Western Sydney wasted a chance to close in on the top four as a 10-man Melbourne Victory fought out a 0-0 draw at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
Needing a win to be any chance of hosting a home final, Wanderers dominated possession and territory for over half an hour but failed to make their numerical advantage count.
Victory edged the first half but needed Lawrence Thomas to keep them level after Rashid Mahazi gifted Nico Martinez a clean avenue to goal.
The match swung in Wanderers’ favour when Daniel Georgievski was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 53rd minute but they struggled to create clear chances.
An organised defence and several brave blocks were enough for Kevin Muscat’s men to sew up second spot, while Western Sydney can now only finish as high as fifth.
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GOALS
Western Sydney attempted a whopping 28 shots but could only manage three on target over the 90 minutes. Tony Popovic will hope it’s not a prolonged return to their early-season attacking woes in front of goal.
RED CARD
Having picked up a caution for tripping Jumpei late in the first half, Georgievski was shown a second yellow in the 53rd minute after going in strong on Scott Neville.
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