Sydney FC 0 Melbourne Victory 4
The Canberra hangover continued at a beautiful sunny Leichhardt Oval on Easter Sunday as Sydney FC managed to throw away what was left of their premiership crown with an insipid performance against their biggest rivals Melbourne Victory. The consolation of Western Sydney missing out, the thoughts of what a good season it has been despite all the challenges was all just hot air – the gulf in class on the field today was so great that the visitors didn’t really have to do much to secure a thumping victory. If Sydney FC had a player who could keep their cool in front of goal, or a player who knew how to attack in the penalty area, we may have had a different game altogether, but two goals in each half were enough to knock the stuffing out of the Sky Blues and consign them to second place in the league on the final day. The party atmosphere in the stands turned to defiance as the goals rained in; this was not what we were hoping for.
After a bit of running around in the morning, we left Michelle’s not long after 1pm, with the Cove Women’s freshly painted banner in the boot of the car. Sydney’s two Michelles had been hard at work painting for two days and it was all wrapped up now so I’d see the completed article for the first time when it was unveiled at the start of the game. The car park at Leichhardt Stadium was pretty empty, so plenty of parking (even in the shade!) and we handed over the banner to Shane and headed off to the Orange Grove Hotel for a pre-match pick-me-up. The end of lent meant the end of 40 whole days of abstinence from alcohol for one half of this couple, and we enjoyed clinking our first drinks together since the end of January. We ended up outside in the sun, the Victory Vikings left before us, as did the Sydney Youth to get things ready and we followed fashionably late once we’d finished the sweet, sweet taste of tequila.
The stadium was filling up nicely when we arrived. Mascots Muph and Plutonic were handing out Easter eggs, Fred Again was on the DJ set, and the grass of the hill was starting to disappear behind picnic blankets. Just a perfect day at this iconic venue. The Cove were in place at the far end of the main stand, in a specifically cordoned off area to ensure maximum participation and maximum noise on this pivotal day in the A-League calendar. After the events of Wednesday afternoon at McKellar Park, it was great to see the same active crew plus heaps of others in place, and we were ready to go with the banner reveal.
As the players emerged from the tunnel, a long line of Cove boys and girls lofted the banner high and We Are Sydney accompanied the spectacle. The players went into a huddle and the singing continued, as it did well into the game as play got underway. Sydney were shooting towards the main gate, suggesting that they won the toss, and all our hopes and dreams of another premiership got ready to go through the wringer for an absorbing 90 minutes.
There were worrying signs already; Tori Tumeth looked as pedestrian as we’d seen her, losing concentration as a ball was played across goal, reacting so slowly to allow her attacker to nick the ball off her, but Jada Whyman dived in to save her blushes. Cortnee Vine then raced through on goal onto a speculative ball from Mackenzie Hawkesby and slashed at her shot, which didn’t trouble Courtney Newbon in the Victory goal. These were the sort of chances that we would have to take to win this game.
The noise was terrific from the Cove, but Victory stunned Leichhardt when they took the lead with their first real chance. A corner was headed towards goal and Caley Tallon-Henniker cleared off the line only for Alanna Murphy to prod home the rebound. It was sloppy, but it was just the type of goal we would expect to concede against Victory, from a corner with all the pressure on Jada Whyman. The Cove were mid-chant and I hate to say it, I do find it hard to continue with a chant once a goal goes in for the opposition. It was a real hammer blow and Victory celebrated for quite some time.
The game was still in the balance, hopes were still high, a single goal wasn’t going to faze us. Sydney played some neat one-touch passing and used the wings well. The only problem was that when the wingers got the by-line there was absolutely nothing to aim at in the middle. It was as though we were playing without a striker. Princess Ibini cut in and shot just over, memories evoked of her goal at Wanderers last season, Sydney genuinely looked the better team going forward until the final pass.
A cross was fielded by Whyman soon after. As she raced to try and start an attack, Matildas fan favourite Alex Chidiac made it difficult for her, but the Sydney keeper simply aimed a kick at the busy midfielder and the referee was right on the spot to award a penalty and show a yellow card. There was disbelief. Yes we had just seen that. Whyman was wound up, then showed remorse as Chidiac received treatment for the whack, and finally faced the resulting penalty that she almost saved from former Sydney star Rachel Lowe.
Cheers turned to sighs, as Whyman went the right way but couldn’t keep it out, then turned to anger as Lowe cupped her ear to the Cove not once but twice in celebration. Yes, Ante didn’t like you despite telling us all he did, and let’s be honest your form was pretty poor last season, but to give a serve like that to the Cove who backed you all the way lacked a little bit of class. That moment changed the mood, and the strictly non-swearing Cove may or may not have indulged in a little bit of cussing in her team’s direction that had the powers-that-be hard-staring at the Sydney fans.
This was turning into a disaster. Half-time couldn’t come quickly enough. Sydney continued to with their patient approach play, but it broke down continually and we weren’t even close to scoring.
The stadium was busy at half time, the guys having to walk the length of the main stand for a beer out, beer in transaction, and there was not much time for anything else and we were ready for the second half. Shea Connors was on for the second half, and she was immediately involved on the left, beating her player, teasing in a cross for Vine, who simply had to score, but her effort went harmlessly wide. The Matildas player with the golden touch was having one of those days that is not that rare in Sydney FC colours – dynamic and exciting but dreadful in front of goal.
Sydney toiled, they got to the byline and threw in crosses, but there was never anyone there to apply a telling touch, and even when the ball fell on the edge of the area, the Sky Blues were shot-shy, as if waiting for the clear opportunity instead of having a go and getting lucky with a deflection. The pressure was piling on, Hawkesby delivering corners dangerously but to no effect, the pressure definitely on, so when Victory broke upfield and snatched a third it was against the run of play. Vine tried her hardest but was ultimately beaten to the ball on the left up the far end, the cut-back found Emily Gielnik, who swept the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net with Whyman not even going for it. There was silence. What were we witnessing here?
The chanting and singing continued unabated. This was now an atmosphere of defiance, continuing in the face of extreme adversity. It was a lost cause by now, and all talk was of how Perth Glory would do the job for us against Melbourne City in the late game. This was though a horrific performance. The Sydney players were second to every ball. At one point, a Victory player on the far side turned inside two players and knocked another out of the way as if she wasn’t there, the swagger and panache that we have struggled to see all season from Victory, there for all to see. The Sydney players looked as though they had concrete boots on, and some of the passing was really going awry. They kept pressing though, and the Cove were continuing to urge the girls and clinging to the unlikely belief that the game was salvageable – after all I’d watched my beloved Newcastle United come from 3-1 down to win 4-3 late in a crazy game that morning.
The final punch in the face came when Sydney coughed up possession in midfield and Chidiac raced through to slot the ball home for 4-0. That same cupped ear. There was nothing to do now but sing We Are Sydney and bring this sorry afternoon to a close. This was utterly deflating.
The players got into their respective huddles once the final whistle had gone. Victory’s was tight, Sydney’s was ramshackle. There had been only one team in this today, and Victory had barely put their foot on the accelerator; this was as comfortable a win as they could have imagined, and for Sydney FC there was as much to take out of this performance as there was on Wednesday in Canberra.
We hung around a little, watching the players interact with the fans. The insatiable appetite for player interaction meant that a 4-0 home defeat meant nothing to the majority of fans here – they simply wanted a piece of the players and would leave happy with that. One young girl took that to the next level and was seen racing off the field after trying to get to Cortnee Vine. For those of us who have poured our hearts and souls into this season, the feeling of disgust was masked by the smiling faces of the fans and the smiles through gritted teeth of the players. Even seeing Jada Whyman stopped for photos as she high-tailed it out of the stadium before some other players had left the field was eye-opening. I wouldn’t dare show my face if that was me!
We were home by half-time of the deciding game, with City leading 1-0, and at the conclusion of our dog walk as darkness fell, Sydney FC’s second place was sealed. What an absolute capitulation in the final week that started so well with the thumping of Adelaide. Instead of accepting the false praise of a successful season, or lamenting the loss of so many players this season, Ante needs to find the key to scoring goals. And it needs to happen fast. A two-legged semi-final awaits in three weeks and we will be found out once more if we play like we did this week.
Forza Sydney FC. But my god, it hurts sometimes.
A big shout out to our two Super Sydney FC Michelles for their epic banner (notice the new emblem?), to all the Sydney Women’s Cove for trying our best to stir our team into action, and to the players – if any of you were to read this – we love you like family, which means we’ll be your biggest critics when things aren’t going right. But we’ll be here for you when the finals series resumes. You can’t choose your family.
