Sydney FC Men’s 2 Adelaide United 1
Sydney FC Women’s 0 Melbourne City 5
It was a day of fluctuating emotions at Allianz Stadium on Sunday as goals from Sydney FC’s Rhys Youlley and Oriola Sunday cancelled out a comedy opener from Adelaide United and sent the Sky Blues on their way to a vital three points. The winds of change had already blown through East Sydney when the storm hit, and an hour delay to the women’s game did nothing to halt the inevitable as Melbourne City scored at will in a disastrous first half that was an embarrassment to the club. A second-half rally saw Sydney FC remember that they could play football, and they stemmed the flow, passing up a number of opportunities to score, the other Sky Blues still adding a penalty to their tally and eventually running out easy 5-0 winners. The good, the bad and the ugly in one evening.
Sundays are for relaxing, but not today as a wrong turn onto Moore Park Road (blame the driver!) found us looking for a turning spot to head back to the Entertainment Quarter, jagging a free spot on the street in Woollahra and giving us a walk down an unfamiliar route into the back entrance of EQ. Our reward for free parking was paella as we waited for our Adelaide United supporting football family members, and we set off to Allianz Stadium a little late, Driver Avenue still awash with fans two minutes from kick off.
Taking our seats in Cove Heights, all eyes were not on the football; they were on the brave pigeon that was determined to protect its patch of grass just outside the Adelaide United penalty area. Oohs came from the crowd as the players inadvertently stepped close to the stubborn bird, a couple of players trying to shoo it to avoid the inevitable internationally viral animal cruelty incident. Sydney FC were shooting towards the Cove, a sure sign that Adelaide had won the toin coss, and they almost took the lead when a slick passing move carved the visitors apart, Ben Garuccio unlucky to have his shot blocked.
The visitors did take the lead soon after, a header up the far end from Craig Goodwin’s cross somehow ruled out for offside, but the relief was temporary as Harrison Devenish-Meares came up with a new level of howler, casually passing the ball to the United attacker Brodie Burkitt who tapped the ball into the empty net. There was stunned silence all around; we had just escaped a goal and had handed the lead straight back, absolutely unforgiveable. Rhyan Grant then got to the byline to cut back for Al Hassan Toure to blaze over, before the referee played on when Wataru Kamijo was upended only for Toure’s speculative shot to be blocked. Toure was having what could be described as one of his lazier looking games, the sweaty conditions not helping, and again blazed wide when well set up by Takahiro Sekine.
Tiago Quintal could have won a penalty with a bit of trickery on the byline but elected to stay on his feet, Sekine delivered a terrible ball from a short free kick by Garuccio and then went into the book for a silly foul soon after. Quintal was unlucky to be penalised for a high boot as half time approached, with Sekine having made the forward run, and the shrieks from the Miniroos half-time heroes were the loudest shouts in the stadium as the hot and bothered crowd tried to remain engaged. This was another disappointing half from Sydney, and boos were heard around the stadium as the whistle sounded; this new era was looking like missing the mark already.
Sydney continued the theme after the break, Toure showing no control whatsoever when released by the wizardry of Quintal, but Youlley took up the task, cutting inside to smash a shot just over the angle of post and bar. Sekine ran the ball out of play, Grant got lucky with a miskick, Jordan Courtney-Perkins gave us a terrible long ball forward, Kamijo played a horrible ball to no one then picked up a needless yellow card for a shirt pull in front of the referee. The inconsistency of the referee was blatant, Adelaide’s midfielder holding onto Youlley’s shorts not eliciting a yellow card barely a minute later. Toure showed us another horrible piece of control before being set free inside the box by Quintal, the low shot from an acute angle bringing a great save by the Adelaide goalkeeper.
The temperature suddenly dropped, the wind blew away the muggy conditions, Joe Lacey and Akol Akon were on, the game changed complexion within moments. Quintal played in Youlley with the defence opening up in front of him, and he rifled in a shot that looked to be saved, but the force of the shot took the ball past the Adelaide keeper for a dramatic equaliser. It wasn’t long before the home team’s sudden dominance had turned the game on its head, Toure looking well offside, squaring for Sunday to tap home at the far post, the pelican celebration taking him past the Adelaide fans only to see the flag up. The fans had expected it, the players were ready to play on, but VAR was checking. And checking some more. And then the big screen showed the offside in question, and it was no longer clear. The referee signalled the goal, Sydney celebrated, VAR had done its job. Get in!
Sydney still had to manage the game but their tails were up. Youlley threatened to go straight through the middle for another goal, but forgot that he had to shoot, Popovic was poleaxed clearing the ball, and this became more about survival than embellishing the lead. Hearts were in mouths when Garuccio headed across his own goal, but he got away with it and arms went up in celebration at the final whistle, Sydney knowing that they had pulled off a coup with a come-from-behind win here today. The players came across eventually to celebrate with the thinning Cove, Akon having to be coaxed from his meet and greet on the touchline, and it felt good again to be a Sydney FC fan.
Signs that we had an issue with game two of the double header came when the subs and staff started disappearing back down the tunnel, and we were informed soon after that lightning had delayed the game and that we should take cover. Surely this is the worst possible scenario; most of the outlets now closed, the clock ticking later and later on a Sunday evening, the staff rubbing their hands at the healthy overtime. A number of fans simply upped and left, with no guarantee as to when the game would start as the rain hammered down for a short time and the flashes continued.
Play eventually got underway a good hour after the expected kick off time, and by now most fans were past the point of expecting anything positive from the football, a complete mismatch with the new Bling FC Melbourne City boasting a host of top-quality experienced signings, and Sydney FC making it look unfortunately like women vs girls. The pre-match cermony was done away with, the players just went out and kicked off, and we were already under pressure in the early stages. The Cove, led by their taliswoman MMTV, was defiant. There was a big empty stadium to fill with noise; alas, we were subjected to a first half of one-way traffic, all in the direction of the goal right in front of us.
First, ex-Sydney player Aideen Keane crossed for ex-Sydney player Cortnee Vine to smash home in front of us, mid-chant too. A particularly annoying Melbourne City fan, who had strayed into the Cove at full volume attracting no interest from the security guards, was finally turfed out when a senior Cove member confronted him. He would still be cheering though when Momo Hayashi lashed in a long shot from distance to make it two. Vine hit the bar from close range, but it wasn’t long before a third goal went in, another devastating shot from the edge of the area that gave Tiahna Robertson no chance. It was shooting practice. Sydney couldn’t muster an attack; every time the ball was cleared, there was no one to clear to and it just came back. Amy Chessari did her best in midfield but was surrounded consistently; this really was a tough watch. The straw that would break the Cove’s collective back was on the half hour when Vine floated in an aimless cross. Robertson went to claim the easy ball, but in swooped our Charlotte McLean, Sky Blue captain, to nod the ball into her own net under no pressure at all. It was a rerun of last week, and made it two from two, beer being thrown into the terraces in disgust at another self-inflicted wound.
Ex-Sydney player Taylor Ray, who couldn’t hold down her spot at Sydney, was looking like a world-beater, and teammate Keane smashed a shot off the bar. The half had seemed like an NPL match where the Football Institute was playing the bottom team and making them look like park footballers. Still the Cove sang. Still the drum from the City fan(s) banged at the far end, and half-time was a relief, with predictions of six, seven, eight even nine goals being the final margin.
Sydney made a change at the break, Megan Mifsud on, and she left her mark on the rampaging Keane within 30 seconds of the restart, somehow avoiding a yellow card for catapulting her opponent in the air with a meaty challenge. Her desperate stretch to try and foil Keane soon after as the tricky City winger darted into the box was futile, a clear penalty awarded and Melinda Ayres tucked home the spot kick with Robertson diving the right way but not having enough reach to get a hand to it. The scoring was continuing at the same rate, those predictions could come true.
Thankfully, the game began to settle. Robertson made a breathtaking save to tip the ball onto the bar, collecting the rebound as if it was all intentional, and Sydney had a chance, Faith Webber send clear by a searching ball from Mifsud, but her touch took the ball wider than it should, and the shot was well wide of the mark. Riley Cohn picked up a booking for a late challenge, but she was in the game now, as was Maddie Caspers, and Sydney had a whole minute in possession which made the 5-0 scoreline seem absurd. A looping shot from McLean just cleared the bar in front of us and then Webber spun and fired straight at the City keeper. This had been a good spell by Sydney, although there was always scope for more goals at the other end. McLean went to clear a ball and immediately hit the deck. For lip readers out there, it was obvious what she thought she’d done on the stadium screen and she was eventually replaced, compounding the misery for the home team. The final whistle sounded to great relief. Sydney FC had suffered a battering, but had come through the storm and played some decent football towards the end.
The scoreboard showed that we had in fact been beaten by Adelaide United, much to the amusement of those fans still in the stadium. The players came up apologetically as a team to the Cove, but the Cove stood in solidarity with Sydney Til I Die in full voice, capo MMTV revving up the players and letting them know that they had our full support. The Maddie Caspers support crew in the corner continued their singing and dancing, while Tiahna Robertson received positive words from the fans and consoling hugs from those close to her. The heavy defeat was all but forgotten as fans got their autographs and Mums and Dads urged their kids to hurry up and get home before it was too late on a school night.
There was only one exit open, completely in the wrong direction to where we wanted to be, and we made our way back up Moore Park Road to the car, finally getting back at 10pm for a quick dinner and bed. Six hours at Allianz Stadium was more than enough today. We had seen our men’s team transform into world-beaters once the weather changed, we had waited patiently while the storm cleared and been rewarded with at least a good sing-song while our Sydney FC women were put to the sword. As one young fan sang ‘We’re shit and we know we are…’ but more appropriately the song of the night should have been ‘A long time ago, we used to be good.’ Melbourne City are undeniably the team to beat, alongside Central Coast Mariners; how can they get their recruitment right and Sydney FC get theirs so completely wrong? If you think a half dozen Under 18 players would have made a difference today, undoubtedly very skilled as they are, you have rocks in your head. Season 26/27 is shaping up to be a familiar dish of disappointment and something has to change to alter the trajectory of this once-proud women’s team. Tell me I’m wrong when we make the finals and take the championship, go on, tell me.