Sydney FC 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 1
An incredible evening of A-League entertainment came down to the final minute of additional time when Jaiden Kucharski’s volley looped into the net to seal a great win for Sydney FC against the auld enemy at Allianz Stadium. A game that had the fans rapt from the opening whistle, Fabio Gomes tapping home from close range in the second half in front of the Cove to hand them the lead, looked to have slipped from Sydney FC’s grasp when Zac Sapsford headed home in 5th minute of stoppage time. The red and black celebrations were still going on when Special K popped up at the far post to stun the visitors and send the RBB off to Western Sydney with nothing to show for a valiant battle with their fiercest rivals. Finals football is here – get ready!
Now that we have A-League, NPL and park football all happening at once, the chances of having a leisurely Saturday afternoon sinking pints ahead of a Sydney derby are well and truly over. So, our group splintered in two, Michelle playing on Sunday so taking in the pub and the march before the game, myself and the girls catching a train in after a Saturday afternoon toiling in the sun in the 45s. There was no doubt about the stature of this game – massive for both teams, and to have some context, a win for Sydney FC would edge us closer to or even confirm entry to the promised land of the top six. Allianz Stadium belonged to West Sydney and it was our duty to assert that this city is ours and wrestle back our stranglehold on home derby encounters that has been tarnished recently.
Michelle ducked to the Olympic hotel on Moore Park Road for a final refreshener before kick off and I headed in through a busy Gate 3 with well over half an hour to spare. The mood was buoyant. The Cove were already in place after the march, in their green wristbands, and the stadium was filling up, but was clearly not going to be a sell-out, with blocks of seats unused in the upper sections. The field had the usual leftover markings from one of the other unimportant football codes, and the pitch at the Cove end was still not looking completely healthy. But this stadium is magnificent, and even with a sparse crowd it does look stunning.
Minutes to kick off, the stadium was buzzing. The empty seats had filled, the RBB was in place and it felt like a party atmosphere. Rory was down the front taking snaps of the banners to remind his Wanderers friends of what a Championship means before parading them on the field, the players emerged to a huge roar and fireworks filled the sky. This was unexpected and added to the party. All around us, there was chatter, it was great to be a part of a proper big crowd at Allianz Stadium once more.
With all the distractions, we didn’t notice that the players were lining up for a minute’s silence, but the booming voice over the PA asked us to pause for a moment for those who lost their lives in this afternoon’s knife attack in Bondi Junction. It was poignant and well respected. A number of younger fans would be missing tonight as their parents kept them out of the city, but we were safe with our Sydney FC family and football was on our minds to help us forget the horror from earlier in the day, at least for two hours.
The Cove had a special tifo for the night, laid out face down in front of Bay 23 and we had no idea what it was. Maybe it was time for a classier recreation of the Graham Arnold action banner from Accor Stadium, but with Marko Rudan in his stead? When it went up, we could see that it was a blue tiger with some wording up on the edge of Cove Heights – we couldn’t see that though. Looking at photos on social media, it looked damn good.
The first half was great entertainment. Sydney were shooting towards the far end and had the majority of the play. Fabio was involved and almost unlocked the defence with a header that went wide, and Sydney were in control without creating any clear cut chances. In fact it was the Wanderers who should have scored, even when danger man Brandon Borrello had to exit the game injured, and it was Marcus Antonsson, who missed that last-minute penalty against Brisbane Roar last week, who managed to hit the post instead of the net when played in by Dylan Pierias. Pierias was a constant thorn, and was involved when Antonsson smashed over the bar, and every missed chance for the visitors was met by huge roars from the home fans. This really meant something.
We were convinced we’d gone into the lead just before half time. Luke Brattan sent a raking ball over to the marauding Rhyan Grant, and his quick centre was bundle into his own net by an unlucky defender, with no Sydney FC player anywhere near challenging for the ball. We were immediately brought back down from 7th heaven by the assistant referee’s flag and it was false alarm, the score remained goalless.
Half time I bumped into teammates old and new as I had a wander around Cove Heights. Great vibes and happy smiling (and somewhat burnt) faces from an afternoon in the sun playing the game we love.
The second half was superb. Pierias raced through just as Grant had earlier and fired on goal, the ball bouncing back off the post and looping off Gabriel Lacerda’s boot into the grateful Andrew Redmayne’s hands. Then a quick corner routine saw Joe Lolley whip in a ball for the incoming Fabio, but his spectacular diving header landed meekly into the goalkeeper’s hands. We pretended not to be frustrated. Joe Lolley was looking for that moment to get on his left foot, and Anthony Caceres was at his impish best. Sydney were all over their opponents, and when Joe Lolley cut inside and fired on goal, his shot was parried and miscontrolled by a defender, falling to the in-rushing Fabio who tapped home, all eyes on the assistant referee. He didn’t seem too keen on celebrating if there was any doubt, but when the flag stayed down, he hurdled the advertising hoardings and jumped into the Cove. The place was bouncing.
The subs kept coming. Our beloved Maxi eventually made way. Luke Brattan was involved in a nasty head clash that saw his opponent come off much worse, but some temporary bandaging to hide the blood left his head looking like a penis, complete with hair sprouting out from a hole in the top for maximum fancy-dress points. Yes, he looked a dickhead, but he continued to battle in the middle of the park as if nothing had happened. The long balls from left to right were fabulous, and Sydney looked the team most likely to score.
There was obviously a load of additional time thanks to the head clash, and that took us to almost the end of the allotted time. A ball wasn’t cleared far enough and the Sydney defence went walkabout, three players unmarked at the far post when a ball was played back in, and Sapsford’s header went past Redders and a seething Grant to gift the visiting Wanderers a late, late equaliser. The sight of the RBB bouncing in glee was sickening, the fans spilling onto the field and then seen racing to get back into he crowd before they were fingered by the law. There was disbelief all round and a resignation that we’d stuffed it right up, but Sydney weren’t finished.
Lolley had the ball on the edge of the area, he was looking to get the ball on his left foot, but finally played in Caceres who got to the by line and sent a ball over the penalty area to Kucharski, who connected on the volley, sending the ball into the ground and looping over the keeper and into the net for an incredible second Sydney goal. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t the goal of the season despite being a volley, but it sent the fervent crowd even further into raptures. What an ending to a game! I don’t remember there being any more play after that, even the mild-mannered Cove Heights was going off, and the immediate need was to remind the Western Sydney fans whose City this was, a comedic Poznan seeing all the home fans mock the visiting RBB with their pointless dance.
This was a sweet victory, and was as dramatic as it was exciting. The players came to celebrate, joining a rendition of Super Sydney FC, even joining in the more sweary chants aimed at the visitors. Bohemian Rhapsody filled the stadium. Sydney FC had won. the home end wasn’t emptying any time soon, but we made our way down, hugs and handshakes for many a long-standing fan along the way, and the concourse was a moving mass of smiling faces and impromtu f*ck you chants.
Michelle the party-animal was heading on out while this old man headed back with the girls, the light rail packed, and after a short sprint through Central Station to the rearranged platform, our train was there and it pulled out straight away once we’d hopped on. Perfect timing! The mix of Wanderers and Sydney FC fans was more Sky Blue after we offloaded the majority of the red and black at Strathfield, and we were home in time to see the last twenty minutes of the Newcastle v Spurs game, the end of daylight saving having brought EPL to our screens at an incredibly friendly hour. What a day!
Sydney FC now look safe for a finals spot, I haven’t done the maths, but with Melbourne City visiting the Wanderers next week, one or both will drop points meaning that the Sky Blues are guaranteed a berth. What an atmosphere we should have at Campbelltown next week! See you all there, but it’s going to be another big big day and an almighty rush to get down to Lumeah after the over-45s game in the afternoon. Stand by for more milk-related fun down in Macarthur. Forza Sydney FC!