Sydney FC 0 Western Sydney Wanderers 0
A preface to this : every fixture this season will now be tested against the yardstick of the Australia Cup final. The opening fixture of the eagerly-anticipated 2026/27 A-League season was billed as a blockbuster, the Sydney derby, the fierce cross-town rivalry, but by the end of the 90 minutes, fans were unanimous in their verdict of what they had just witnessed. Abject is a family-friendly word that perhaps encompasses the range of adjectives being thrown around in the stands, and the speed with which the crowd left Allianz Stadium was a testament to the garbage that had been served up on the field. Two poor sides lacking in composure, application and belief quite rightly shared the points; this was truly a game to turn off the neutral and damage the A-League brand right when it needs it the most.
What’s that up in the sky? 
Hold on, aren’t they meant to be behind us? 
The most athletic specimens we’ll see tonight 
Warsaw? Millwall? No, Moore Park, Sydney. 
Where you go we always follow you 
Getting to the stadium safe and sound 
The new Allianz pitch being prepared for the mid-season returfing 
Come on, give us something to do 
SFC at the SCG 
Eye in the Sky
The chopper was out, doing the rounds of Sydney, suggesting that trouble was expected on the streets below. Running later than planned due to work commitments, we were hijacked at the Trinity for a thirst-quenching pit stop before heading to the Bat and Ball just in time to head across the park to the start of the march. Numbers were a little lower than usual in the throng, but the enthusiasm was there, the pack shepherded by a wall of police officers and a pack of police horses. Great to see so many familiar faces and enjoy swearing in public again. Having only just turned 7pm, there was time for a quick refresher at the Olympic Hotel behind the stadium, before fuelling up on energy drinks and heading into Allianz Stadium for the big event.
Strangely enough, the players were still out on the field warming up. There was no way that this was going to be an 8pm kick off, but it gave plenty of time to unload massive amounts of money in the stadium concourse on drinks. The lights flashed, then went blue, the flag bearers waited patiently, and the players still didn’t come out. What was going on? Was there a scrap in the tunnel? Had the referees gone on strike again? Finally they emerged, and We Are Sydney greeted the two teams to the field. A Wanderers fan took his seat in Cove Heights to much cajoling; he must have known he’d be safe tonight.
Whoever won the toss chose correctly and we had Sydney FC shooting towards the visiting fans in the first half, giving us a good opportunity to check out the new-look Wanderers attack as they made the better start of the two teams. Awan Lual appeared to be winning a foot race to bear down on goal when he pulled up with what looked like a pulled hamstring. After shooing the referee away, he realised he really had done it and flopped to the ground and was subsequently substututed. Jordan Courtney-Perkins gave us an early overhead kick to try and warm up the crowd, Oliseh Sunday showed great close skills and a willingness to win headers. Rhyan Grant grappled with his man by the corner flag despite the ball being behind them and not going out, before Ben Garuccio was told to leave the field with blood pouring from his face. That had Sydney FC down a man for a minute or two, in which time the Wanderers had a good chance, but Harrison Devenish-Meares showed safe hands.
The usual risky mucking around at the back was completely gone. In fact the fans were almost left wanting some of it back, Devenish-Meares woeful with his distribution, kicking straight out on multiple occasions, and receiving a spray from Garuccio. Alex Popovic and Miguel Di Pizio had a coming together which the referee smoothed over, and Popovic game us some good skill, heading back to his keeper under pressure as the half ended. Aside from a near post save from Devenish-Meares and a long range snaphot from Sunday that was hopelessly wide, there was little to cheer. Half time was welcome.
The usual circuit of the concourse was abandoned when I had only made it a quarter of the way around as the on-field half-time heroes were making their way off. It was busy, but I was back to my seat up in the balcony level as the action got underway down below. Sunday and German Ferreyra clashed, the multi-tattooed Wanderer feigning injury, but the referee wasn’t buying it. Wanderers had a chance at the far end as the defence opened up worryingly, Devenish-Meares with the good save, and they had a good effort soon after that just cleared the crossbar.
The game came to life on 65 minutes. Someone was being ejected from the Cove. Sunday had turned inside for some reason instead of shooting on the run. All of a sudden, fans whose interest had been waning and were chatting amongst themselves, were concentrating and absorbed in the action. Ferreyra celebrated in front of Sunday’s face when the referee ignored his plea for a foul. Serial pest Anthony Pantazopoulos helped the rather anonymous Takahiro Sekine from the floor after a challenge, and the new Sydney man flopped straight back down. Changes were made. Gabriel Popovic found himself in a great position with perhaps his first touch, and instead of hitting the target he smashed the ball high and handsomely over the crossbar, hands on heads all around the stadium in disbelief. That could be a career-changing moment for the lad.
The changes that Sydney made didn’t make much impact. The game was stretched as the final minutes ticked by, and either team could have won it with a shred of X-factor or a direct confident burst. We had neither, although Akol Akon’s ball through for James Overy was a beauty, and luckily neither did our neighbours. The atmosphere at the final whistle was of general apathy and dismay as the stands emptied out in record time. This had been a repeat of the Australia Cup semi-final loss to Melbourne Victory, without the wind as an excuse. The absence of tiki-taka was evident, the unwillingness to conjure up something clever or take that extra risk was frustrating. At least we hadn’t conceded a late goal.
Designated driver seats 
“Now what the hell are we going to talk about for thirty minutes?” 
“We had this fella Hollman last season. He was much better…” 
Bruiser Ben 
Tiago Quintal quietly applauds 
If there was a template for a Western Sydney Wanderers player. 
Time to go, too many pints 
Finally, after many weeks, picking up Michelle’s free wine from the club!
Leaving the stadium after taking in the mood at the tunnel area, we jumped on the light rail and managed another pit stop at the Dove and Olive til closing, and another one at the deserted Epping Hotel, finally making it home just shy of 2am. The intention had been to have one or two tonight, but the reality check of seeing such poor football had turned us to the bottle.
Were there any positives to take from tonight? We kept a clean sheet. Popovic looked extra-safe at the back. Youlley put himself about. Akon looked classy. That’s maybe it. The negatives were there for all to see. The repeated hoofing upfield in the general direction of a striker was straight from any Saturday afternoon winter competition, there was a short period of passing at the Cove end that resembled controlled possession, but aside from that, there was very little meaningful forward play. We have our second men’s game coming up next weekend, Sunday service as the first half of a double-header with our mighty Sky Blue women. Those Eurosnobs and fans of other codes who made the effort tonight will somehow all be busy next Sunday afternoon. And who can blame them? See you at Olympic Park this Sunday. Keep the faith and enjoy your weekend!