Sydney FC and Adelaide United kicked off their Ninja A-League campaigns with a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon, with Reds substitute India Breier securing a valuable point care of an 88th minute Olimpico.
The home side took the lead after just six minutes when debutant Asha Sutton raced clear of the Adelaide defence before slotting the ball beyond Reds keeper Iona Melegh.
Adelaide weren’t behind for long though as winger Keira Myers showed blistering pace down the right hand side before checking back onto her left foot and crossing into the box, with the ball hitting retreating Sydney defender Charlotte McLean and nestling into the back of the net.
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Sydney survived a huge scare soon after as goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson was caught dawdling on the ball but luckily for her, Reds skipper Adriana Taranto’s attempted lob was cleared off the goalline.
Both sides had good chances to take the lead but it was the home side who capitalised on a defensive mishap at the back for Adelaide.
Caught in possession inside her own box, Isabella Yakel was robbed of the ball by Riley Cohn and the Panamanian international did the rest, drilling the ball beyond Melegh and into the bottom corner of the net to make it 2-1.
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American forward Faith Webber then should have wrapped up the win but toed her shot inches wide of the near post after getting to the ball ahead of Adelaide keeper Melegh.
Sydney FC looked to be headed for a first up win under now-permanent head coach James Slaveski however they were dealt a sucker punch late in the game as Breier sent a curling left-footed corner into the danger zone that sailed all the way over Robertson and into the far corner.
Sydney now turn their attention to Matchweek 2 when they’ll entertain Champions Melbourne City on Sunday, Octobe 25 while Adelaide open their home account the day before, hosting Perth Glory at Service FM stadium.
