Sydney FC have taken all three points from an enthralling battle with Wellington Phoenix on Saturday night, with a late flurry of goals sealing a 3-1 win to the Sky Blues at Allianz Stadium.
It appeared the spoils would be shared When Kosta Barbarouses cancelled out Rhyan Grant’s early opener to make it 1-1 in the 81st minute – but Wellington’s parity would last just five minutes as Robert Mak restored the lead, before Fabio Gomes slotted home the sealer in second-half stoppage time.
It was the first meeting between Sydney boss Ufuk Talay and his former assistant and new Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano since the former’s off-season departure from Wellington – and it was Talay who took home the bragging rights with a result that leaves Wellington just three points clear at the top of the table, and fires Sydney to within two points of the top six.
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Sydney suffocated Wellington through the first half, with the bulk of the action taking place in the visiting side’s defensive third.
As the ‘Nix attempted to build out from the back the hosts applied the clamps, with Jake Girdwood-Reich and Luke Brattan trapping Wellington midfielders time and again to force turnovers high up the park.
Within 11 minutes Sydney had the lead through an unlikely source, as defender Rhyan Grant ghosted in at the back post to convert unmarked from a corner routine to give his side the laed.
Sydney wouldn’t add to their tally by the break, despite utterly dominating the statistics at half-time, taking 20 shots to four, and playing 282 passes in their attacking half compared to Wellington’s 36.
Robert Mak had a close-range effort saved by Alex Paulsen in the 25th minute, and it sparked a rampant Phoenix counter attack; Bozhidar Kraev took possession and raced toward goal, putting Joe Lolley on skates and calling Sydney keeper Alex Redmayne into a smart block to deprive the Bulgarian of a finish into the bottom-left corner.
Paramount+ co-commentator described the action as “utterly thrilling” as the action swung from one end of the pitch to the other in rapid time – but the away side offered little beyond that Kraev chance as normal service resumed at Allianz Stadium.
Jaiden Kucharski had chances for Sydney, as did Lolley and Jack Rodwell throughout the first half but a combination of wasted chances and smart glovework by Paulsen kept Wellington’s deficit to just one goal at the break.
Without a second goal and without breathing room, Sydney were at risk of watching their brilliant first half go to waste in the second stanza – and quick-fire chances to both Kosta Barbarouses and Kraev just before the hour mark saw the ‘Nix go close to drawing level.
The Barbarouses chance flew over the bar on the volley, but Kraev’s attempt was on target; Redmayne put a strong arm above his head to palm the venomous strike out for a corner.
Substitute Patrick Wood came off the bench to repeatedly find himself in dangerous areas to search for Sydney’s second – but Wellington’s rearguard was resolute; a block from Finn Surman inside the six-yard box on the 75-minute mark was the latest in a string of desperate pieces of Phoenix defending to deny Wood, and the Sky Blues, route to a two-goal lead.
The longer the Sky Blues went without a sealer, the more susceptible they became to Phoenix striking on the counter – and the hefty blow came in the 81st minute as Ben Old continued his superb individual performance with a defence-splitting pass that sent Oskar van Hattum through on goal.
Barbarouses came close to collecting the ball from an offside position, but instead jetted off toward the back post, leaving the onside van Hattum to swoop on possession and slot a cross-goal pass to Barbarouses to finish.
The Phoenix had worked so hard to claw their way back to level terms – but it took just three minutes for Sydney to strike back. Mak was the 86th-minute goalscorer for the hosts, with Fabio Gomes playing the Slovakian down the left side of the box to whip the ball into the back of the net.
With their lead restored, Sydney set off in pursuit of a sealer which came via Fabio, who placed Sydney’s third and final goal of the night into the bottom-right corner in second-half stoppage time.
The talking point
Jaiden Kucharski started the job. Fabio Gomes finished it off.
On Friday night, Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay deployed his young striker from the off against Wellington Phoenix, and the decision to start the 21-year-old in place of the club’s star Brazilian recruit worked wonders as the attacking pair played respectively crucial roles in a big win over the league leaders.
Kucharski was everywhere for the Sky Blues in the first halfcausing plenty of headaches for the Phoenix defenders by dropping into deeper areas and linking up with midfielder Anthony Caceres, who was instructed to drift high up the park to support the sole striker.
Kucharski assisted Rhyan Grant’s early opener, and his tireless pressing, particularly in the first half, set the tone for an energetic Sydney display. In the 60th minute he was replaced by Patrick Wood, taking a seat on the bench for a hard-earned rest.
Fabio, meanwhile, was kept fresh until the 77th minute. The club confirmed the Brazilian had suffered from illness in midweek, but he showed no signs of lethargy in a starring late cameo which produced an assist and a goal to wrap up all three points at Allianz Stadium.
In the Paramount+ studio post-game, former A-Leagues stars Grace Gill and Daniel McBreen lauded the effectiveness of the two strikers and their very different, but equally effective roles in an impressive 3-1 win over the Phoenix.
“(Talay) mentioned Gomes had been a little unwell through the week, so that might have been his capacity of being able to play,” Gill said.
“But if you’re coming on, scoring a goal, getting really good touches on the ball and that’s your contribution, then you’re not complaining.
“And an assist as well,” added McBreen.
“Maybe 20 minutes was his maximum because of the illness, but tactically it worked perfectly for Ufuk Talay tonight.”
What it means
Friday night’s result leaves Wellington susceptible to Melbourne Victory in second place; Victory are just three points behind the league leaders, but have a superior goal difference and can finish 2023 on top of the Isuzu UTE A-League table if they defeat Adelaide United in tomorrow night’s Original Rivalry clash at AAMI Park.
For Sydney FC, two home wins on the bounce have reinvigorated their season. Talay’s side now sit just two points off sixth-placed Brisbane Roar, and remarkably, just one win shy of Western Sydney Wanderers in third. It’s getting tight in mid-table as we head toward 2024, as the Sky Blues end the calendar year well and truly on a high.
What they said
It was a night that meant that little bit more to both Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay and Wellington Phoenix boss Giancarlo Italiano, with the two great friends going head-to-head for the first time since Talay’s off-season departure from the ‘Nix, and Italiano’s instalment as the club’s head coach.
Talay took the bragging rights on Friday night as his Sydney FC rose to a stern challenge from Italiano’s Wellington. Hear from both head coaches as they dissected all the action post-game.
