap. Ray fed Ibini, whose slick switch of play invited Siemsen to surge into the area once more. Her low cross was swept home past the wrong-footed Alfeld by Hawkesby, who completed a first half hat-trick with this emphatic finish.
Wellington were shell-shocked, and coach Gemma Lewis had her hands full finding the words to motivate her charges for the second spell. Whatever she said had the desired effect, however, for come the full time whistle, there had been no change to the 5-0 half-time scoreline, this despite playing the final fifteen minutes with just ten players on the park, Vosper hobbling off with an injury after all the team's substitutes had been employed.
Two of them came on at half-time, the outclassed Zoe McMeeken and not-yet-fully-fit Kelli Brown being replaced by Talitha Kramer and Jordan Jasnos, both of whom contributed to an improved second half showing from the Wellingtonians.
They still came under siege from the Sky Blue Army, however, Alfeld tipping half-time substitute Paige Satchell's shot onto the bar in the fiftieth minute, then smothering the ball after Mackenzie Barry's timely challenge prevented Ibini from doing justice to the combined efforts of Lowe, Siemsen and Satchell as Sydney sought goal number six.
Satchell was denied it on the hour when referee Lee ruled her effort out for handball - one of the few calls she got right in this contest. A couple more shockers were forthcoming in the next few minutes, the pick of them being a yellow card for Kramer and a free-kick for Sydney from an incident which saw Knott kicked in the head! Little wonder coach Lewis was apoplectic on the sideline, and she had every right to be, too!
Kramer then blocked a drive from Ibini, and chased down the rebound with fellow substitute Mona Walker and Tobin, who went down in a heap under pressure from her two opponents, and eventually had to be carried off the pitch with an injury.
Walker became the third Wellington player booked in six minutes, Taylor having been the first to see the yellow card for what was a perfectly timed tackle on Lowe - the defender got the ball as clean as a whistle, but Lowe fell over Taylor's leg, and was rewarded with a free-kick … appalling officiating!
Compounding matters was the sight of referee Lee having a laugh with the free-kick taker immediately afterwards! For those who argue that there is no case to answer with regard to accusations of biased officiating against Wellington, talk your way out of this one! Then again, save your breath - you can't defend the indefensible!
Wellington's defensive effort was much better in this half - one wonders how much better they would have been in the first spell had they employed a sweeper or third stopper instead of sticking with the tried and trusted, thus inviting their opponents to overload on the flanks.
Taylor epitomised the improvement, cutting out a Hawkesby cross intended for Siemsen in the 73rd minute, while her timely tackle fifteen minutes later foiled Maria Rojas' progress towards goal, soon after which Barry chimed in to deny the same player, risking the concession of a penalty in doing so.
As well as their defensive efforts, Wellington were more prominent at the other end of the park in the later stages of the match. Jasnos sent the ball hurtling past the post fifteen minutes from time after Whinham and Wisnewski created havoc on the right, before Whinham and Knott combined to release the substitute on the left seconds later - Jasnos' cross, intended for Knott, was cut out at her near post by Whyman, her first involvement for some time.
Four minutes from time, Whinham won possession and spread play wide to Knott, whose measured cross for Taylor was grabbed by Sydney's goalkeeper as the pair collided. Whyman recovered, and denied Knott in stoppage time to confirm a 5-0 triumph for the league leaders over a Wellington side which will hope for better fortune in the new year.
Wellington: Alfeld; McMeeken (Kramer, 46 (booked, 65)), Barry, Taylor (booked, 62), Vosper; Whinham, Gomez (Jones, 79), Wisnewski; Pritchard (Walker 64 (booked, 68)), Knott, Brown (Jasnos, 46)
Sydney: Whyman; Nash (booked, 90), McLean, Tobin (Rojas, 71), Green (Hristodoulou, 55); Lowe, Ray (Hunter, 68), Hawkesby; Vine (Satchell, 46), Siemen, Ibini
Referee: Lara Lee
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