A dominant second half from the Western Sydney Wanderers has seen them to a convincing 3-0 victory over the AIS in Round 6 of the Foxtel National Youth League in Canberra on Saturday.
A dominant second half from the Western Sydney Wanderers has seen them to a convincing 3-0 victory over the AIS in Round 6 of the Foxtel National Youth League in Canberra on Saturday.
A brace of penalties from the lively Kwabena Appiah and a strike from Jake McGing did the damage as the Wanderers proved too strong for the out-gunned AIS, who lost their unbeaten home record in the process.
The visitors offered a visible threat from the off with striker Appiah leading the line and utilising a combination of pace and power to cause issues for the AIS home defence with Matthew Schmidt and George Timotheou needing to be on their toes to nullify the dangerous forward.
At the other end Marc Marino, rewarded for his four goals off the bench this season with his first home start of the campaign, created an opening for Liam Rose.
Marino, rounded Wanderers shot-stopper Blake Tuxford and, from an acute angle, played the ball back into the penalty area where Rose met the cut-back with a side-foot effort but it lacked the requisite power to find the net.
Almost immediately the Wanderers responded as Alusine Foafanah was up-ended on the edge of the area and Sean Symons resultant free kick deflected off the wall and had AIS goalkeeper Lucas Spinella scrambling across goal, relieved the ball went out for a corner.
Chances were few for both teams in the first half, the best coming for the AIS just past the half-hour mark.
A corner was sent deep to the back post where right full-back Darcy Madden rose highest to meet it with a firm downward header.
The ball crashed into the turf and bounced up only to cannon off the crossbar and away to safety.
Wanderers’ Appiah continued to be a nuisance for the hosts and forced Spinella into making a decent one-handed save from a low cross-shot close to the half-time break but nothing could separate the teams at the interval as the sides went into the changing rooms level at 0-0.
The momentum of the match shifted heavily in favour of the Wanderers within five minutes of the resumption of play.
The visitors constructed a slick attack down the right-hand side and, after a bit of pin-ball around the area, the ball ricocheted off Appiah and appeared destined for the top corner.
AIS midfielder Rose instinctively blocked the goal-bound effort with his hand leaving referee Luke Withell with no option but brandish the red card.
Appiah himself took the spot-kick and coolly sent Spinella the wrong way to give the Wanderers a narrow advantage.
Incredibly the Wanderers were award a second penalty only six minutes later and if the first was a definite spot-kick the second was anything but.
Fofanah went to ground easily under a challenge in the area and the referee, after a delay, awarded the penalty much to the disbelief of the majority of the crowd.
Appiah again showed his composure to calmly double the Wanderers- lead.
AIS defender Schmidt then saw a firm header clatter back off the bar with Tuxford in the Wanderers goal beaten in the 63rd minute but that was merely a prelude to a third Wanderers goal.
Another quick-fire counter attack ended with skipper McGing in acres of space inside the area and he took his time to pick his spot and slot home the third and complete a comfortable victory.
AIS 0
Western Sydney Wanderers 3 (Appiah 50 (pen), 56 (pen), Jake McGing 65)
AIS: 30. Lucas SPINELLA, 2. Darcy MADDEN, 3. Brendan GONANO, 5. Matthew SCHMIDT, 6. Matthew NTOUMENOPOULOS (16. Jordan PUDLER 62-), 11. Marc MARINO (24. Bai ANTONIOU 55-), 12. Marc OCHIENG, 17. Anthony KALIK, 18. Alexander GERSBACH, 21. George TIMOTHEOU (23. Rocco PIZZATTA 62-), 22. Liam ROSE
Western Sydney Wanderers: 20. Blake TUXFORD, 2. Shayne D-CUNHA, 3. Brendan HOOPER, 4. Daniel ALESSI, 5. Sean SYMONS, 8. Jake McGING, 9. Lawrence HANNA, 10. Alusine FOFANAH, 11. Matthew SOTIRIO, 14. Kwabena APPIAH (12. James BALDACCHINO 59-), 17. Matthew STEWART (6. Joshua BARRES 59-)
