Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka was left hurt and disappointed after his side conceded two extra time goals to lose to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, but says there were still a multitude of positives to take from the performance.
Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka was left hurt and disappointed after his side conceded two extra time goals to lose to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, but says there were still a multitude of positives to take from the performance.
The Sky Blues looked certain to break a three-game losing streak and move to fourth on the Hyundai A-League ladder overnight, until their 39th minute go-ahead goal was rendered redundant by a pair of spectacular last gasp goals from the reigning champions.
For the Roar it was jubilation and talk of a possible turning point from a mid season slump, but for the luckless Sydneysiders it was only heartbreak and the feeling of an unjust payout for a laudable effort away from home.
“The only thing we can do at this moment is congratulate Brisbane on their three points, but of course it’s a big disappointment,” said Lavicka.
“Football is a nice game; it brings emotional moments. We had a plan before the game and I think the boys did a very good job for 90 minutes or more.
“We’ve been criticised for our defending in our last couple of games, and I have to say the boys did a very good job.
“It’s frustration and disappointment. Football is a nice kind of sport, but sometimes it’s not fair. That’s football. We have to accept it. We have to get ready now to refresh mentally and physically because we have a midweek game on Wednesday.”
Sydney skipper Terry McFlynn echoed his coach’s sentiments, praising his side’s execution of the game plan, before falling in line with players and officials from both sides in downplaying the gravity of the exchange between the two sides after the fulltime whistle.
“I think tonight you saw the togetherness and the spirit of this team, this club. For 90 minutes plus, the performance was excellent,” he said.
“We had a game plan that we worked on all week and it was executed to a tee up until the 93rd minute. It was a fantastic free kick (that brought the Roar level). But every one of our players tonight were excellent … we couldn’t ask anything more of our performance; everything that we could do we did tonight.”
“For the neutral (observer), it was probably a very exciting game to watch. For the last 10 minutes they were pushing to try to get back into the game, and then with two goals in quick succession it was an emotionally charged finale to the game.
“There was a little bit of aftermath but I’m not too sure what happened or what went on, but we spoke about in the dressing room that we can’t get away from our own performance, and that’s all we’ve got to talk about.”
