Sydney FC v Melbourne was a match made for Sebastian Ryall, and it was an encounter the Sky Blues’ defender loved scoring in.
Paying homage to our departed star ahead of Friday’s Australia Day clash, we take a look back at some of Ryall’s special strikes against the Navy side of Melbourne.
1 – “Like a hot knife through butter”, Australia Day 2014:
In one of the great wins at Etihad Stadium against Melbourne, Seb Ryall scored arguably the goal of the day in a five nil rout over Kevin Muscat’s side.
Slaloming his way through the home side’s defence on the right flank, Ryall weaved his way into the area before flicking the ball into the far bottom corner with the outside of his foot before cupping his ear and enjoying the crowd’s reaction.
2 – “His first ever A-League goal against his old club”, Australia Day 2012:
Trailing by two goals at AAMI Park, Seb Ryall completed a comeback for the Sky Blues to earn a 2-2 draw in a hotly contested #BigBlue.
A free kick in the 90th minute was floated into the area and following a brief goal mouth scramble Ryall popped up to prod home and equalise before rushing to The Cove with his iconic arms wide open goal celebration.
3 – “Look who’s popped up again”, Elimination Final 2014:
Goals in the Finals Series always carry extra weight, and although ultimately getting knocked out, Sebastian Ryall’s leveller again Melbourne at Etihad was another one to savour.
Alessandro Del Piero picked out Ali Abbas on the left wing who cut the ball into the area, finding Ryall in an advanced position to sweep home and once again dent the hearts of Melbourne supporters as the full back ran to the jubilant Cove yet again.
4 – Ryall loses a tooth, November 9, 2013:
Literally putting his body on the line, Ryall scored the Sky Blues’ second goal in a 3-2 win in an unorthodox manner in the 15th minute at Allianz Stadium.
A Sydney FC corner was driven into the box from the right, and sailing over a mass of bodies it crashed into a recoiling Ryall before sailing into the net. While Ryall had to make a trip to the dentist after the match, the pain was no doubt reduced thanks the 3 points the goal helped claim.
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