Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay insisted “there’s still a lot to play for” despite the Sky Blues’ 2-0 defeat to Lion City Sailors in the opening leg of their AFC Champions League Two semi-final showdown.
Sydney dominated possession 69% to 31% and mustered more shots throughout the contest but went down to the home side, who triumphed through goals via Bart Ramselaar and Lannart Thy.
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After the game, Talay told reporters: “We had a lot of the ball. Didn’t penetrate.
“They were very deep, it was hard to break down the 10 players they had inside their 18-yard box.
“Key passes in crucial moments when we got into the final third let us down.
“The two moments they had, they scored two goals. But overall, we had a lot of the ball but quite ineffective in the moments we needed to be.”
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Talay added: “It’s not easy to break down a team of 10 players inside an 18-yard box.
“We did break them down a couple of times. We got around them on the sides then our final ball in the box, our shooting let us down. I don’t think we really worked the goalkeeper this evening.”
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Still vying for an Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series berth, sixth-placed Sydney will host leaders Auckland FC in a blockbuster clash on Saturday evening before welcoming Lion City to the Harbour City.
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Looking ahead to the second leg, a bullish Talay said: “They’re not going to change the way they play.
“They’ve done this all season where they sit behind the ball, defend with a lot of players and find transition moments to score goals, and they’ve been quite effective with it.
“So, there’s still a lot to play for. They will probably sit deep again and it’s up to us to break them down in the second leg.”
