Sydney FC have stayed alive in the hunt for the Premiers’ Plate thanks to a hard-fought 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar on Friday night.
The Sky Blues took less than a minute to take the lead through Aaron Calver but looked like they might have to settle for a point when Eric Bautheac equalised midway through the second half.
But Adam Le Fondre put them back in front 13 minutes from time before Siem de Jong marked his return with a classy goal in the final minute to ice the result.
Steve Corica’s side are now six points behind league-leaders Perth Glory, who host Champions Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.
While it wasn’t their most fluent display of the season, Sydney FC will be grateful just to take the three points which is just the third time they have managed it in their last 18 visits to Suncorp Stadium.
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
KEOGH’S JOURNEY: How Viduka and Kewell set Irishman on path Down Under
RECOGNISING THE BEST: Dolan-Warren 2019 awards night to be held at The Star
Any latecomers to the match would have missed the opening goal which was timed at just 42 seconds.
Calver, who only came into the starting side for the injured Ben Warland, was left totally unmarked in the middle of the Roar box to head Brandon O’Neill’s free-kick past Jamie Young.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6019860527001
In a match of few chances, Alex Brosque wasted a couple to extend Sydney FC’s lead either side of the break and it proved costly on 68 minutes.
Substitute Nicholas D’Agostino – who starred for the Australian U-23s in Cambodia over the last week – played in an inch-perfect cross for Bautheac to tap into an open goal.
It was end-to-end stuff now and it was another substitute who would turn the game in Sydney’s favour.
In his first game since Round 15, it was de Jong’s shot which hit the post that Le Fondre finished off to give Sydney FC the lead again and take the Englishman back to the top of the goal-scoring charts with Roy Krishna (15 goals).
Then in the final minute, the Dutchman did it all himself.
From near the byline, de Jong lured Jamie Young off his line and then feigning a cross he placed a shot in at the near post from an almost impossible angle.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6019897379001
See all the goals and relive all the big moments in our LIVE BLOG below.
1
