An enthralling round of Isuzu UTE A-League action ended in a physical battle between Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix as the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.
Coming off Thursday night’s historic AFC Asian Champions League Two victory over Korean side Jeonbuk Motors, Sydney returned to Isuzu UTE A-League action and took an early lead against the Phoenix through in-form Adrian Segecic’s seventh-minute strike.
But Wellington legend Kosta Barbarouses equalised before half-time with a goal initially ruled out for offside before VAR intervention led to the reversal of the on-field decision.
Sydney head coach Ufuk Talay brought Douglas Costa and Jaiden Kucharski off his bench in the second half and the two players added a spark to the Sky Blues’ attack; Kucharski had two great chances to haul his side back in front but Phoenix keeper Josh Oluwayemi produced a pair of stellar saves to keep his side level at 1-1.
Wellington came into Round 23 off the back of four-straight defeats and after last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Western United, Giancarlo Italiano’s side dug deep to end their streak of losses in a battle of attrition with Sydney FC.
The Sky Blues had 21 shots to Wellington’s three, and boasted more than 70% of possession throughout the 90 minutes but couldn’t find a response to Barbarouses’ equaliser as the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
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On a brilliant weekend for young Australian strikers, Adrian Segecic followed the lead of Adelaide United striker Archie Goodwin, Wanderers forward Nicolas Milanovic and Western United star Noah Botic in bagging a Round 23 goal to keep the pace in an enthralling Golden Boot race.
Segecic’s ninth goal of the season opened the scoring at Allianz Stadium in the seventh minute as Sydney raced into an early lead.
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Out of form and down on confidence, Wellington were challenged to respond to falling behind early but in the 38th minute, Kosta Barbarouses hauled his side back into the game with a goal initially ruled out for offside.
After a VAR review, referee Shaun Evans returned to the field of play to overturn the initial decision and confirm Barbarouses’ ninth goal of the campaign as Wellington got back on level terms before half-time.
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Talay brought star winger Douglas Costa off his bench at half-time and the Brazilian’s first sight on goal came in the 62nd minute when his long-range free-kick bent around the wall but sailed comfortably wide of the bottom-left corner.
Kucharski joined Costa in coming off the bench for Sydney and the young striker had a great chance to restore his side’s lead – a chance denied by a superb Josh Oluwayemi save.
From the resulting corner, Costa attempted to catch Oluwayemi off guard with a strike direct from the dead ball but the Phoenix keeper managed to scramble the effort away from danger.
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The tension rose at Allianz Stadium with 10 minutes to play after a cynical Kosta Barbarouses challenge on Leo Sena that led to an all-in melee between the two sides; Barbarouses was booked for the challenge – as was Alex Rufer and Rhyan Grant for their respective roles in the fracas.
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Kucharski’s late battle with Oluwayemi resumed soon after as the Sydney young gun came within centimetres of Sydney’s second goal. The 22-year-old’s powerful strike was on target but the Phoenix keeper got a strong glove on the ball to tip it over the bar and keep Wellington in the contest.
