Sydney FC produced a composed performance to claim all three points against Wellington Phoenix, controlling possession and consolidating their place in the Isuzu-UTE A-League top three.
Sydney FC 1 (Popovic 48’) Defeated Wellington Phoenix 0
The Sky Blues found the net through Alex Popovic, whose goal thanks to a fantastic combination between Garuccio and Rhyan Grant secured a well-deserved victory for the Sky Blues on away turf.
Moments That Mattered:
18’ | GARRUCIO ATTEMPT- Garuccio waltzes into the opposition’s box off the left wing; however, his shot is not enough as it is deflected out for a corner by the Nix defence.
19’ | DEVENISH-MEARES SAVE- Wellington’s Piper finds himself 1 on 1 with keeper Harrison Devenish- Meares, who precisely times his save and knocks the ball out for a Wellington corner.
22’ | GRANT DENIES THE NIX- Wellington drills a cross into the Sydney box, hoping to find Nagasawa, yet the Sky Blues captain successfully intercepts the cross and calmly knocks it out for a corner.
30’ | PENALTY CALL REVOKED – Danaskos calls for a Wellington Penalty asGrant’s attempt to win a header sees Nagasawa drop. However, after a VAR check, the initial call is revoked by Danaskos correctly acknowledging that Grant held his ground.
47’ | LOLLEY HEADER- Garuccios pinpoint cross meets the head of a waiting Joe Lolley, but the forward’s glancing effort is sharply repelled low to the bottom-left corner by Oluwayemi.
48’ | POPOVIC GOAL- Popovic breaks the deadlock as Ben Garuccio glides into the box and picks out the centre-back, who arrives at the perfect moment to turn the ball home from point-blank range, giving the Sky Blues a deserved 1–0 lead.
50’ | GARUCCIO DENIED- Beautiful Sydney link-up play finds Garuccio waiting across the goal; however, his left-footed attempt is saved by Oluwayemi
84’ | DEVENISH-MEARES SAVES SYDNEY- As Wellington whips a cross into the box, and header is going in but Devenish-Meares reads the flight of the ball perfectly.
With an impressive leap, he soars and tips the ball over the bar, denying Wellington a chance and keeping Sydney’s lead intact.
Match Report:
Sydney FC secured a hard-earned 1–0 win over Wellington Phoenix in a competitive contest that saw both teams battle intensely from start to finish.
Alex Popovic proved the difference shortly after the restart, arriving at the perfect moment to turn home a Garuccio cross from close range, giving the Sky Blues a deserved lead they held onto for the remainder of the match.
Sydney FC opted for continuity in the away fixture, naming an unchanged starting XI as they looked to build momentum on the road, additionally welcoming Marcel Tisserand back to the bench after a precautionary rest.
The Sky Blues settled into the contest with composure in the opening stages, showing patience in possession while remaining sharp in transition despite an evenly balanced first half.
They threatened early through Ben Garuccio, who drifted inside from the left in the 18th minute and danced around the Wellington defence, only for his effort to take a decisive deflection and spin behind for a corner.
At the other end, Wellington Phoenix nearly capitalised a minute later when Piper ran through on goal.
Harrison Devenish-Meares stood tall, timing his intervention precisely to divert the danger away.
The match took a brief pause in tension when referee Tim Danaskos was prompted to review a penalty shout following an aerial challenge involving Grant and Nagasawa.
However, VAR overturned the initial decision.
With both sides trading moments and Sydney remaining measured and assured in their build-up, the teams headed into the break level after a competitive opening half.
The second half burst into life almost immediately as Garuccio delivered a pinpoint cross in the 47th minute that met the head of Joe Lolley, only for the forward’s glancing effort to be sharply repelled low to the bottom-left corner by Oluwayemi.
A minute later, Sydney struck the breakthrough. Garuccio again drifted into the box, this time finding Alex Popovic, who arrived at the perfect moment to steer the ball home from close range, giving the Sky Blues a deserved 1–0 lead.
Sydney’s momentum continued as a slick passing sequence quickly released Garrucio across the face of the goal in the 50th minute, but Oluwayemi was equal to the task once more, tipping the winger’s left-footed effort away to keep Wellington in the contest.
In the dying moments, Wellington threatened briefly as they whipped a teasing cross into the Sydney box and launched a header goalwards, yet Harrison Devenish-Meares timed his leap perfectly, soaring to tip the ball over the bar and deny an equaliser, underlining Sydney’s composure in the closing stages.
The Sky Blues secured a vital victory away from home, with Popovic’s close-range finish proving decisive. The win lifts Sydney to third on the table, an ideal position in the closing stages of the season as finals football looms in the near future.
What They Said:
Rhyan Grant:- “Obviously very pleased. Everything’s a bit of a must-win at the moment with the way the table is, so to come away with a win in Wellington, we’re very happy.
“To come to Wellington, which is always a difficult place, especially for us over the last couple of years, and get a win, it’s very satisfying.
“I thought it wasn’t a penalty, and I went to the referee straight away… just because it’s in the box doesn’t make it a penalty, so I thought it was the right decision in the end.”
“Everything’s a must-win at the moment, and this result puts us in a strong position as the finals approach.”
Alex Popovic-
“It was just a great performance from the boys. The effort they put into scraping the win was outstanding.
“It was always tough coming to Wellington. We haven’t won here since 2017, so we knew it was going to be hard, but the boys delivered.
“Harrison Devenish-Meares has been top all year. He should be in the Socceroos the way he’s been playing.
“He gives all of us confidence, knowing that we can step in because we have a brick wall behind us.”
Sydney FC | 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 5. Alex GRANT, 7. Piero QUISPE (9. Victor CAMPUZANO 46’ ) , 10. Joe LOLLEY ( 35. Al Hassan TOURE 59’), 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 20. Tiago QUINTAL (36. Rhys YOULLEY 76’), 23. Rhyan GRANT (c), 24. Paul OKON JNR, 41. Alexandar POPOVIC (32. Marcel TISSERAND 87’), 70. Ahmet ARSLAN, 80. Apostolos STAMATELOSPOULOUS.
Unused Subs | 11. Abel WALATEE, 22. Mathias MACALLISTER, 30. Alexander ZAVERDINOS (GK)
Head Coach | Ufuk TALAY
Yellow Cards | 20. Tiago QUINTAL 61’
Red Cards | None
Wellington Phoenix FC | 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (GK), 3. Corban PIPER ( 80’ 10. Nikola MILEUSNIC), 4. Manjrekar JAMES (80’ 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD), 8. Paulo RETRE, 11. Carlo ARMIENTO, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 20. Ramy NAJJARINE, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA (63’ 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH), 27. Matt SHERIDAN, 28. Bill TUILOMA.
Unused Subs | 2. Dan EDWARDS, 16. Sander KARTUM, 24. XUAN LOKE, 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk)
Head Coach | Chris GREENACRE
Yellow Cards | (4’) 20. Ramy NAJJARINE, (40’) 14. Alex RUFER, (59’) 15. Isaac HUGHES
Red Cards | N/A
Venue | Hnry Stadium
Referee | Tim DANASKOS
Attendance | 4,432
