Sydney is Sky Blue
Allianz Stadium was the venue for this encounter as Sydney’s east and west came together for the seventh time. The tension amongst the players, coupled with the cacophony of noise produced by the fans laid the backdrop for what was to be an extraordinary affair of football. The derby atmosphere was raw and emotive; passionate and alive. Sydney FC hosted the Wester Sydney Wanderers in front of 41,213 people with a zest to urge their heroes onto victory. The next 90 minutes truly encapsulated every facet the game of football has on offer. In the end, Sydney FC triumphantly rallied back from 2-0 to claim a 3-2 victory. What a game it was.
Sydney FC began this combustible classic the better of the two sides as they presented a flurry of attacking intent through debutant duo Bernie Ibini and Marc Janko. For the large majority of the opening fifteen minutes the Wanderers struggled to implement the strategy that coach Tony Popovic had laid out as they continued to come under increasing pressure from the home side.
However it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the 18th minute against the run of play. Some neat footwork from Dutch winger Romeo Castelen allowed space for a dangerous cross to swing in and sweetly meet the foot of former Sky Blue Mark Bridge who made no mistake in volleying home.
Western Sydney were fortunate not to have relinquished their lead soon after as a poorly defended free-kick saw the ball fall to the feet of Alex Brosque who’s swept effort rolled agonisingly wide of Ante Covic’s post.
Yet despite this, the match went from bad to worse for the city dwellers as Sasa Ognenovski’s woeful clearance from a Vitor Saba corner ultimately led to the Wanderers’ second goal. His proverbial ‘shank’ of an effort sent the ball high, allowing further pressure onto the Sydney goal-line, causing Vedran Janjetovic to poorly parry the ball into his own net.
The first half then entered an evenly fought tug-of-war between both sets of players as they tussled back and forth to obtain control of the game. Graham Arnold’s calls to push on for a reply before half time were successfully heeded in the dying seconds of the first half as some neat work by Alex Brosque allowed Corey Gameiro to fire home his second goal of the season. There’s a saying in football that states two goal leads are twice as dangerous as one goal leads, and a succession of attacks from the Sky Blues in the opening minutes of the second half proved this to be true. This time Sasa Ognenovski made up for his previous first-half errors to sprawl home his effort via significant deflection. Cue the Cove’s delirium; the comeback was complete.
What then was to transpire truly signified the hatred both sides have for one another as referee Kris Griffiths-Jones was forced to intervene time and time again. Fans and players alike grew frustrated with every stoppage in play as each challenge began to arrive full of intent and as Saba slid in on Terry Antonis, boiling point was unavoidably reached. Tempers flared and finally blew over as push came to shove and Saba’s full debut turned to disaster. The men of the harbour city clearly fired up by the occasion’s events, and buoyed by the one man advantage darted forward in numbers in an effort to take the lead with twenty minutes left on the clock.
Captain, fan favourite, and derby debutant-turned hero, Alex Brosque completed the mission ten minutes from time as he toed the ball past Ante Covic after a neat well-thought-out through ball from Corey Gameiro. The Red and Black Bloc (RBB) and Wanderers fans alike, to their credit, did not lower their voices despite the controversy that occurred before them as pure pandemonium was produced by the Sydney faithful all around them.
Sydney’s comeback resembled the final nail in the coffin for Tony Popovic and his troops. Rarely does this maturing club succumb to defeat two weeks in a row, but as the AFC Champions League Final approaches next weekend it seems confidence will be hard to find. Graham Arnold’s men meanwhile move on from this valuable victory to sit level with Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United at the top of the table, as well as holding the all-important city bragging rights. This match of football was a spectacle. A true advert for just how far the A-League has come. Passion, intensity, rivalry, animosity, grit, determination, and ecstasy was all on show tonight in front of the near-record crowd. In the end: derby delight for Sydney FC.
Sydney 3 (Gameiro 45’, Castelen OG 50’, Brosque 79’) defeated Western Sydney 2 (Bridge 19’, Janjetovic OG 24’)
Attendance: 41,213
FTS Man of the Match: Corey Gameiro
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