In the absence of injured Sydney FC striker Patryk Klimala, Sky Blues winger Joe Lolley showed his versatility in a dominant performance as Sydney’s number nine in Saturday night’s Big Blue.
Deployed in an unfamiliar role by head coach Ufuk Talay, Lolley played with a striker’s instinct as he led the line through Sydney’s 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory at Allianz Stadium.
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The Englishman scored just 87 seconds into his stint as Sydney’s striker, attacking the front post to meet Jordan Courtney-Perkins’ low cross before gathering possession and beating Victory keeper Jack Duncan at his near post to give Sydney an early lead in the Big Blue.
Lolley doubled his tally in the 26th minute with a diving header and had a third goal in the back of the net before half-time, but was denied a hat-trick due to an offside call on Rhyan Grant in the build-up play.
Lolley had six shots and created three chances through his 87 minutes on the field, proving he can thrive as a striker in Talay’s system.
“A different role for me,” Lolley told Network 10 post-game.
“I think I haven’t played as a central striker for about 10 years!
“But I actually really wanted to, and I enjoyed tonight. But the main thing is: we were desperate for the points, thankfully we got all three and a clean sheet, which was great for us.”
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Despite thriving down the middle of Sydney’s attack on Saturday night, Lolley may be required to return to his usual position out wide following an injury scare to Douglas Costa.
Sydney’s Brazilian star backed up a man-of-the-match performance in a 3-3 draw with Adelaide United in Round 9 with another stellar showing against Victory but, early in the second half, was substituted after feeling for his right hamstring as he set off on an attacking run.
Costa attempted to continue playing but was substituted in the 48th minute in what Talay described as a precautionary measure post-game.
“He felt it tighten up and didn’t want to push it any more,” Talay told Network 10.
“I think he made a good decision to come off the field because he’s an important player to us, he’s an exciting player for us and also for the league, and he had some very good moments tonight.”
Talay will hope for a positive update on both Costa and Klimala, who missed a second-consecutive game due to a groin injury picked up before last weekend’s draw with Adelaide, ahead of the Sky Blues’ next Isuzu UTE A-League fixture against Newcastle Jets on January 4.
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