Sydney FC’s NYL team drew 3-3 all with Adelaide on Saturday. The result sets up a must win clash against the Mariners next week if they want a finals spot.
A first half blitzkrieg looked to have given Sydney FC-s National Youth League side a pivotal win over the second placed Adelaide United at Cromer Park on Saturday afternoon but after the Sky Blues were reduced to 10-men, the Reds struck to earn a 3-all draw with result seeing Sydney drop out of the top four.
Coming into the match in fourth position, a win would all but guarantee Sydney FC a spot in the finals and after jumping to a 3-1 lead at halftime, Steve O-Connor-s men looked the goods.
However, when substitute Dimitri Petratos was sent-off in the 62nd minute, much to the amusement of O-Connor, Adelaide found another gear and slotted a score levelling goal in the 87th minute.
Sydney FC, the defending premiers, now has a must win clash against the table topping Central Coast Mariners on Saturday 6 March at Pluim Park.
“The send off changed everything,” O-Connor said after the game. “We then fell in a hole and began to panic. It is very disappointing; we played well and were cruising.”
“It makes the task (of making the semi-finals) that much harder. We just have to regroup and get ready for the Central Coast Mariners next week.”
Adelaide took the lead in the 13th minute through the competition-s leading goal scorer Francesco Monterosso but Sydney FC-s in form midfielder Iain Ramsay continued to show why he earned his A-League debut last weekend with a brace of goals to give Sydney FC the advantage.
Ramsay bagged his first through a penalty in the 26th minute before netting his seventh goal of the season on the 29 minute mark.
Joel Chianese extended Sydney-s lead in the 40th minute and the young Sky Blues headed into the break brimming with confidence.
With less than 13 minutes left in the match the result looked a certainty but after the dismissal of Petratos, the Reds surged with two late goals.
Gold Coast United thrashed the AIS 5-0 on Saturday and moved into fourth spot, ahead of Sydney FC on goal difference.
Sydney FC 3 (Ramsay (p) 26-, 28- Chianese 40-)
Adelaide United 3 (Monterosso 13- Milovanovic 77- (p ) Owusu 87-)
Cromer Park, Dee Why
Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones
Assistant referees: Stephen Lucas and David Locheridge
Fourth official: Christian Mehl
Sydney FC Youth line-up: Hussein AKIL, Luke AUSTIN, Joel CHIANESE, Sam GALLAGHER, Joseph GIBBS (Dimitri PETRATOS 55-), Tim MCGOWAN (Paul MACKEY 60-), Sam MUNRO (c), Nenad VEKIC (gk), Iain RAMSAY, David VRANKOVIC (Steve TIBBETS 57-), Antony GOLEC
Substitutes not used: Mark PULLMAN (gk)
Yellow cards: David VRANKOVIC 22-, S.TIBBETS 87-
Red cards: Dimitri PETRATOS 66-
Adelaide United Youth line-up: Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk) (Codey LARKIN (gk) 70-), Andrew CIARLA, Michael DOYLE (Evan KOSTOPOULOS 50-), Dane MILOVANOVIC, Perry MITRIS, Francesco MONTEROSSO (Matthew MULLEN 75-), Matthew MULLEN (c) (Brett RAYNER 57-), Inseob SHIN (Liam WOODING 50-), Alex SUNASKY, Joe WRIGHT, Lloyd OWUSU
Substitutes not used: Nil
Yellow cards: Matthew MULLEN 48-
Red cards: Nil
