by Jeremy Walker
The Sky Blues went down to Brisbane Roar in the Redcliffe heat as Anthony Caceres’ first-half goal was not enough for Steve Corica’s men at Moreton Daily Stadium.
Sydney FC fell to a 3-1 defeat in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon as the Sky Blues rued missed opportunities despite controlling most of the possession.
Sydney FC 1 (Caceres 39’) def by Brisbane Roar FC 3 (Austin 6’, Armiento 12’, Brindell-South 72’)
Moments That Mattered:
AUSTIN GOAL 6’ – Charlie Austin taps home following a contentious free-kick as Jay O’Shea’s set-piece deflects off the post for Joseph Knowles to square to Austin.
ARMIENTO GOAL 12’ – Andrew Redmayne produces a magnificent double-save as he gets down low stop Austin’s penalty but Carlo Armiento is there to finish on the second rebound.
CACERES GOAL 39’ – Róbert Mak whips a dangerous ball in from the right wing as Brisbane’s Macklin Freke can only palm out to Anthony Caceres who slots home just inside the area.
MAK GOES CLOSE 59’ – Diego Caballo switches the play to Mak on the right wing who drives goalward and smacks the bar before the linesman marginally flags for offside.
BRINDELL-SOUTH GOAL 72’ – Right-back Josh Brindell-South lashes a shot from outside the box into the top left corner of the net to extend Brisbane’s lead to 3-1.
RETRE RED CARD 81’ – Referee Jonathon Barreiro contentiously shows Sydney’s Paulo Retre the red card after bringing down midfielder Riku Danzaki near the sideline.
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What They Said – Steve Corica:
“Two goals in twelve minutes obviously is not a great start for us, we were sloppy from the start,” said Corica.
“We gave away three or four set-pieces in the first couple of minutes and [it’s] difficult to come back from 2-0, they showed very good character in the end to come back, get the goal and put them under pressure until the third goal and then it was done and dusted.”
“But for me I think the crucial point of that game was the decision for the free-kick outside the box because it was a clear dive from one of their players and yeah the referee got that one wrong which led to the goal which obviously was costly for us.”
Match Report:
Brisbane Roar started the match brightest in the warm Redcliffe conditions, forcing Sydney FC to defend deep in their own half.
Charlie Austin would open the scoring after a contentious free-kick decision – with Jay O’Shea’s set-piece deflecting off the wall and onto the post for Joseph Knowles to cut back for Austin in the 6th minute.
The Roar would double their advantage just six minutes later after goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne produced a stunning double-save – preventing Austin’s penalty and then the follow-up – but Carlo Armiento arrived to score on the second-rebound.
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The Sky Blues would pull one back in the 39th minute to make it 2-1 before the half-time break as goalkeeper Macklin Freke parried Róbert Mak’s inviting cross out to Anthony Caceres, whose finish just crossed the goal line.
Sydney enjoyed 60% of the ball in the opening half – completing 259 passes compared to Brisbane’s 180 – but Steve Corica’s men could not convert their dominance into goals in the second term.
Defender Josh Brindell-South would extend the host’s lead in the 72nd minute through a thunderous strike into the top left corner from outside the box.
Sydney strived to claw the game back as they committed numbers forward but Paulo Retre’s contentious red card for fouling Riku Danzaki on the touchline made it difficult for the visitors to assert any real impetus.
The Sky Blues will look for a change in fortune next week as they host crosstown rivals Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium.
Sydney FC: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 11. Róbert MAK (25. Jaiden KUCHARSKI 76’), 12. Patrick WOOD (22. Max BURGESS 46’), 16. Patrick YAZBEK (8. Paulo RETRE 66’), 17. Anthony CACERES (21. Alexander PARSONS 77’), 18. Diego CABALLO, 19. Adrian SEGECIC (10. Joseph LOLLEY 46’), 23. Rhyan GRANT, 26. Luke BRATTAN, 27. Adrian VLASTELICA, 29. Aaron GURD.
Unused Subs: 20. Thomas HEWARD-BELLE (GK), 28. Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH.
Yellow Cards: Luke Brattan 10’, Adrian Vlastelica 58’
Red Cards: Paulo Retre 81’
Brisbane Roar FC: 1. Macklin FREKE (GK), 2. Scott NEVILLE, 3. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS (13. Henry HORE 69’), 5. Tom ALDRED, 9. Charlie AUSTIN, 10. Nikola MILEUSNIC (8. Riku DANZAKI 69’), 17. Carlo ARMIENTO (7. Rahmat AKBARI 52’), 19. Jack HINGERT (16. Josh BRINDELL-SOUTH 52’), 26. Jay O’SHEA, 27. Kai TREWIN, 28. Joseph KNOWLES (29. Cyrus DEHMIE 90+3’).
Unused Subs: 31. Lachlan DUKE (GK), 15. Jesse DALEY.
Yellow Cards:
Red Cards:
Venue: Moreton Daily Stadium
Referee: Jonathon Barreiro
