Sydney FC manager Frank Farina says he was pleased with the efforts of his team but disappointed by ill discipline in their 2-1 loss to Perth Glory.
Sydney FC manager Frank Farina says he was pleased with the efforts of his team but disappointed by ill discipline in their 2-1 loss to Perth Glory at NIB Stadium on Saturday night.
Sydney were reduced to 10 men when Fabio received his second yellow for a 62nd-minute challenge on Perth striker Shane Smeltz.
Farina said he was impressed with the way his team fought out the match in search of an equaliser, but felt let down by lack of restraint.
“We make it very difficult for ourselves,” he said.
“I think five out of the last seven away games we’ve copped red cards, some justified, some not. I think tonight was fully justified.
“It makes it difficult, but even with 10 men I was really pleased with the way the boys stuck with it.
“I thought we were most probably a little unlucky not to score in the second-half.”
Sydney had created the better of the early chances in the match only to twice be denied by Perth goalkeeper Daniel Vukovic.
The Sky Blues then found themselves behind 1-0 when Liam Miller made a bold run through their defence before he rolled the ball to Chris Harold, who completed the move.
Alessandro Del Piero brought them back on level terms with a swerving 30-yard strike before slack defending allowed an unmarked Shane Smeltz to take back the lead for Perth.
Farina turned his attention to Sydney’s next game against Central Coast and labelled the match a ‘must win’.
“We’ve got to pick up our game on a number of fronts,” Farina said.
“I thought Alessandro was very good tonight, worked extremely hard. Again, with 10 men it’s difficult, but scored a wonderful goal and worked hard when he was on the ball.
“The two (goals) we conceded were just very sloppy and bad from us, which we got punished for.”
Sydney slip from seventh on the ladder to eighth as a result of their 2-1 loss and Brisbane Roar’s 1-0 win earlier on Saturday night.
However, they are only one point behind Brisbane, but are also behind Melbourne Heart, who are nine goals better off.
