Sydney FC 2 (Toure 19′, Stamatelopoulos 83′) Defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 0
In a match fueled by intensity and hostility, the Sky Blues rose to the occasion with goals from Toure and Stamatelopoulos for a 2-0 win to send them into third place on the A-League ladder, reinforcing their dominance over Wanderers when it mattered most.
Moments That Mattered:
2‘ | SYDNEY FC IGITE COMMBANK- Garuccio surges down the left, slicing into the box before firing a dangerous ball across goal, only for Stamatelopoulos to arrive a fraction too late.
16‘ | TOURE NARROWLY MISSES – A sharp cross is whipped across the face of goal, picking out Toure lurking centrally, but his effort drifted just wide of the mark.
19‘ | TOURE MAKES IT 1-0 – Wataru Kamijo threads the needle to perfection, picking out Al Hassan Toure in stride, who lashes it beyond Thomas and into the net, silencing the home crowd in an instant.
31’ | STAMA HEADER – A beautifully whipped cross from Arslan perfectly meets the head of a surging Stamatalopous, whose header is stopped by Thomas.
43‘ | BORELLO HITS THE CROSS BAR – Borello’s outside the box shot smashes the cross bar as the score remains 1-0.
58’ | WANDERERS EQUALISER DISALLOWED – Kraev thought he had brought the Wanderers level, but celebrations were cut short as VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for a clear handball.
80’ | SYDNEY RELENTLESSLY ATTACK – Quintal unleashes a powerful effort from range, but it is parried away by the keeper, with Akol Akon quick to react—only for his follow-up two strikes to be blocked.
83’ | STAMA MAKES IT TWO – Quintal slid a perfect pass into the box, finding Stamatalopoulos, who calmly dinked Thomas to make it 2–0, sending the Sydney FC end into full celebration.
Match Report:
Sydney FC has moved into third place on the Isuzu-UTE A-League ladder with only two games remaining, in an entertaining Sydney Derby, thanks to goals from Al-Hassan Toure and Apostolos Stametelopoulos in a 2-0 win.
Patrick Kisnorbo recalled Quispe to the starting lineup, while Paul Okon JR returned from international duty and was swiftly restored to the line-up.
The derby ignited instantly, the atmosphere crackling as Sydney FC surged forward.
The roar of the away end cutting through the tension as a slick move from Garuccio carved open the defence, only for the chance to be fractions wide.
The derby continued at a ferocious tempo, as Sydney worked the ball forward with confidence, a sharp delivery flashing across goal and finding Toure in space, only for his first-time effort to drift agonisingly wide.
It wasn’t long before Sydney struck, as Kamijo threaded the perfect pass through the lines, releasing Al Hassan Toure in stride, who finished with composure beyond Thomas. A hush fell over the stadium as the home crowd was quietened, before the away end rose in voice, taking full control of the moment.
The pressure kept building as Sydney FC poured forward. Arslan whipped in a dangerous cross and found Stamatalopoulos rising high, only for his powerful header to be palmed away by Thomas to keep the hosts alive.
Sydney FC came within inches of conceding as Borello unleashed a strike from distance, only to be met by the crossbar. The away end left holding its breath as the Sky Blues survived the scare and went into the break 1–0 up.
The second half restarted with the same relentless intensity as Sydney FC looked to protect their lead, while the opposition pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
Kraev thought he had dragged the Wanderers level, but the celebrations were abruptly cut short as VAR stepped in. The goal was ruled out for a clear handball, as Sydney FC were given relief under pressure to retain their 1–0 lead.
In the latter stages of the half Sydney FC found more space to pour forward, Quintal unleashing a powerful effort from range that was parried away by the keeper, with Akol Akon reacting quickest, only for his follow-up strikes to be blocked.
Sydney FC sewed up the match in the last ten minutes as Quintal slid a perfectly weighted pass into the box, finding Stamatalopoulos. He showed composure to delicately chip Thomas and make it 2–0, sending the Sydney FC end into full celebration as the derby tilted their way firmly.
What They Said: Patrick Kisnorbo:- “Our application to start with was good. We created some decent chances and controlled the game.
“I couldn’t be more proud—you’re starting to see the little fruits of the labour come through.
“The application they showed tonight under difficult circumstances was great to see.
“We just take it day by day. We’re not worrying about the future—only what we do tomorrow.
“I’m not afraid to use young players if they deserve it.”
Sydney FC | 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 7. Piero QUISPE, 8. Wataru KAMIJO (36. Rhys YOULLEY 68’), 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 23. Rhyan GRANT (captain), 24. Paul OKON JNR, 35. Al Hassan TOURE (44. Akol AKON 68’), 41. Alexandar POPOVIC, 70. Ahmet ARSLAN (20. Tiago QUINTAL 75’) 80. Apostolos STAMATELOSPOULOUS ( 13. Pat WOOD 85’)
Unused Subs | 16. Joel KING, 29. Joseph LACEY, 1. Gus HOEFSLOOT (GK)
Head Coach | Patrick KISNORBO
Yellow Cards | (34’) 17. Ben GARUCCIO.,
Red Cards | None
Western Sydney Wanderers FC | 20.Lawrence THOMAS, 5.Dylan SCICLUNA, 8.Steven UGARKOVIC (9. Kosta BARBAROUSES 66’), 14.Phillip CANCAR (3. Alex GERSBACH 45’), 17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 22.Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS, 23.Bozhidar KRAEV, 25.Josh BRILLANTE, 26.Brandon BORRELLO (11. Hiroshi IBUSUKI 66’), 32.Angus THURGATE, 38.Jai ROSE (7. Ryan FRASER 66’)
Unused Subs | 21.Aydan HAMMOND, 24.Nate BARRIE, 30.Jordan HOLMES ( GK)
Head Coach | Gary VAN EGMOND
Yellow Cards | (34’) 26. Brandon BORELLO, (40’) 22. Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS (45’) 14.Phillip CANCAR
Red Cards | N/A
Venue | Commbank Stadium
Referee | Daniel Elder
Attendance | 16,135
