The premiership might already be in the hands of Tony Popovic’s side, but Sydney FC won a huge mental battle in beating Perth Glory 1-0 on Thursday night.

With Perth having already clinched the Premiers Plate, Sydney FC’s clash against the Glory was an important psychological battle between these two top teams.

It provided a chance for Sydney to send a message to the rest of the league that they could beat the premiers– and they did.

Sydney have now won two out of their last three games against Perth, giving them the bragging rights going into the finals series. Sky Blues boss Steve Corica says that having their strong record against Perth will give his side the confidence they need heading into finals, where playing the Glory is a likely scenario.

“It could be the match-up in the final, but there’s plenty of football to be played before that,” Corica said.

“I think it’s important to get another win over them. It’s a mental thing with our boys, they know they can beat them, because they’ve done it twice now.

“They’ve had a very good season so far, and congratulations to them for winning the premiership. But our guys were sensational tonight, they showed great character. Perth didn’t have a shot on target, so defensively our boys were outstanding.

Sydney FC have not only delivered a huge mental blow to Perth, but also to third placed Melbourne Victory. The Victory will now have to win both of their remaining competition games against Adelaide United and the Western Sydney Wanderers to have any chance of finishing in second place and avoiding the elimination final.

“It puts a lot of pressure on Melbourne. They’ve gone back to five points now, and they know they have to win on Friday night, otherwise second place is gone.”

Feature Image Credit: Jaime Castaneda