Sydney FC 2 Adelaide United 1
What is it with English geezers that they think they can come into a busy A-League home end and try to call the shots? This is Australia lads, no one gives a shit about how your faraway team’s stadium is sold out every week and how you think you are football’s gods. It’s not the first time this season, and the end result is the same. If you don’t want to be part of the active fan experience but you are intent on causing a scene in the home end, then we wish you all the best when you are escorted out of the stadium and into the night. As the chant explained, sing or f*ck off. Oh, we won by the way, and it was great!
Today was the perfect storm. A 4pm kick off in Rydalmere for a pre-season over-35s friendly, a 5pm kick off in Canberra for the Sydney girls and a 6pm kick off at Allianz for Sydney FC men’s team, a team on the up after a tricky start to the season. Something had to give. We’d already ruled out Canberra. In the end, a first-half cameo at the pre-season trial was enough in the humid afternoon conditions, and I jumped in the car, picked up Rails en route and we made our way to Paddington, our parking spot for years when the kids were little when we’d drive to every game. It was a real step into yesteryear, the steep walk up to Oxford Street through the narrow streets, up to the cinema on the corner opposite Paddo RSL and the descent to Moore Park past the swings to the sound of We Are Sydney coming from the stadium. The days of the big black metal fence blocking the way are thankfully over, and we passed the remnants of the pre-game activations on the concourse as the busy gate was getting people through quickly with only a minute to spare. We made it as the players lined up for kick off, and the opening whistle went as we sat in our seats.
The playing surface was a patchwork of grass sections following another of the fortnightly concerts here, and from our elevated position in Cove Heights it looked like an aerial photo of fields from a plane, the end where the subs normally warm up seemingly out of bounds due to its ropey coverage. The Cove were in full voice, the stadium quite sparse, but filling up as people returned from the facilities. The noise was tremendous, and there was a youthful feel to the crowd, perhaps helped by the early kick off.
Sydney started the game brilliantly. They looked totally up for the game, shooting towards the home end in the first half, but the first half-chance fell to our chief tormentor from Unite Round, Hiroshi Ibusuki – why’s he shooting from there? Oh, that’s why! A flying leap from Andrew Redmayne prevented an early opener. Sydney looked good, Rhyan Grant and Jordan Courtney-Perkins were busy, and evenually swapped flanks, while the young guns at the heart of the defence, Jake Girdwood-Reich and the new sensation Hayden Matthews, were superb. The simple reading ahead of the game, stepping in front of the attacker to intercept, was refreshing to see and it felt as though we were in charge.
The visitors had another sniff at goal, the striker clean through but Redders saved, and a shot from in front was skewed wide with the goal gaping, but it was Sydney doing all the probing, and they took the lead thanks to a loose ball in midfield. Anthony Caceres strode forward and ignored Fabio to feed Robbie Mak, and he took his time and just found space for the finish, a glorious goal to see us a goal ahead, right in front of us.
It was a matter of how many before half time, and Fabio took the ball around the Adelaide goalkeeper twice but decided not to shoot on the empty goal. The giant striker then opted not to head on goal from a teasing cross, instead trying to nod down for Caceres and hands were again on heads. When Fabio leapt up in a challenge with the visiting keeper, the ball fell for Girdwood-Reich and his shot hit the post, the rebound falling straight back to him and his second effort was hacked off the line. We would have expected a whistle though or a VAR check at least for the foul on the keeper though. Fabio again had a chance, racing into a tackle with the oncoming keeper and the ball ricocheted off his shins and rolled agonisingly wide. What a great half of football, but a rotten one for Fabio in front of goal!
The end of the first half saw the whole of the Cove down below turning to see something that was going on, curious people in Cove Heights peering over to see some unrest. We couldn’t see, but it was a topic of conversation, and as the players left the field, a group of young men was being escorted out of the stadium by security and police.
The break saw us go in search of food, luckily the sushi joint was well stocked, but the Krispy Kreme stalls were unmanned, saving us money and sugary poison. The ice-cream queue was outrageous, unfortunate parental promises of a half time treat met with a snaking line, reminiscent of the unbelievable half-time line-up at Canberra Stadium when the Matildas faced New Zealand a couple of years ago. There was fun and frivolity on the field, the toddler race getting a big roar, and there were loads of half-time heroes in full battle in the small sided games.
The second half was only minutes old when the unthinkable happened. There was a slow countdown from the corner of the home end and the youngsters were starting off a Mexican Wave. For real? This was a great game to watch, there were barely enough people to make it all the way around, and the Cove weren’t the least bit interested. How funny it was then when, after multiple failed attempts, the wave made it all the way around the stadium with the Cove mid We Love You with their arms in the air. Fair play to the youngsters though, a little out of place and unnecessary given the entertainment on the field, but a spectacle all the same.
Sydney attacked all the way through the second period. The cheer when Maxi Burgess came on the field was huge, and his link-up play was fantastic. Matthews had to be quick to thwart a breakaway as Adelaide threatened, and some great scrambling and tenacity from Girdwood-Reich earned a hug from Redders. This was top-class football. There were 10 minutes remaining when Joe Lolley went on a bamboozling run through the Adelaide defence and seemed to slip – this was up the far end – but the referee pointed straight to the spot. On seeing the replay on the big screen, it was a little harsh, but VAR couldn’t find a reason to overturn it, and up stepped our man Fabio, having one of the most frustrating evenings of his career, to dispatch the spot-kick with ease. It was reward for his endeavour, and the amount of times he ended up in a heap after being manhandled to the floor with no free kick being awarded was something of a record.
There was another one of those moments when something was going on below in the Cove, the eventual Sing or F*ck Off chant telling us all we needed to know. There was also some booing from the top of Cove Heights as a lady and her entourage were escorted out, tonight being one of those bizarre games when all sorts of stuff was going down in the crowd.
There were 5 minutes of injury time tagged on at the end, and Sydney FC managed to make it nervy. Firstly a header from a corner somehow stayed out, and from the second corner from the other side, Redders flapped at the cross and the ball was bundled into the net for 2-1. The home fans were busy singing away and it barely registered, only a minute or so remaining, and the final throes of the game allowed Adelaide one last chance, but Matthews was quick to snuff out the danger. The final whistle saw the Adelaide players drop to their knees. The Sydney defenders knew they had played a big game and there were hugs all round.
The players enjoyed the Super Sydney FC chant and it was indeed a super scene, the players hurdling the advertising hoardings onto the patchy grass to join in the celebrations. To compound the randomness of the evening there were plenty of lost kids on the way out, fans and security guards helping reunite abandoned red-eyed children with their parents – it must have been a full moon, there was definitely something eerie going on tonight.
We were back home by 8:30pm, negotiating that new tunnel from the Anzac Bridge after realising you had to be in the far left lane now and not the far right, just in time to catch the end of the Melbourne derby on TV.
What a game tonight. It was a rush to get there, we only just made kick off, but we were treated to a glorious football match. Jordan Courtney-Perkins’ metamorphosis from a liability to a top athlete has been amazing, Matthews and Girdwood-Reich were fantastic at the back tonight, we’re seeing more sexy football from Anthony Caceres, and Joe Lolley is key to unlocking any defence in this league. Even Ufuk Talay had a chant today. All is good in the world. Sydney FC are winning and playing well. Let’s get to the finals and bring it home!