Sydney FC’s 19-match unbeaten record came undone at the unlikeliest of places with Central Coast Mariners seeing off the Sky Blues 2-0 in Gosford.
Heading into their encounter with the Mariners, Sydney FC had not tasted defeat in the A-League since their loss to rivals Western Sydney Wanderers on February 18.
The Sky Blues had started the 2017/18 A-League campaign where they left off last year and prior to last night’s encounter they sat top of the table.
However, their performance against the Mariners was a far cry from the showing that many come to expect from the reigning champions.
Graham Arnold’s men failed to get out of first gear and lacked the impetus which brought them so much success last season.
Sydney usually take some time before they settle into the match and last night was no different as they struggled to match their opponent’s intensity.
Take nothing away from the Mariners’ performance, they were deserved winners on the night but it appeared as if the visitors failed to show up.
Arnold has never tasted defeat against his former club at Central Coast Stadium and you would’ve expected that record to stay intact if it weren’t for his side’s poor performance.
The Sydney FC coach seemed quite unfazed despite being defeated by his former club, “We tried hard, we worked hard, the Mariners were red hot and they deserve credit,” Arnold said.
While last night’s loss may only be a small setback for the Sky Blues, it’s something that they could have easily avoided.
However, Arnold was gracious in defeat as he praised the Mariners performance and recognised just how far he’d come with his current side, “I thought that we tried exceptionally hard and at the end of the day, it’s our first loss in 19 games if you include the FFA Cup,” he said.
“When you win, you win and when you lose, you learn.
”
After their uncharacteristically poor performance against Central Coast, the Sky Blues would have hopefully learnt that they can’t afford to take any team lightly in this competition.
Enjoy this content? Support The Football Sack
Due in part to COVID and lack of current sponsorship we are at risk of not having the funds to continue running The Football Sack. If you enjoy our content and support our work in training talented young writers, please support us with a donation. If every reader contributed just $3, our funding would be covered for over ten years.
| DONATE |
