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29Dec23
Late Goals Clinch Deserved Sydney Win
by Jeremy Ruane
Two goals in the last five minutes earned Sydney FC a 3-1 win over Wellington Phoenix in their Isuzu Ute A-League clash on 29 December, with the 14,343-strong crowd at Allianz Stadium witnessing a deserved win for the home team over the competition's surprise leaders.
Wellington have been punching above their weight so far this season, but in this match, Giancarlo Italiano's charges came up against their former coach, Ufuk Talay - if ever there was a match the travelling team was destined to lose, it was this one!
Sydney set out their stall from the outset, Jaiden Kucharski's twenty-five yarder stinging the gloves of Alex Paulsen within two minutes of the kick-off. A minute later, Jack Rodwell's unchallenged eight yard downward header from a Joe Lolley corner was directed straight at the goalkeeper, who was relieved to see a curling effort from Robert Mak clear the crossbar in the seventh minute.
Sydney's pressing game was causing Wellington all sorts of problems, denying the visitors the chance to build play from the back, as is their wont. They managed to break the shackles in the ninth minute, Bozhidar Kraev releasing Costa Barbarouses down the left, from where he delivered a low cross which sped across the bows of the incoming David Ball.
The home team responded by opening the scoring two minutes later. Another Lolley corner wasn't cleared, and the unmarked figure of Rhyan Grant stabbed the ball home from six yards to the delight of "The Cove", Sydney's boisterous fanbase.
Paulsen prevented a second goal six minutes later, tipping another twenty-five yarder from Kucharski round the post after Wellington's bid to play the ball out of defence had once again been smothered by Sydney's pressing game.
Quite why the visitors persist with this risky approach defies logic, particularly when opponents are wise to it and have deployed tactics to counter the practice. Why not mix it up a bit, i.e. go downtown early doors, rather than be predictable and potentially the architects of their own downfall?
Both goalkeepers were called into action in the 25 th minute, each saving with their legs to thwart their opponent's raid. A Kucharski cross was headed down by Gabriel Lacerda for the benefit of Mak, but Paulsen's intervention sparked a Wellington counter-attack, with Kraev the player denied by Andrew Redmayne seconds later.
Redmayne featured again in the 28 th minute, hurtling out of goal to punch an angled delivery from Sam Sutton to safety as Nick Pennington moved in to meet it. Instead, he collided with the goalkeeper, and the midfielder was able to continue after treatment.
A rare Wellington raid six minutes later saw Barbarouses get in behind Sydney's defence on the right. His lob failed to trouble Redmayne, just like the visitors' efforts generally - the site of all eleven Wellington players in their own half throughout the first forty-five minutes was a frequent one.
Lolley and Kucharski both went close for the home team as the half drew to a close, before a Lolley corner picked out Rodwell. His drive was blocked by Sutton, while a volley from David Ball flew past the upright after referee Alireza Faghani had allowed play to continue, despite the ball striking him - common practice is for play to be halted and resumed with a drop ball to the team in possession at the time of the "striking" incident.
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Wellington began the second spell in far better fashion than they'd spent most of the first, with Ben Old particularly prominent. It wasn't long before Sydney started to flex their attacking muscles again, however, Anthony Caceres' 52 nd minute shot being blocked by Scott Wootton.
But the visitors were the stronger side in the first third of the second spell, and before the hour mark Barbarouses battered an eight yard volley over the bar on receipt of a Pennington pass, before Old and Barbarouses combined to present Kraev with a shooting chance, a rising drive which Redmayne tipped over the bar.
Back came Sydney, a deflected Jake Girdwood-Reich drive being gobbled up by Paulsen in the 66th minute. Seconds later, the goalkeeper blocked Pat Wood's acute-angled shot at his near post, before diving to his right four minutes later to keep out a twenty-yarder from the Sydney substitute.
Holley raced down the right in the 72 nd minute before picking out Mak, who evaded a challenge before seeing his shot blocked for a corner by Finn Surman. Holley curled an effort past the post from the resulting set-piece, then played in Max Burgess in the 75 th minute, the former Wellington player getting to the byline before inviting Wood to let fly. Surman once more stood firm in the face of adversity with a timely block.
Nine minutes from time, Sydney were made to pay for their profligacy as Wellington drew level. Sutton did well to keep the ball in on the left flank near halfway, and promptly brought Old into play. His defence-splitting pass sent Oskar Van Hattum hurtling through the inside right channel, where he drew Redmayne out of goal before setting up Barbarouses for a tap-in - 1-1.
Parity prevailed for five minutes only, Sydney retaking the lead in the 86 th minute. A poor Paulsen clearance was pounced on by Burgess, and fellow substitute Fabio Gomes duly orchestrated the outcome, slipping Mak in on the left. He evaded a tackle before battering the ball into the top far corner from the edge of the six-yard box.
Wellington came desperately close to levelling the scores again two minutes later. Van Hattum's cross found Barbarouses buccaneering through the middle, from where he lifted the ball over the advancing figure of Redmayne but just past the far post as well.
Cue another Sydney raid, and another intervention by Surman, the defender's vital headed clearance preventing Gomes from heading home Holley's cross from the right, after the supplier had worked a one-two with Luke Brattan to open up Wellington's left flank.
The visitors' defence was opened up again in stoppage time, Holley, Mak and Gomes combining neatly, with Holley setting up Gomes for an unerring finish beyond Paulsen and into the bottom far corner of the net to clinch a deserved win for the home team with time all but up on the clock.
Sydney: Redmayne; Grant, Lacerda, Rodwell (booked, 33 (Courtney-Perkins, 90)), King; Girdwood-Reich (booked, 43 (Gomes, 77 (booked, 90))), Caceres (Burgess, 60 (booked, 83)), Brattan; Holley (Glasson, 90), Kucharski (booked, 25 (Wood, 60 (booked, 90))), Mak (booked, 63)
Wellington: Paulsen; Payne, Surman, Wootton, Sutton (booked, 88 (Supyk, 89)); Ball (Van Hattum, 73), Rufer, Pennington (Al Taay, 73), Old; Barbarouses, Kraev
Referee: Alireza Faghani
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