Sydney FC have come away with a point at home in a 1-all draw with Wellington Phoenix in a fiery match they dominated.
Both goals came in the first half with the visitors’ Kosta Barbarouses equallising Adrian Segecic’s early opener for the Sky Blues.
Sydney FC 1 (Segecic 7’) drew w. Wellington 1 (Barbarouses 38’)
Moments That Mattered
7’ | SEGECIC OPENING GOAL – A delightful ball threaded through by Joe Lolley into the path of Segecic who cleverly lifts the ball over the out-coming keeper.
35’ | KLIMALA SHOT AT GOAL – Sydney FC move forward and Patryk Klimala takes a strike at goal which was saved by keeper Joshua Oluwayemi.
38’ | BARBAROUSES EQUALISER – Against the run of play Wellington find an opportunity with former Sky Blue Kosta Barbarouses latching onto a forward pass to round the keeper and slot home, with VAR overruling an offside flag.
76’ | KUCHARSKI DENIED – A terrific ball from Caceres is inch perfect for Kucharski whose shot was beaten away by a quality save by Oluwayemi.
86’ | KUCHARSKI DENIED AGAIN – A ball falls to Kucharski on the edge of the box but his shot is brilliantly tipped over by Oluwayemi.
Match Report: Sydney FC have been denied all three points by a stubborn and defensive Wellington Phoenix side who settled for a 1-1 draw after Kosta Barbarouses equalised Adrian Segecic’s early opener.
It came after seven minutes thanks to a excellent through ball from Joe Lolley and a clinical striker’s finish from the youngster.
As half time approached former Sydney FC player Kosta Barbarouses got clear of the defence and dragged the Nix back into the game, rounding the keeper and slotting home an equaliser.
The second half saw Sydney FC bring on Brazilian star signing Douglas Costa who helped them try and conjure a second goal.
And the Sky Blues came close however some fantastic saves from Wellingtons keeper Joshua Oluwayemi to deny Jaiden Kucharski kept the Kiwi side in contention for a result.
Fulltime saw a 1-1 draw to Sydney FC’s frustration and remain in 7th spot but within a win of the top six.
What They Said: Ufuk Talay: “I’m disappointed. I think with the short turnaround and the heat and humidity tonight, the boys still pushed and probed as much as they could.
“I thought we were comfortable in the game—we scored a goal—but I’m disappointed with the way we conceded and allowed them back in.
“Throughout the game, they were just waiting for moments in transition to counter us.
“Otherwise, they were very defensively organized, which made them difficult to break down.
“Being the protagonist in football is not always easy, and in my opinion, the officials allowed them to play their game more by slowing things down, especially during dead-ball moments.”
Sydney FC: 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 5. Alex GRANT, 6. Corey HOLLMAN (24. Wataru KAMIJO 46’), 7. Adrian SEGECIC (11. Douglas COSTA 46’), 9. Patryk KLIMALA (25. Jaiden KUCHARSKI 69’), 10. Joseph LOLLEY (20. Tiago QUINTAL 69’), 15. Leonardo DE SOUZA SENA, 16. Joel KING, 17. Anthony CACERES, 23. Rhyan GRANT (C).
Unused Subs: 31. Jaushua SOTIRIO, 37. Will KENNEDY, 38. Gus HOESFLOOT (GK)
Yellow Cards: Talay 67’, Grant 82’, Maisano 85’.
Red Cards: None
Wellington Phoenix: 1. Joshua OLUWAYEMI (GK), 4. Scott WOOTTON, 6. Timothy PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Paulo RETRE (25. Kazuki NAGASAWA), 12. Francisco GERALDES (9. Hideki ISHIGE), 14. Alex RUFER (C), 15. Isaac HUGHES (3. Corban PIPER 72’), 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 19. Sam SUTTON, 27. Matt SHERIDAN.
Unused Subs: 17. Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES, 18. Luke BROOKE-SMITH, 19. Nathan WALKER, 20. Dublin BOON.
Yellow Cards: Barbarouses 82’, Piper 90+6’.
Red Cards: None
Venue: Allianz Stadium
Referee: Shaun Evans
Attendance: 7,014
