Western Sydney have scored five goals, through five different players, to crush defending champions Auckland FC for their first win under new boss Ufuk Talay.
Last season’s A-League Men wooden spooners have taken down the champions in emphatic fashion, with Western Sydney thrashing Auckland FC 5-2.
A seven-minute surge either side of halftime helped the Wanderers to their first win of the Ufuk Talay era, in front of their red and black faithful at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
The two goals for the Black Knights both came from corners, with the visitors struggling to create opportunities in open play.
After a scoreless draw in the opening-round Sydney derby, the Wanderers were chastised for a scrappy performance with very limited attacking opportunities.
But five goals from five different goalscorers was a completely different free-flowing style on display just a week later.
Auckland opened the scoring with a perfectly rehearsed short corner routine that was finished off with a thunderous volley from teenager Luka Vicelich.
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The 18-year-old son of Kiwi legend Ivan, the second most-capped player in All White history, broke Auckland FC’s youngest goalscorer record by some three years with his debut A-League Men goal.
From there it was all the home side, with Brandon Borrello levelling just shy of halftime.
After missing the derby with a hamstring injury, Western Sydney’s captain returned to the starting line-up and his 43rd-minute goal completed a 60-metre counter-attacking run launched by Dylan Scicluna.
Coming out of the break with a bang, goals in the 46th and 50th minute to Liam Gillion and Nicolas Milanovic gave the Wanderers a two-goal buffer.
Gillion’s tidy finish was his first league goal, and against his former side, and Milanovic scored for the first time in his second stint at Wanderland after an ill-fated season in Scotland with Aberdeen.
The visitors got their second from another corner, punched away by Western Sydney goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas into the back of captain Borello’s head and into the net for an own goal.
The Wanderers ran away with the result in the final five minutes with goals to Miguel Di Pizio and Atiya Waraga, a first A-League Men goal for the academy product.
