Sydney FC has defeated Melbourne Victory 2-1 with striker Joel Chianese scoring the winner in their National Youth League clash on Saturday at Seymour Shaw Park.
Chianese’s strike two minutes into the second stanza sealed the points after Victory had equalised just before the break.
Impressing were Victory skipper Aziz Behich while Chianese and midfielder Sam Munro caught the eye for the home side.
Sydney’s first clear-cut chance of the game gave it the go-ahead goal on seven minutes.
Chianese burst through the box and his cross from the right was directed into the goal by unlucky Victory defender Diogo Ferreira.
In an entertaining opening, Sky Blues wicketkeeper Mark Pullman palmed away three shots from the dangerous Behich as the visitors immediately pressed for an equaliser.
Up the other end Sydney had two efforts sail over Victory keeper Sebastian Mattei’s bar while Brad Norton’s stinging rocket and Simon Tolli’s low shot went agonisingly close for Melbourne.
Sydney attacking midfielder Iain Ramsay was getting through a ton of work and he opened up the visitors with a couple of barnstorming runs with no reward.
But Tolli was rewarded, getting on the end of a low cross to guide it past Pullman and equalise for Victory just before the break.
Sydney’s lively Hussein Akil rattled the crossbar 60 seconds later with a scorching shot but the teams went in at 1-1.
However, barely two minutes into the second half, the home side was back in front.
Chianese on the burst down the middle profited from a defensive mix-up between Mattei and a Victory defender to nip in and prod home a second.
It should have been 3-1 on 52 minutes if nuggetty Munro’s powerful low drive didn’t hit the outside of the Victory post.
Luke O’Dea’s clever lob in a crowded box just went over Pullman’s bar as Victory pressed but Chianese was on fire in the second half.
His mazy runs driving inside the Victory box setting up two good chances – both blown by profligate finishing from the Sky Blues.
The coaches rang the changes at the hour mark and one of those substitutes, Sydney’s Dimitrios Petratos, should have done better with his header off Luke Austin’s pinpoint cross.
The chances kept flowing, and it was Sydney creating most of them.
David Vrankovic almost caught out the Victory defence from a corner but his prodded effort at the far post went inches wide.
And with five minutes to go Munro’s drive cannoned off the base of the post and scrambled clear by the Victory defence.
In time added on, Mattei came up for a Melbourne corner but Sydney survived the onslaught to record a welcome win over its southern rival.
Sydney FC 2 (Ferreira 7og, Chianese 47)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Tolli 41)
@ Seymour Shaw Park
