Sydney FC have put on the style with a comfortable victory over Manly United on Thursday night in a behind closed doors friendly.
Braces to Corey Hollman and Anas Ouahim complimented a Segecic strike and own goal as the Sky Blues ran out 6-0 winners against the NPL side.
Sydney FC 6 (Hollman 6’, 50’ Segecic 13’ Ouahim 19’ pen, 22’, own goal 83’) def. Manly United 0
Moments That Mattered
6’ | HOLLMAN OPENS THE SCORING – Manly are put under pressure following a quick free kick and the keeper’s kick out falls to the feet of Hollman who strokes into the bottom corner.
13’ | SEGECIC ADDS A SECOND – Rhyan Grant overlaps and plays a square ball to the feet of Segecic who controls and slots into the corner.
19’ | OUAHIM PENALTY CONVERTED – Anas Ouahim is upended in the box and he steps up to slot the penalty confidently into the corner.
22’ | OUAHIM AGAIN – A swift counter down the right finds Ouahim entering the box late and he sweeps the ball into the far corner.
38’ | KUCHARSKI OFFSIDE GOAL – Segecic’s effort is tipped onto the post by the United keeper and Kucharski is on hand to tap it home but the flag is raised.
50’ | HOLLMAN’S SECOND – The Sky Blues win the ball inside the Manly area and Hollman is found on the edge and he drives it through bodies into the bottom corner.
83’ | OWN GOAL MAKES IT SIX – A super unfortunate moment for Manly as the attempted bicycle kick clearance ends up in his own net.
What They Said – Ufuk Talay
“That was another great hit out with plenty of players getting their first full 90 minutes tonight.
“I want to thank Manly United for coming out and giving us the game and I wish them all the best for their match on the weekend.”
Match Report
On Thursday night at Valetine Sports Park, Sydney FC took on Manly United with the Sky Blues looking for some valuable match minutes ahead of their AFC Champions League 2 campaign which starts next month.
Ufuk Talay’s side were ultimately too strong for Manly, racing out to an early lead in the first half and consolidating it with two more in the second half for an impressive six goal victory.
The Sky Blues started strong with chances falling to Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Corey Hollman on the edge of the box but unfortunately both of their efforts went high of the target.
Hollman wouldn’t have to wait long for a second chance and this one he didn’t pass on.
Manly looked to play a short free kick but the Sydney press forced them back to their keeper and Levi Kaye miss-hit the clearance to a collection of bodies. The ball fell to Kucharski who rolled it back to an on-rushing Hollman and the midfielder stroked it into the bottom corner for an early lead.
Kucharski had his first big chance of the evening moments later when Segecic was played through and his cut back found Jaiden unmarked on the penalty spot but he couldn’t steer his attempt on target.
Not long after, Corey Hollman was involved again and it the scoreline became two. He found an overlapping Rhyan Grant during one of his trademark runs and his ball back across the face fell to the feet of Adrian Segecic who took a touch and passed it into the bottom corner for a two goal lead.
With the Sky Blues flooding forward in numbers, the pressure on Manly was relentless and after the ball ricochet around in the area, Anas Ouahim was first to latch onto it and with a United defender attempting the tackle, he instead upended the German-Moroccan and the referee pointed to the spot.
Ouahim stepped up to take the penalty he won and slotted it into the bottom corner for a three goal lead after 19 minutes.
And with the next attack, Ouahim had a brace thanks to some brilliant work down the right hand side.
Grant got moving down the wing and his ball inside found Segecic who cut it back further to a late entering Ouahim and he stroked it with ease into the left corner, leaving the keeper with no chance and giving the Sky Blues a four goal lead.
It was almost five before the break when Segecic found space on the edge of the box following some lazy United defending however the keeper foiled the attempts of the Sky Blues’ number 7.
Moments later, Jaiden Kucharski thought he had the fifth but he was to be denied by the offside flag. Segecic found some space on the left and fired a fizzing drive toward goal that could only be palmed onto the post by the Manly keeper. The ball then bounced to the feet of Jaiden Kucharski on the six-yard line who tapped home on his first touch but the flag was raised for offside.
Despite making three changes at the interval, Ufuk Talay’s side did not let up their pressure and had to wait only five minutes from the restart for their fifth.
Segecic was first to latch onto a poor Manly United clearance and he lifted his head and found Corey Hollman unmarked on the edge of the box. The pass to find him was perfect and Hollman had the easiest of tasks, running onto the ball and drilling one into the bottom corner through legs.
With the Sky Blues continuing to press forward, Manly’s only real route out was a quick ball over the top. On one occasion they did manage to break the offside trap and with the defence ailing as they retreated, Harrison Devenish-Meares made a big stop with his chest in a one on one situation to keep United’s goals tally at zero.
As the game progressed into the latter stages, Sydney FC continued to manoeuvre the ball around the box to find the angles for another goal.
Adrian Segecic was almost found by Nathan Amanatidis inside the box and he would’ve had a tap in were it not for some good defending from Manly. Hollman had the chance for another but was denied by the United keeper with a smart save down to his left and soon after, Segecic saw his effort flash wide of the upright.
Substitute Lachie Middleton almost had his first goal in a Sydney FC shirt when he was found inside the box but a smart foot save from the keeper prevented that as the ball deflected out for a corner.
Moments after that missed chance, Talay’s side would have their sixth, courtesy of a Manly United own goal.
Adrian Segecic attempted a cut back to Nathan Amanatidis and as Manly tried to clear, the ball bobbled, sending it up and backwards towards their own goal. The defender attempting to make up for his error scrambled back to the line to clear the ball away, however the ball clipped the crossbar and changed the direction of the flight of the ball, meaning the helpless player ended up chesting it into his own net while attempting a bicycle kick clearance.
In the end, another relentless attacking performance from the Sky Blues as they continue their pre-season preparations ahead of their 20th season in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Line-Up
SYDNEY FC: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES HT), 3. Aaron GURD (34. Tyler WILLIAMS HT), 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 5. Hayden MATTHEWS, 6. Corey HOLLMAN (27. Lachlan MIDDLETON 60’), 7. Adrian SEGECIC (20. Tiago QUINTAL 88’), 8. Anas OUAHIM, 15. Leo SENA (24. Wataru KAMIJO 60’), 17. Anthony CACERES, 23. Rhyan GRANT ©, 25. Jaiden KUCHARSKI (28. Nathan AMANTIDIS HT)
Unused Subs: 31. Pearson KASAWAYA, 32. Mathias MACALLISTER.
