No winners in Big Blue
As the final whistle sounded it became abruptly apparent there were no winners tonight; the big blue ended 1-1, no team more deserving than the other. Kevin Muscat lamenting lost opportunity to grab a top two position and a possible invaluable week off.
A disappointing crowd of 20,447 witnessed Sydney successfully park the bus after James Troisi found the back of the net after sneaking past Sasa Ognenovski and pushing it past keeper Janjetovic in the 64th minute. The crowd started to come into the game finally, but after being continually subdued by what seemed nine man Sydney defence the crowd could only do so much over the course of the night.
The first half of the match was a back and forth affair with Abbas and Finkler providing the spark for either team. Whilst Victory won the corner count Sydney had the better of the chances with Del Piero proving the usual threat up front, teaming up with Matt Thompson in the midfield. Richard Garcia has two clear chances from headers, but like his season thus far didn’t take his chances.
An incident between captains Mark Milligan and Alessandro Del Piero was the major talking point of the half before a Pablo Contreras tackle inches outside the box during stoppage time presented the Italian maestro with a golden opportunity just before halftime. Del Piero hit the free kick directly into the wall, with an apparent hand ball missed by referee Jarred Gillett. The half time whistle blew, finishing the first half.
Joel Chianese provided an unlikely source for the game’s first goal, he was soundly beaten by Traore down the right side during the first half but bobbed up when it counted sending the travelling Sydney crowd into full voice. The game actually reached its peak for the next 20 minutes with both teams playing great attacking football. Both keepers were called into action, with Thomas showing the form that is keeping Nathan Coe sitting next to Kevin Muscat. Sydney keeper Janjetovic more efficient by hand than foot with his ball distribution, which could be a concern for Frank Farina if this doesn’t improve. Sydney becomes too predictable from the back if this pattern is to continue.
When Troisi found the goals, Victory showed Sydney a clean pair of heels for the next stage of the game but couldn’t take advantage of some good midfield work. Victory seemed hesitant to shoot, opting for a string of passes before they would lose the ball in advantageous positions. Mark Milligan as usual gave his all for the shirt, but seemed zapped of confidence, happy to pass the ball off rather than shoot like he did last season.
The game entered the final 10 minutes and Victory seemed out of ideas, Tom Rogic would’ve been an ideal substitute but the recent hectic schedule didn’t allow Muscat that luxury. Archie Thompson failed to provide any final spark, looking like a weary man at times and his place at the World Cup must now be severely in doubt. For Sydney Seb Ryall almost stole the match from Sydney but not for the determined defence led by Contreras.
Finally after the 90 minutes the game ended 1-1, a fair result for both parties. Both teams managed to squander chances and lose two valuable points as the race for spots in the top six heats up. Melbourne Victory spends the next two weeks on the road with matches against Newcastle and Wellington, whilst Sydney play host to Wellington and Perth. Farina will be the happier of the managers for the moment, but only until the beginning of the Newcastle game against Perth.
Melbourne Victory 1 (Troisi 64) drew with Sydney 1 (Chianese 48)
Crowd – 20,447
FTSAUS Player of the Match – Gui Finkler
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