Sydney FC 2 Auckland FC 2
Every footballer knows that a 2-0 lead early in the game can sometimes result in a heart-wrenching loosening of the grip on the three points later in the game as the momentum suddenly swings in the opposite direction. This was a classic case, Sydney FC rolling out the red carpet for the league leaders to come and steal all three points, but despite the best efforts of Harrison Devenish-Meares, Auckland FC passed up the opportunity to stride even further clear at the top of the A-League ladder and settled for a point. Take a bow, Adrian Segecic for two fabulous goals, but Sydney were anything but calm with the lead and a point was welcome at the full-time whistle.
It’s the crazy time of year when football gets in the way of football. Enjoying my third crisp lager after toiling in the sun at Eastwood Oval as referee for an 18/1 fixture and then patrolling the midfield in a glorious 3-0 win for the mighty Gladesville Ravens Over 45s, it was time to get moving. Dumping my football gear in the car, it was 4.15pm when I got on the train at the adjacent Eastwood Station, and 4.55pm when I got on the light rail at Central. So far so good, the games usually kick off a bit late, but judging by the noises coming from the stadium as I reached Gate 3, I’d missed the start quite handsomely.
I’ve mentioned this before, but being outside a stadium when a game is going on is eerie. There were people moving the pre-game activations, there were people coming from the races and wondering how to buy tickets, there were loads of fans in Sky Blue shirts running late. It gave a feeling that I wasn’t missing out as such, but that I was in a group of intrepid explorers, battling time to make it to the stadium for kick off. Having missed the final women’s home game of the season, I wasn’t going to miss this one, but I’d cut it a bit fine and the game was maybe ten minutes old as I lined up for refreshment at the main bar at the halfway line and saw Adrian Segecic blast a hole in the net with an incredible strike to give us the lead.
The away end was busy, the Auckland FC supporters on their tour of duty to this fine stadium, and the stadium in general was a lot more lively than it had been for a few weeks. I had taken my seat in Cove Heights when forgotten man Anas Ouahim tested the Auckland FC goalkeeper up the far end. A few changes to the side that messed up so horribly on Wednesday night in the ACL2, no Patryk Klimala, no Douglas Costa, no Alex Grant; this would be a test, but we were already a goal up. Jordan Courtney-Perkins had a header from a corner up the other end that could not have been far wide before Sega gave us another classic strike on the half-hour, his left foot thunderbolt coming from nowhere after an Auckland counter-attack had been snuffed out. Two goals up, absolute mayhem. This never happens!
As soon as we had taken the two-goal lead, it was back to one as Auckland scythed through the Sydney defence and a low save from Devenish-Meares fell perfectly for Logan Rogerson to drill the rebound home in front of the Cove. We had plenty of warning too, Auckland looking dangerous coming forward, and 2-1 at the break flattered the Sky Blues. The grand final of the toddler race took place at half-time, the qualifying heat marred by a disqualification of the winner for a false start in a surprisingly strict decision, and this time it went down to the wire. A strangely satisfying half-time ritual this one, not quite Peak A-League but almost, and the sight of toddlers having no idea what to do after they’d kicked the ball into the goal was pretty funny.
Kicking the ball into the goal would prove too hard for Sydney FC in the second half as they lost their way, and when Devenish-Meares made a hash of a cross, palming it straight to David Carney lookalike Francis De Vries, he smashed the ball back into the net with a peculiar bouncing finish for 2-2. Segecic went close to another rocket as time ran out, but Auckland should have won it. Former Victory man Jake Brimmer had a chance right in front, but Devenish-Mearfes got a hand to it and Courtney-Perkins hacked the ball off the line. From our angle that was a deadset sitter, but from the replays on the big screen it might not have been as close as we thought.
An absolutely ridiculous moment then summed up what this season has been like for a Sydney FC fan. Sydney FC were intent to try and play the ball out from the back, and just like in the last home game, it had not worked at all. This time though, Devenish-Meares placed the ball on the ground for some reason with Auckland players in attendance, still with his hand on it, and a collective ‘what the fuck’ from the crowd must have dawned on him as he realised what he’d done. His hurried clearance hit the Auckland man and what looked like a simple finish ended up bobbling towards goal and hitting the post, the away bay at fever pitch.
We then had the customary loss of head by Leo Sena, who was inviting the tackles in as the game wore on. He took exception to one that didn’t look too bad, and chased after the aggressor, leading to an all-in melee of pulling and pushing. It’s got the point now where we expect at least one instance per game of Sena lashing out in frustration at being held back or reacting badly to a tackle if the referee takes no action. Perhaps offloading the ball quicker might be a better ploy for the undoubtedly talented midfield man.
The final whistle was met with polite applause. The manner of the result was not pleasing; we might have taken this result before the game, but it was another slip on the way to the luckiest finals appearance ever and the majority of the 18,000+ crowd slipped quietly away into the night. I didn’t even get a chance to see my name up on the members board, but I did notice Ufuk Talay’s up there as I walked past. The Brazilian energy drink had just run out as we headed past down the stairs outside Gate 1, but we were gifted some of the Brazilian chocolate biscuits. We were heading back to the Light Rail to head back to Eastwood and then on to the Northern Suburbs to catch the late game on Paramount+.
Busy on the light rail and likewise on the train as we ended up back home some time around 8.30pm, ready for another big day of football on the Sunday. Should Sydney FC scrape into the top six this season, it could be a very brief finals series. Wednesday night at home to Lion City Sailors is massive, we should win 5-0, but Sydney FC were absolutely dreadful last week in the first leg and anything could happen. If the worst was to happen, the run in to the season end could prove very uncomfortable for Ufuk Talay, and if we find ourselves 2-0 up, the players should have this game in mind as they strive to put the game to bed. See you on Wednesday night, with fingernails ready to bite.
