Sydney FC has missed the chance to climb into the top-four after being upset 4-1 by Perth Glory at the Sydney Football Stadium this afternoon, with the result creating further congestion on the already competitive Hyundai A-League ladder.
Sydney FC has missed the chance to climb into the top-four after being upset 4-1 by Perth Glory at the Sydney Football Stadium this afternoon, with the result creating further congestion on the already competitive Hyundai A-League ladder.
The Sky Blues dominated possession, territory and the chances throughout the contest, but found themselves 2-0 down at the break and 3-0 down after 49 minutes.
The home side would rue missing some guilt-edged chances in the first term, while the Glory seized on the few opportunities that came their way, while also profiting from two own goals.
Coach John Kosmina was frustrated and bemused by the result, but put the loss down to wastefulness in the front third.
“I think it actually killed us,” he lamented afterwards. “We battered them, the way we played in the first half. I-d hate to see the stats … but the first time they got into the box they scored.”
Shannon Cole enjoyed Sydney-s first good chance after just four minutes when he volleyed Robbie Middleby-s cross over the bar, but Perth stunned the home fans when they took the lead against the run of play after 11 minutes.
Nikita Rukavytsya caught Iain Fyfe unawares and snuck in behind off a throw in – the speedster got to the byline before teeing up Adrian Pellegrino, who beat Antony Golec to the ball to flick it across and past Clint Bolton.
Despite that setback the home side continued to enjoy the lion-s share of possession, and looked lively with Shannon Cole and Robbie Middleby providing good service and width down the right flank.
Middleby fired in a purposeful ball to the back-post on 21 minutes – John Aloisi nodded it back across the face of goal, but youngster Brendan Gan headed over the bar.
The Sky Blues enjoyed a glut of dead-ball opportunities, putting Perth under the hammer with a run of corners and free-kicks.
The side-s marquee-man had a golden chance to break his home duck when he met a Cole dead-ball on the edge of the six-yard box, but he could only poke the ball wide.
For all the home side-s build-up, pressure and momentum, Perth cashed in on a sloppy bit of play in Sydney-s 18 off their one and only corner of the half.
Nikolai Topor-Stanley rose above the pack to send the ball sailing towards Clint Bolton-s goal, only to see his header take a friendly deflection off Antony Golec-s thigh and in for a priceless second goal.
Sydney might have dominated possession, but Perth defended energetically and threatened to punish its host on the counter-attack throughout the half. There was no better sign of its growing confidence than Wayne Srhoj-s speculative attempt to chip Bolton from forty yards.
The Sky Blues- best chance of the half and probably the match fell at the feet of Aloisi with five on the clock, after Alex Brosque got down the left flank before centering the ball across the face.
Despite Perth custodian Tando Velaphi-s vital touch, it still looked a certain goal, but somehow the ball evaded the Socceroo striker with the goal at his mercy.
Eugene Dadi almost made Sydney pay again before the break, a delightful one-two with Rukavytsya playing the Ivorian in, but Bolton got down to grasp his weak finish.
If Brendan Gan-s shot just after half-time was a sign of hope for the home side, then Wayne Srhoj-s thunderbolt on 48 minutes saw Sydney-s chances nosedive.
Rukavytsya burst through some tame defending down the left, laid the ball back where Srhoj was on hand to rattle the top corner with a top drawer finish from the edge of the area.
A moment of class from Stuart Musialik raised hopes of a comeback on the hour with a superb left-foot strike from just outside the box.
Perth half-cleared Cole-s free-kick, and Musialik struck a drive right off the sweet spot.
Sydney survived another scare on 67 minutes, after Dadi brought down Rukavytsya-s cross in the box, before pirouetting past the defence, but Bolton showed smart reflexes to push his strike onto the right upright.
While Rukavytsya was teasing and tormenting the Sydney defence with his quick feet, Pellegrino got into the act to set up the match winner. He launched a testing ball across the face of Sydney-s defence and Middleby, distracted by Dadi-s leap and the sun in his eyes, fired a forceful header past a helpless Bolton.
There was 20 minutes left on the clock but it was one blow too many for the Sky Blues and for all their effort until the final whistle, the couldn-t claw their way back into the contest.
While the three goal defeat denied Sydney a chance to climb back into title contention John Kosmina-s men are still well in the hunt, sitting just 2 points outside the top-four, but with captain Steve Corica admitting the boys were down in the dressing room, they-ll need to re-group quickly for a crunch-game on the road against the Melbourne Victory next week.
Match Detail
Sydney FC 1 (Stuart Musialik 60-)
Perth Glory 4 (Adrian Pellegrino 11-, Antony Golec (OG) 34-, Wayne Srhoj 49-, Robbie Middleby (OG) 69-)
Sydney FC: 1. Clint BOLTON (GK), 2. Iain FYFE, 7. Rob MIDDLEBY, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 10. Steve CORICA (C) (28. Bobby Petta 68-), 6, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 23. John ALOISI (19. Mark BRIDGE 55-), Beau BUSCH, 31. Antony GOLEC (34. Rhyan GRANT 78-), 32. Brendan GAN.
Substitute not used: 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (GK).
Yellow Cards: nil.
Red Cards: nil.
Goals: Stuart Musialik 60-.
Perth Glory: 2. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5. Jamie HARNWELL (C), 7. Nick RIZZO (28. Andrija JUKIC 88-), 13. Nikita RUKAVYTSYA, 14. Eugene DADI, 16. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 17. James DOWNEY, 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI (3. David TARKA 90-), 22. Wayne SRHOJ, 25. Marc ANTHONY (9. Adrian TRINIDAD 86-), 30. Tando VELAPHI (GK).
Substitute not used: 1. Jason PETKOVIC (GK).
Yellow Cards: Adrian Pellegrino 53-.
Red Cards: nil.
Goals: Adrian Pellegrino 11-, Antony Golec (OG) 34-, Wayne Srhoj 49-, Robbie Middleby (OG) 69-.
Referee: Ben Williams.
Crowd: 12,165.
