Ante Juric admits he had a sixth sense about the impact Jynaya Dos Santos would make in Sydney FC’s close fought win over Wellington.
With the Sky Blues struggling to break the deadlock against a determined Wellington side, Head Coach Juric threw on the youngster off the bench for only her second game of the season.
And the move reaped instant rewards with Dos Santos popping up in the box to nod in the 78th minute clincher in a 1-0 Allianz Stadium victory.
It was the Young Matilda’s first goal for Sydney FC.
Juric said: “Funnily enough, when I spoke to the bench I was like; I think Jynaya’s going to score today, let’s get her in early – and it worked out that way.
“Sometimes I just get these vibes. I thought she hasn’t played a lot, I didn’t play her last week, she’s got family there, it’s in front of this crowd, you get a little vibe.
“She’s a youngster, we couldn’t score, our older players didn’t, and the young player comes in… and something special happens. It was the football gods – but it worked out that way, it’s good.
“It’s only her second game, so for someone to do that, to get an important goal for us at this stage in the season is great.’’
Whilst Jynaya’s sister Indiana has grabbed a bigger share of headlines in the past, Juric has been quietly impressed with the progress Young Matilda Dos Santos has made in recent weeks.
“A lot of players can play, she’s shown she can, she just needed to bide their time a little bit and show what they can do. Today, she’s definitely put her foot forward,” he added.
“She’s actually been really good the last couple of weeks at training. Things are improving and she’s getting better. It’s what you want from your young players, to keep getting better and pushing for a spot.”
Dos Santos and her Sky Blues team-mates are back in action at Leichhardt Oval on Wednesday 3rd January when they face Canberra United in a 7pm kick-off.
