Hyundai A-League 2010 Champions Sydney FC defeated the Newcastle Jets 2-1 at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Monday night, snapping a five game losing streak and lifting themselves up two spots on the competition table.
Hyundai A-League 2010 Champions Sydney FC defeated the Newcastle Jets 2-1 at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Monday night, snapping a five game losing streak and lifting themselves up two spots on the competition table.
Midfielder Hirofumi Moriyasu scored his first A-League goal, calmly slotting home a pin point Scott Jamieson corner in the 36th minute to give Sydney FC the lead before striker Bruno Cazarine double the Sky Blues advantage in the dying moments of the first half with a sublime long range finish.
Despite the Jets pegging one back through substitute Labinot Haliti in the 66th minute, Sydney FC withstood Newcastle-s challenge to claim the crucial win.
Sydney FC-s next match is against the Gold Coast at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night (7pm kick-off).
“The difference today was we started the game very well and we played the first half actively,” Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka said.”We put the opposition under pressure, we created a few chances and scored two goals.”
“I think our current situation is not optimal of course but I have to give full credit for the Sydney FC players tonight because they showed character on the pitch. It’s only a small step ahead for us but it’s an important step.”
The Sky Blues again put out an injury depleted side after losing defender Hayden Foxe (groin) and striker Mark Bridge (groin) in the lead up to the game, compounding the unavailability of Alex Brosque and Terry Antonis.
In a fast paced first half, the Jets had the first clear goal scoring chance when Jobe Wheelhouse gained possession in open space in the box but Sydney FC goalkeeper Liam Reddy was up to the challenge and got his hands to the ball to deflect it into the far post to save a goal before it was cleared by defender Matt Jurman, who in his first start this season was a rock in the centre of defence.
Newcastle suffered a big blow in the ninth minute with key defender Ljubo Milicevic leaving the field with a left ankle injury, forcing a reshuffle of their starting formation. The match was played in true Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets style with six yellows dished out, the first to the Jets Ryan Griffiths.
Sydney FC had the run of the play over the next 15 minutes, creating two good chances, first through Cazarine in the 19th minute. His left foot shot went straight to Jets stopper Ben Kennedy after the Brazilian found some space in the box after receiving the ball from a well weighted throw in.
Then in the 33rd, midfielder Nicky Carle unleashed a powerful left foot strike on the edge of the box but again it went straight to Kennedy who, despite fumbling, quickly regathered.
Three minutes later the Sky Blues scored their first goal in five matches after Jamieson, playing in his favoured left back position, curled in a left foot cross to the feet of the unmarked Moriyasu, who put the chance away, guiding his well struck right foot shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
It looked as though the visitors would take a 1-0 lead into halftime but after a misjudged defensive pass from Kennedy, who was under pressure from a flying Dimitri Petratos, Cazarine got onto the end of the pass and curled home his seventh of the season – again making him the Sky Blues leading goal scorer in 2010/11.
Jets coach Branko Culina made a double substitution in the 63rd minute, bringing on Sasho Petrovski and Labinot Haliti and his move paid off when Haliti finished off some nice work between Kasey Wehrman and Ruben Zadkovich.
The Jets continued to push for an equaliser in the final 25 minutes but the Sky Blues showed great resolve and snared the valuable win. The match also saw the introduction of Sydney FC-s newest signing Juho Makela, who replaced Cazarine in the 76th minute. The Finnish striker had one solid chance late in the game but will be better for the run.
Jurman, skipper Terry McFlynn, Petratos and central defender Stephan Keller were standouts in what was an excellent all round Sydney FC performance.
Match Detail:
Newcastle Jets: 1 (Ruben ZADKOVICH 65-)
Sydney FC: 2 (Hirofumi MORIYASU 36, Bruno CAZARINE 45+2)
Sydney FC line-up: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 3. Stephan KELLER, 6.Hirofumi MORIYASU (2. Sebastian RYALL 84-), 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 9. Bruno CAZARINE (18. Juho MALEKA 76-), 10. Nicky CARLE (12.Shannon COLE 71-), 15.Terry MCFLYNN (c), 17. Matt JURMAN, 21. Scott JAMIESON, 22.Sung-Hwan BYUN, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS.
Substitutes Not Used:-20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk).
Yellow Cards: 3. Stephan KELLER 39-, 10. Nicky CARLE 50; 21. Scott JAMIESON 75-, 1. Liam REDDY 84-
Red Cards: Nil.
Goals: Hirofumi MORIYASU 36, Bruno CAZARINE 45+2
Newcastle Jets line-up: 1. Ben KENNEDY, 3. Adam D-APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5. Ljubo MILICEVIC (17. Marcello FIORENTINI 14-), 7. Kasey WEHRMAN, 10. Ruben ZADKOVICH, 11 Tarek ELRICH, 12. Jobe WHEELHOUSE, 18. Marko JESIC (13. Sasho PETROVSKI 63-), 19. Ali ABBASS, 23. Ryan GRIFFITHS (14. Labinot HALITI 63-).
Substitutes Not Used: 50. Jack DUNCAN (gk),
Yellow Cards: 23. Ryan GRIFFITHS 17-, 7. Kasey WEHRMAN 27-
Red Cards: Nil.
Goals: Labinot HALITI 66-
Referee: Matthew Gillett
Crowd: 12 118 at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle.
