Sydney FC 0 def Melbourne Victory 2 (Jelacic 2’, Courtney-Perkins 61’ (OG) )
Sydney FC pushed throughout the match but Melbourne Victory ultimately decisive in a 2-0 win.
Moments That Mattered:
12’ | VICTORY STRIKE EARLY – Melbourne Victory take advantage of a Sydney FC mistake, with Jelacic finishing clinically into the bottom corner
23’ | PENALTY SHOUT FOR SYDNEY – Sekine rises to meet a lofted ball into the box and heads just over, before being taken out by the Victory goalkeeper as Sydney’s penalty appeals go unanswered.
Absolute penalty.
40’ | SUNDAY THREATENS – A dangerous Sydney FC cross finds Oriola Sunday inside the box, but his strike is blocked by the Victory defence and turned out for a corner
41’ | SUNDAY HEADER OFF THE POST – Sunday attacks the corner and sees his header come off the post, with Popovic ready to pounce on the rebound before a foul against Sunday halts the attack
44’ | SEKINE CREATES – Quintal regains possession high up the pitch before Sekine sends a teasing cross towards Grant, who narrowly misses the delivery
54’ | HOLLMAN TRIES HIS LUCK – A loose ball sits up invitingly for Hollman, who unleashes a fierce effort from distance that flies over the bar
61’ | SYDNEY FC OWN GOAL – Nduka races onto a through ball and drills a low cross into the box, with Courtney-Perkins sliding in to intervene but inadvertently directing it into the Sydney FC goal
Searching for a goal. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
71’ | GRANT DENIED – Grant meets the delivery with a powerful header, but Victory react quickly to block the effort and concede another corner
80’ | SEKINE FIRES OVER – Sekine takes a perfectly weighted pass into his stride just outside the area before driving into the box, but his strike sails over the crossbar
Till the end. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Match Report:
Sydney FC’s sustained pressure and attacking intent went unrewarded as Melbourne Victory capitalised on key moments to claim a 2-0 win and end the Sky Blues’ Hahn Australia Cup campaign.
Sydney FC Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo has made two changes to the starting XI that defeated SD Raiders in the Hahn Australia Cup Quarter Final, with Jake Hollman and Oriola Sunday coming into the side for tonight’s Semi Final clash against Melbourne Victory.
New signing Oriola Sunday will make his first start for Sydney FC and lead the line, while Jake Hollman also earns his first start for the club in midfield. Fellow new signing James Overy has been named on the bench and will be hoping to make his first appearance in Sky Blue.
The Sky Blues will be hoping the fresh additions can make an immediate impact as they look to continue their Cup run and secure a place in the Hahn Australia Cup Final.
There has been a late change with Akol Akon replacing Al Hassan Toure in the starting side 🔄
Sydney FC were dealt an early setback after Melbourne Victory capitalised on a mistake inside the opening two minutes, with Keegan Jelacic finishing clinically into the bottom corner to give the visitors an early lead. Victory looked the more settled side in the opening stages, pressing aggressively high up the pitch and combining sharply through short, quick passing moves as Sydney FC struggled to find rhythm through the middle.
2' | The visitors open the scoring.#SYDvMVC | 🔷 0-1 ⚫️
Despite the early blow, the Sky Blues gradually began to settle into the contest, using sustained possession to draw Melbourne forward before attempting to play through their press. As Sydney FC became more comfortable on the ball, the momentum began to shift, with the hosts building patiently from the back and using quick combinations to work their way into Victory territory.
By the 15 minute mark, Sydney FC had begun to take control of the game, repeatedly winning possession high up the pitch and keeping Melbourne pinned inside their own half. Although they were dominating the ball, clear-cut chances remained difficult to come by against a compact Victory defensive shape. Sydney FC’s first major opening arrived in the 23rd minute when Takahiro Sekine rose to meet a lofted ball into the area, sending his header narrowly over before being heavily challenged by the Victory goalkeeper, with strong penalty appeals waved away.
Composure. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
The intensity of the contest continued to rise as both sides looked eager to take control, with Sydney FC refusing to let the early goal disrupt their approach. The Sky Blues maintained a high tempo and continued to regain possession quickly, limiting Melbourne to few attacking opportunities following their opener. However, a brief period of sloppiness began to creep into Sydney FC’s play later in the half, with Jake Hollman picking up a booking as Victory briefly began to apply pressure of their own.
Sydney FC regained control heading towards half-time and finished the opening period strongly. In the 40th minute, a dangerous cross found debutant Oriola Sunday inside the area, with his effort blocked and deflected behind for a corner. From the resulting delivery, Sunday rose again and his header came off the post before being saved by the Victory goalkeeper and the rebound dropped towards Alexandar Popovic, only for play to be stopped for a foul inside the box.
Debutant.
The Sky Blues continued to threaten in the closing stages, with Tiago Quintal winning possession high in Melbourne’s half before Sekine delivered a dangerous cross towards Rhyan Grant, who headed narrowly wide. Despite trailing 1-0 at the break, Sydney FC undoubtedly grew into the half and controlled large periods of the contest, pressing aggressively, recovering possession well and consistently operating deep inside Victory territory.
Sydney FC carried their first-half momentum into the restart, continuing to control possession and build patiently through Melbourne Victory’s defensive shape. The Sky Blues looked composed in their approach play and regularly worked the ball into advanced areas, although the final pass continued to let them down as Victory remained compact around their penalty area.
The strong winds also began to influence the contest, making aerial deliveries difficult for both sides as Sydney FC searched for a way back into the match. In the 54th minute, Jake Hollman came close to providing a response when a loose ball sat up invitingly outside the area, allowing him to unleash a powerful strike that sailed over the crossbar.
Despite Sydney FC continuing to enjoy large spells of possession, Victory gradually began to disrupt their rhythm and work their way further up the pitch. That pressure eventually told in the 61st minute when Nduka raced onto a through ball and drove a low cross across goal, with Jordan Courtney-Perkins sliding in to intervene but inadvertently turning the ball into his own net to double Melbourne Victory’s advantage.
61' | The opposition double their lead through an own goal.#SYDvMVC | 🔷 0-2 ⚫️
The second goal gave Victory greater confidence and allowed them to play more freely inside Sydney FC territory, but the Sky Blues refused to let the contest drift away. Sydney FC responded by increasing their intensity and once again began to move the ball smoothly through Victory’s half, patiently searching for the breakthrough that had escaped them throughout the evening.
Rhyan Grant went close in the 71st minute when he rose to meet a corner with a powerful header, only for a Victory defender to react quickly and block the effort over the bar. Sydney FC continued to build pressure as Melbourne’s defensive shape began to stretch, creating a number of promising openings without finding the decisive finish.
Patrick Kisnorbo introduced new signing James Overy in the 78th minute, replacing Grant and handing the defender his first Sydney FC appearance. Two minutes later, Takahiro Sekine was released by a perfectly weighted pass just outside the area before carrying the ball into the box, but his strike climbed over the crossbar.
Boy Wonder. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Sydney FC remained on the front foot throughout the closing stages, continuing to hunt for an opening goal and forcing Victory to defend deep for long periods. The Sky Blues showed plenty of energy and attacking intent, but despite several promising passages of play, the final finish proved difficult to find.
Ultimately, Sydney FC were unable to turn their sustained pressure into the breakthrough their performance deserved, with Melbourne Victory holding on for a 2-0 victory to bring the Sky Blues’ Hahn Australia Cup campaign to an end.
What They Said:
Patrick Kisnorbo:
“These moments hurt, but you have to learn from them. We need to keep building, keep improving and be better.”
“Performance-wise, I thought we were okay. I think we dominated the game pretty much from start to finish, but it doesn’t matter who you play against, you can’t give a team a one-goal head start that early.
“We shouldn’t have lost the ball for the first goal and they punished us on the counter. Then we had a penalty denied which, for me, I think we all know was a penalty, and then the second goal comes from a deflection.”
“Victory didn’t create a lot. We created more and I don’t think Gus really had to make a save, so it’s difficult to walk away losing a game where you feel like you’ve dominated for large periods.
“It was good to get James Overy on. I wanted him to come on and give us something going forward, and it was important for him to get some minutes under his belt now that he’s available for selection.
“We’ve got a few friendlies organised now as we continue building towards Round One. But tonight is disappointing. I told the players that. This is another occasion where we’ve walked away empty-handed and it doesn’t feel great.
Rhyan Grant:
“It definitely wasn’t from a lack of trying from the boys. We just weren’t clinical enough in those key moments.”
“The result wasn’t what we wanted. It was a beautiful pitch, but the wind made conditions really difficult. I thought we did enough at times to probably score a few goals and have the upper hand, but in a few key moments we got caught out and they took their chances. At the end of the day, that’s probably the most important thing in football.
“The wind was tough, but it’s no excuse. Both teams had to deal with it. We had the wind in the first half and probably didn’t make the most of it, and then in the second half we were chasing the game after going a goal down.
“So while the wind made things difficult, it wasn’t the reason we lost. We just weren’t clinical enough in those key moments.”
Sydney FC | 1. Gus Hoefsloot (GK), 23. Rhyan Grant (C) (2. James Overy 78’) , 41. Alexandar Popovic, 4. Jordan Courtney-Perkins, 17. Ben Garuccio, 29. Joe Lacey, 15. Jake Hollman (36. Rhys Youlley 69’), 7. Akol Akon (35. Al Hassan Toure ‘65), 20. Tiago Quintal, 14. Takahiro Sekine, 90. Oriola Sunday (22. Mathias Macallister 78’)
Unused Subs | 30. Alexander Zaverdinos (GK), 16. Gabriel Popovic, 28. Ethan Dyer, 36. Rhys Youlley
